Twins

He's been so consistently amazing at what he does that it's become easy to take for granted. Been when you consider where Jhoan Durán came from, what he's been through, and what's he's doing – especially within the context of the Twins franchise and its history – the right-hander's rookie season is worth taking a step back to appreciate.

The Twins came into this past week needing a surge, and things started out promisingly with four straight wins. But the mild hot streak was snuffed out by a pair of ugly losses on Saturday and Sunday that left the team reeling.

Too often this year, the pitching or hitting showing up as been a mutually exclusive proposition.

The Twins’ offense couldn’t get anything going against Rangers starter Kohei Arihara, their bullpen got ambushed for five runs, and a solid start by Joe Ryan went to waste.

The Twins left ten men on base, especially in clutch situations. They weren't able to string hits together. The pitching has been doing well, but the offense has struggled. 

The Twins called up Cole Sands a few weeks ago saying they were in need of a long reliever, something that makes a lot of sense given the makeup of their pitching staff. A few outings later, however, this statement has become fairly puzzling.

The Twins opened a four-game series against the Rangers on Friday night with a .500 record (11-11) against AL West opponents this season. The Twins put themselves up early on back-to-back homers, but could they keep the lead with limited run support thereafter? 

MINNEAPOLIS – The Twins have their annual team Hall of Fame inductions this weekend at Target Field. To kick things off Friday, Ron Gardenhire and fellow inductee Dan Gladden met with the media prior to the Twins vs. Rangers. Then "Gardy" went and did a little bartending.

Aaron and John talk about Tyler Mahle's shoulder problems, why the Wild Card standings are now very relevant for the Twins, Sonny Gray and other starters the third time through lineups, missing Kyle Garlick, and Caleb Thielbar saving everyone's butts. You can listen by downloading us from iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, iHeartRadio or find it at GleemanAndTheGeek.com. Or just click this link. 

Hitters face a tradeoff between swinging for power in order to drive the ball and protecting the plate with swings that are sure to make contact. The best hitters are the ones who effectively balance their swing-and-miss propensity with their aim to hit the ball hard. In his ability to do that, Luis Arraez is unique in all of baseball.

Jose Miranda is proving that his breakout 2021 season wasn’t a fluke. So, should the Twins try and work out a long-term extension with their rookie slugger?

The Twins returned home with a sweep of KC, but remained in second place. Meanwhile, the TD forums searched for a road back to first.

The race is on. 

While many fans are understandably frustrated the Twins haven't put themselves in a pole position, no one can deny the stage is set for a riveting battle in the AL Central. Three teams are separated by three games atop the standings with seven weeks to go.

If Minnesota is to come out on top, which players will need to carry the load?