Andrew Thares

It was home run derby night at Guaranteed Rate Field, as the Minnesota Twins and Chicago White Sox combined to go deep nine times in tonight's ballgame. Unfortunately for the Twins, a few more left the yard for the White Sox than themselves, as they were blown out by a score of 13 to 3. Box Score Starter: Ober 3.1 IP, 4 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, 3 K Home Runs: Donaldson (13), Cruz (18), Celestino (2) Bottom 3 WPA: Ober (-.303), Shoemaker (-.071), Rortvedt (-.065), Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Josh Donaldson Sends Message Back to White Sox It is no secret that Josh Donaldson has been very outspoken against the use of foreign substances by pitchers to gain an advantage. After homering off of Lucas Giolito in the top of the first, Donaldson made a gesture as he crossed home plate referencing the sticky substances, presumably calling out Giolito. Giolito shared some choice words about Donaldson in an interview after the game, to which Donaldson responded before today’s game where he referenced how Giolito’s spin rates have declined since the new ban went into effect, and said Giolito was “probably cheating”. Donaldson followed that message by homering in the first inning for the second game in a row against the White Sox, and his third game overall. Bailey Ober Struggles Again Against the White Sox It has been a so-so start to Bailey Ober’s career, but if you remove the starts against the White Sox, it has not been that bad as he has a 3.63 ERA in those four starts. Unfortunately, however, that is not how stats work and the starts against the White Sox do indeed count. In tonight’s ballgame Ober got off to a good start, as he sent the White Sox down 1-2-3 in the first. However, that quickly came to an end as the White Sox took Ober deep twice in the second inning, and scored a quick three runs to take a lead that they would not surrender. The White Sox touched up Ober again in the third, this time it was reigning AL MVP Jose Abreu taking him deep. Ober went back out for the fourth, with the Twins still very much in the ballgame, down three. He began the inning with a leadoff walk to Brian Goodwin, and then a one out single from Gavin Sheets put runners on the corners, and that was the end of the night for Ober. Matt Shoemaker came in to replace Ober, and gave up a sac fly off the bat of Andrew Vaughn, giving the White Sox a 5-1 lead before getting out of the inning. White Sox Tee Off on Matt Shoemaker With the Twins down four, Rocco Baldelli was hoping to get some length out of Matt Shoemaker. The White Sox, like many teams before them this season, saw Shoemaker on the mound as an opportunity for some live batting practice. After getting an out to begin the inning, Shoemaker gave up a single to Yoan Moncada, and followed that up by hitting Jose Abreu with a curveball. This set the table for Yasmani Grandal, who blasted a three-run home run, effectively busting this game wide open. Despite a pimp job by Grandal, the ball barely cleared the fence, and initially appeared to be robbed by Nick Gordon who had the ball in his glove, before the force of colliding with the wall knocked the ball out of his glove and over the fence for a home run. After giving up that home run, the fifth inning was still far from over for Shoemaker. He did get another quick out, but then gave up a walk before surrendering a home run to Gavin Sheets, the first of his MLB career. Shoemaker the allowed three straight singles to Andrew Vaughn, Leury Garcia and Tim Anderson, with Vaughn scoring on the Anderson single giving the White Sox the 11-1 lead. After finally getting out of the fifth, Shoemaker came back out to pitch the sixth and things did not go much better as he walked Jose Abreu to leadoff the inning before giving up a second home run to Yasmani Grandal, this time it was a no-doubter. Nelson Cruz Hits a Mammoth Home Run With the game well out of reach, about the only thing left for the Twins to do tonight was work on their stats, and Nelson Cruz did just that in the top of the sixth as he crushed a pitch 453 feet deep into the left-centerfield bleachers. Gilberto Celestino Joins Home Run Derby After coming into the game in the sixth as a defensive replacement, Gilberto Celestino made the most of his one plate appearance in tonight’s ballgame, as he went deep to centerfield for his second home run of the season. Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet View full article

The scouting numbers are the numbers that I create personally for each prospect based on the research that I do across a number of different platforms, along with watching as much video as I can find on a prospect and what I am able to watch live. As for the specific numbers, you will see that it varies pretty wildly across different sites. Some sites like Fangraphs, whom I assume you are comparing too, will only have a handful of players with a 50 grade, while others like Baseball America are at the complete opposite end of the spectrum as they have almost 50 players with a 55 grade or higher. My grades fall in between those two (closer to BA than Fangraphs) as I usually have roughly 20 or so guys with a 55 or higher, and the next 50 or so players having a grade of 50. It all just depends on the class.

The MLB Draft is coming up quick, so be sure to check out each installment of the Twins Daily Draft Prospect rankings, so you are prepared heading into draft night. We are now just two weeks away from the start of the 2021 MLB Draft. A year after the MLB Draft was shortened from 40 rounds down to just five, as a result of the Covid-19 Pandemic, the 2021 installment is back up to a healthier 20 round draft, as organizations are still feeling the effects of the pandemic. A 20-round draft is not the only thing new with this year’s draft, as for the first time it will take place over All-Star Weekend, in the host city of Denver, beginning Sunday July 11th and finishing on Tuesday July 13th. The Minnesota Twins hold three picks on Day 1 of the draft, with those picks coming at 26, 36 and 61 overall. Which means that numerous players featured in the Twins Daily MLB Draft Top 50 Prospects list should be available for them when they make all three of their selections on Day 1. For the first installment of this year’s list, we will look at the players that I have ranked 41st-50th. 50. Ethan Wilson, South Alabama Pos: OF | B/T: L/L | Height: 6' 1" | Weight: 210 lbs | Age: 21 Previously Drafted: Never Scouting Grades Hit: 55 Power: 55 Run: 50 Throw: 40 Field: 50 Overall: 50 University of South Alabama outfielder Ethan Wilson has been a name many MLB scouts have had on their radar ever since his eye-popping Freshman campaign back in 2019 where he slashed .345/.453/.686 and hit 17 home runs in 56 games. After a slightly disappointing performance in just 18 game in 2020, Wilson had another decent performance this spring as he hit .318 with an OPS of .947, all be it against much weaker competition than many other college hitters on this list, as Wilson’s South Alabama squad plays in the Sun Belt Conference. While the level of competition is a bit of a question mark for Ethan Wilson’s bat, his swing mechanics suggest that he should remain an above-average hitter when he enters pro ball. The cause for concern is what Wilson brings defensively. While Wilson isn’t exactly slow, he doesn’t have the speed needed to be a good outfielder at the MLB level. Additionally, his relatively poor arm strength will pigeonhole him to left field as a professional. With these defensive limitations, it will force teams to take a big gamble on Wilson’s bat panning out for the pick to be a success. 49. Andrew Abbott, Virginia Pos: LHP | Height: 6’0” | Weight: 180 lbs | Age: 22 Previously Drafted: 36th Round, 2017 (NYY) Scouting Grades Fastball: 55 Curveball: 55 Changeup: 50 Control: 50 Overall: 50 If you have been following along this college baseball season, or at least any of the NCAA Tournament or College World Series, you might already be familiar with the Virginia Cavalier ace Andrew Abbott. Abbott helped lead the Cavaliers to the College World Series, where he made one gem of an appearance throwing six shutout innings, while striking out ten, against the third ranked Tennessee Volunteers. Unfortunately, that is all we got to see from Abbott in the College World Series, because after beating Tennessee in the game he started, Virginia lost each of their next two games and were eliminated before he could make his next appearance. After having success pitching out of the Cavalier bullpen his first three college seasons, Abbott got a chance to put his potential on full display in his senior season this spring as a starting pitcher, and he took full advantage of the opportunity. In 19 appearances (17 starts), Abbott posted a stellar 2.87 ERA across 106 and 2/3 innings pitched. Abbott was a strikeout machine this year, as he finished third in the nation with 162 strikeouts and was the only pitcher close to matching the Vanderbilt dynamic duo Kumar Rocker and Jack Leiter (both of whom will be featured later in this series) in strikeouts. In terms of stuff, Abbott doesn’t have as much high-end stuff has other elite pitchers, but both his fastball and curveball have the potential to play up from their 55 ratings that I gave them. If that happens, Abbott has the potential to one day be a number 2 or 3 starter in an MLB rotation. If not, he is one of the safer options in this year’s class to at least be a back of the rotation starting pitcher one day. 48. Alex Mooney, St. Mary’s Prep, Orchard Lake, MI Pos: SS | B/T: R/R | Height: 6' 1" | Weight: 180 lbs | Age: 18 Commitment: Duke Scouting Grades Hit: 50 Power: 45 Run: 55 Throw: 55 Field: 55 Overall: 50 Coming out of the Michigan prep ranks, Alex Mooney is a player who’s ranking could vary across different MLB organizations. The biggest question is how teams fell about his potential offensively. Personally, I see him as a fringe-average hitter with below average power at the professional level. If Mooney can put on some more strength, and prove himself as a quality contact hitter, he has a shot to be a productive bottom of the order bat, but I don’t see his offensive ceiling being much higher than that. Defensively is where Alex Mooney excels. While he doesn’t have any loud tools, he is solidly and above-average defender at short and shouldn’t have much difficulty sticking there at the next level. If Mooney wants to one day make it as a big leaguer, he will need to continue to perform well defensively at short and provide a well-balanced game. 47. Chase Burns, Beech Senior HS, Gallatin, TN Pos: RHP | Height: 6’4” | Weight: 215 lbs | Age: 18 Commitment: Tennessee Scouting Grades Fastball: 65 Curveball: 50 Slider: 55 Changeup: 50 Control: 45 Overall: 50 Chase Burns has relied heavily on what is one of the more dominating two-pitch mixes in the high school ranks in this year’s draft. Burns’ fastball is up there with the best in the class, as he leverages his 6’4” frame well to consistently get the pitch into the upper 90s, and occasionally reaching triple digits. He then pairs that with a slider that has the potential to a second plus pitch as he learns to control it a little better. Fueled by those two pitches, Burns has high potential down the road, but that also comes with a lot of risk. Not only do high school right-handed pitchers of his profile have a poor track record, which will likely knock him down most teams’ boards, but he will also need to show that he can not only develop a third pitch, but also develop some better control to make it as a starting pitcher. If not, he should be a quality candidate to find success pitching out of the bullpen. 46. Max Muncy, Thousand Oaks HS, CA Pos: SS | B/T: R/R | Height: 6' 1" | Weight: 180 lbs | Age: 18 Commitment: Arkansas Scouting Grades Hit: 50 Power: 50 Run: 50 Throw: 55 Field: 55 Overall: 50 California prep shortstop Max Muncy (no relation) is one of the most solid across the board high schoolers in this year’s class. He has shown the potential to be at least an average hitter, with enough pop to be a 15-20 home runs a year guy. The glove is where Muncy brings the most value, as he has more than enough range and arm strength to make it at short. While Muncy doesn’t have a standout set of tools that will vault him up draft boards, he does possess a very well-rounded game, and is a solid athletic profile that will give him an opportunity to stay at short, or become a utility infielder, which is a position that is gaining more and more value as teams better understand how to utilize their full rosters. Expect him to come off the board sometime in the second round. 45. Carson Williams, Torrey Pines HS, CA Pos: SS/3B | B/T: R/R | Height: 6' 2" | Weight: 180 lbs | Age: 18 Commitment: Cal Scouting Grades Hit: 45 Power: 60 Run: 50 Throw: 60 Field: 50 Overall: 50 While Carson Williams is already the third high school shortstop featured on this list, he should not be mistaken with the two previous ones, as he has a much different toolset to off. Without question the most promising part of Williams’ game is his power potential, that is already plus and could get even better as he fills out more. However, he does come with some risk as there is plenty of swing and miss in his game as well. It is hard to imagine Williams sticking at short but expect him to make the transition to third where he has more than a strong enough arm strength to stick at the hot corner. If Williams can clean up his stroke a bit to cut down on the swing and miss, Williams has a very high ceiling, but that comes with a very big if. 44. Connor Norby, East Carolina Pos: 2B | B/T: R/R | Height: 5’10" | Weight: 187 lbs | Age: 21 Previously Drafted: Never Scouting Grades Hit: 60 Power: 50 Run: 50 Throw: 55 Field: 50 Overall: 50 After struggling a bit during his freshman season back in 2019, Connor Norby was showing signs that things had clicked in 2020, as he hit .403 and tacked on 6 stolen bases in 17 games before the season got cut short. He proved that breakout was for real this season as he finished the season 8th in the country with a .415 batting average and added 15 home runs, to show some power that was previously lacking in his game. Defensively, Norby has more than enough ability to be a solid defender at second base. He has enough arm strength to play short, but he does not quite possess the range needed to play the position regularly. I would expect Norby to find an everyday home at second, but he could certainly provide help at short or third if it were needed. 43. Wes Kath, Desert Mountain HS, AZ Pos: 3B | B/T: L/R | Height: 6' 3" | Weight: 200 lbs | Age: 18 Commitment: Arizona State Scouting Grades Hit: 55 Power: 55 Run: 50 Throw: 55 Field: 50 Overall: 50 Wes Kath is another player that will have split grades across several different organizations scouting departments. Some might see his potential offensively with a smooth swing and power to boot, while others might question his ability to hit higher level pitching and produce power with a wood bat. Personally, I think there is absolutely potential for Kath to be a plus hitter with 20 plus homer power to boot. The other question with Kath is out in the field. Some will see Kath as a plug and play third basemen, while others would like to see what he can do at short before having him make the transition to third, especially if they use an early round pick on him. I would not be surprised if there was a handful of teams that like both his potential with the bat and think he will have the ability to stick at short. If that is the case, he could go off the board earlier than expected. 42. Ben Kudrna, Blue Valley Southwest HS, KS Pos: RHP | Height: 6’3” | Weight: 175 lbs | Age: 18 Commitment: LSU Scouting Grades Fastball: 55 Slider: 60 Changeup: 45 Control: 50 Overall: 50 Ben Kudrna is a great example of what scouts refer to as a projectable frame. At 6’3” and only 175 pounds, Kudrna has a lot of room to develop physically, which typically correlates with an increase in velocity. Right now, Kudrna possesses above-average velocity on his fastball that typically sits in the low-to-mid 90s, but if he can add a few more ticks that pitch will become an effective swing and miss pitch. Right now, Kudrna’s best put away pitch is his slider that at times can be devastating to opposing right-handed hitters. Kudrna is still developing a changeup that he can use as an out pitch when facing lefties, and at times he can get a little loose with his command. However, these are two things that can be developed if he gets into the right system. Expect a team to take a shot on Kudrna in the second or third round, to try and get him out of his commitment to LSU, similar to what the Twins did with Blayne Enlow a few years back. 41. James Wood, IMG Academy, FL Pos: OF | B/T: L/R | Height: 6' 7" | Weight: 240 lbs | Age: 18 Commitment: Mississippi State Scouting Grades Hit: 40 Power: 65 Run: 50 Throw: 55 Field: 50 Overall: 50 Rounding out the first installment of this series is yet another high school bat, this time it is and outfielder in James Wood. Without question the one thing that creates excitement in James Wood is the pop he possesses from the left side of the plate. At 6’7”, Wood is able to generate leverage that not many other hitters can replicate, which in turn generates a lot of bat speed. Wood also has a very long swing, which does, and will continue to create problems for him against higher levels of pitching. The swing is going to be a project for whichever team drafts him, but if they can get that squared away there is not telling how high the ceiling is for Wood with the bat. James Wood is not the prettiest of looking players in the field, as his length can be awkward for him at times, but that doesn’t mean that wood is not an effective fielder. Wood will likely find a home in right field as a professional, as his lack of top end speed will limit him to a corner, but he has more than enough arm strength to play right. View full article

Bailey Ober shined in tonight's ballgame, as his strong start helped the Minnesota Twins avoid the three-game sweep at the hands of the Seattle Mariners. Box Score Ober: 4 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 K Home Runs: Cruz (14); Jeffers (4) Top 3 WPA: Ober .195; Polanco .145; Donaldson .096 Win Probability Chart (via Fangraphs) Bailey Ober Faced the Minimum in Four Innings of Work Bailey Ober brought his A game to the mound tonight, as he was in complete control, dominating the Seattle Mariners lineup in four innings of work. The only baserunner that he allowed was a leadoff single in the fourth to J.P. Crawford. Crawford would later be thrown out in a strike’em out throw’em out double play. Crawford was initially ruled safe on the play, but after a Twins challenge he was ruled out as he came off the base for a brief moment while Luis Arraez had the tag applied. It was not just good batted ball fortune that allowed Ober to have success tonight, as he did much of the dirty work himself, striking out six of the twelve batters that he faced. While Ober does not possess overpowering stuff, he has built himself a reputation as a strikeout pitcher in the minors, as he owns a career 11.1 K/9 across four seasons of minor league ball. Add this in with a miniscule BB/9 of just 1.2 and Ober has a great foundation to have a lot of success pitching at the big-league level. Cruz and Jeffers Both Homer in Four-Run Fifth After failing to capitalize in a couple of prime opportunities in his first two at-bats of the evening, Nelson Cruz did not miss on a third, as he absolutely pummeled a first pitch fastball, with two on and nobody out, that left the bat with an exit velocity of 112.3 MPH and traveled an estimated 421 feet. After an Alex Kirilloff ground out for the first out of the fifth, Ryan Jeffers stepped to the plate and belted his fourth home run of the season to give the Twins the 7-0 lead. This was Jeffers fourth home run of the season, all four of which have come since he was recalled to the Twins on June 2nd to replace Mitch Garver who went on the Injured List. Both Donaldson and Simmons Leave with Injuries Tell me if you have heard this one before, Josh Donaldson had to leave Wednesday night’s ball game early with calf tightness. He appeared to tweak the calf when he advanced to second on a throw home after singling in the first. Willians Astudillo replaced Donaldson at third base and in the second spot in the order. Each of Astudillo’s first two plate appearances resulted in walks, which were the first two walks he had drawn since the 2019 season. In addition to the Donaldson injury, Andrelton Simmons was also left the game early with what was reported to be ankle tightness. Simmons was replaced in the lineup by Trevor Larnach, who took over in left for Luis Arraez who moved into second, and bumping Jorge Polanco over to short. Hopefully this injury is not anything too serious, as a healthy Simmons could draw some interest from playoff contenders looking to upgrade their infield defense. Bullpen Usage Chart What's Next? The Twins are off on Thursday before heading to Texas to begin a three game series with the Texas Rangers on Friday night at 7:05pm CT. Jose Berrios is scheduled to take the mound, opposite Mike Foltynewicz. View full article

As they usually do against the Minnesota Twins, the New York Yankees lineup came to play tonight, as they scored nine runs on fourteen hits, four of which left the ballpark. Judge and Stanton Clobber Dobnak It sure feels like a long time since the Twins threw Randy Dobnak in Game 2 of the ALDS against this Yankees lineup. In that game, Dobnak gave up four runs in 2+ innings pitched. Tonight didn’t go much better for the struggling right-hander, as Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton tee’d off on him. Together, Judge and Stanton combined to go 5-for-6 off Dobnak with three home runs and two doubles. In the first, it was Aaron Judge who got the home run derby started, as he cleared the fence in left-center field to put the Yankees up 1-0. The Yankees added another run in the second thanks to back-to-back two out hits, the latter being an RBI double from Brett Gardner that put the Yankees up 2-0. The third inning is where the Yankees busted things open. Aaron Judge ledoff the inning with a double that was followed by a Gleyber Torres walk. This set the table for Giancarlo Stanton who promptly blasted a no-doubter to straight away center field. After a scoreless fourth, the Yankees lineup went back to taking batting practice off of Rany Dobnak in the fifth. The inning started with a Gleyber Torres walk that preceded Gincarlo Stanton’s second home run of the game. This one just barley clearing the scoreboard in right-center field. Following that Stanton home run, Gio Urshela ripped a base hit up the middle, but didn’t stay on the bases long as Rougned Odor followed that up with a double-play groundout. Just as Dobnak looked like he was about to get out of the inning, he served up his fourth home run of the night, this time to Miguel Andujar. Kyle Higashioka followed that up with a single, which finally closed the book on a rough night for Randy Dobnak. Griffin Jax came in and needed just one batter to finally get the Twins out of the inning. Polanco and Sano Both Take Gerrit Cole Deep In what was an otherwise shutdown start from Yankees ace, there were a couple of bright spots from the Twins lineup as both Jorge Polanco and Miguel Sano connected on a Gerrit Cole fastball, taking him deep for a couple of solo shots. Twins Bats Awaken in 4-run 9th It was a little too late for a comeback, but the Twins bats did show a little bit of life in the bottom of the 9th, as they entered the inning trailing by a score of 9-2. Alex Kirilloff got things going with a one out triple that just narrowly missed clearing the fence in center field. He then came in to score one batter later on a Miguel Sano single. After an Andrelton Simmons groundout, which advanced Sano to second base, Gilberto Celestino picked up his first career MLB hit, as he laced a line drive up the middle. A wild pitch from Yankees reliever Brooks Kriske brought Miguel Sano in from third, and allowed Celestino to advance to second. Later in that same at-bat, Jorge Polanco connected on his second home run of the game, this time off the foul poll in right. This was just the second career multi-homer game for Jorge Polanco, and the first since 2017. The comeback effort fell short, however, as Josh Donaldson flew out to right to end the ballgame. No Drama Between Cole and Donaldson There was a lot of drama heading into tonight’s ballgame surrounding comments that Josh Donaldson made in regards to Gerrit Cole’s spin rates in light of the MLB cracking down on pitchers using illegal substances on the baseball. Well known New York sports radio personality Michael Kay shared his two cents on the situation earlier today. In the end, nothing played out on the diamond, as Cole never threw at Donaldson. Instead Cole just shut Donaldson’s bat down, as Donaldson went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts against Cole. Bullpen Usage Chart What's Next? The Twins and Yankees wrap up the three game series Thursday Night at 7:10 pm CDT, as the Twins look to avoid the sweep with J.A. Happ facing his former team, while the Yankees will counter with Michael King. View full article

With today being June 2nd, the date that marks both the beginning of Lou Gehrig became the Yankees’ starting first baseman and the date in 1941 that he passed away at the age of 37, Major League Baseball decided to honor him with the first ever Lou Gehrig Day. Box Score Dobnak: 5.2 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 3 K Home Runs: Jeffers (1) Bottom 3 WPA: Astudillo -.127, Dobnak -.124, Colome -.100, Win Probability Chart (via Fangraphs) Squandered Opportunities in the 1st Just two batters into the ballgame, the Twins already had a threat mounting against Orioles starting pitcher Matt Harvey, after Jorge Polanco leadoff the game with a double, and was followed by a walk from Josh Donaldson. That opportunity, like many others before it this season, was not taken advantage of, as three and four hitters Alex Kirilloff and Nelson Cruz both struck out before Trevor Larnach grounded out into the shift to end the inning. In the bottom half of the inning, the Orioles put together and even greater threat, as the first three batters to face Randy Dobnak all reached base to load them up with nobody out. Freddy Galvis then struck a hard line drive up the middle that looked destined to be a single, however, thanks to the shift, Jorge Polanco was positioned perfectly to snare the line drive and double up Trey Mancini at second to give Dobnak two desperately needed outs. Dobnak then got out of the jam by getting DJ Stewart to flyout to left to end the inning. Jeffers Picks Up Where Garver Left Off The Twins received bad news today, as catcher Mitch Garver needed to undergo surgery to repair damage done in Tuesday night’s ballgame when he was struck in the groin with a foul ball. Timing could not have been worse, as Garver was coming off a great month of May where he easily led all Twins hitters with a 183 wRC+. As a result of the injury, Garver was placed on the 10-Day IL and Ryan Jeffers was recalled from St. Paul to replace him, and it did not take long for him to do that as Jeffers blasted a home run in his first plate appearance to give the Twins a 1-0 lead in the second. In the eighth, with the Twins trailing 6-1, Jeffers drilled an opposite field flyball to the right-centerfield gap. For a second it appeared as though Orioles centerfielder Cedric Mullins would track it down, but the ball glanced off his glove and made it to the wall. This allowed Nick Gordon, who had reached on a single to leadoff the inning, to score from first and Ryan Jeffers to treck all the way around to third for what was not only Jeffers’ first career MLB triple, but his first triple since he became a professional in 2018. Jeffers would later come in to score on a Jorge Polanco sac-fly to cut the Orioles lead to three. Orioles Bats Came to Play in Middle Innings Things were cruising along well for Randy Dobnak through the first few innings. He had scattered three hits, a walk and a hit batter, but had not allowed any runs through three. However, things picked up for the Orioles in the middle innings. In the fourth, they strung together three singles together and scored a run on a throwing error from Nick Gordon that sailed into the Orioles dugout down the first baseline. In the fifth, Dobnak was on his way to a quick 1-2-3 inning after retiring the first to Baltimore hitters. However, he then lost Freddy Galvis to a walk, and after a mound visit from pitching coach Wes Johnson, Dobnak left a hanging breaking ball over the heart of the plate that DJ Stewart did not miss, as he sent it over the wall in right to give the Orioles a 3-1 lead. After the Twins worked around a leadoff double in the sixth, the Orioles connected for three more runs in the seventh to stretch their lead out to five runs. Caleb Thielbar began the inning by striking out two of the first three batters he faced and giving up a single to the lone batter that he didn’t strike out. He then had to be removed due to an injury and was replaced with Alex Colome. Colome then proceeded to give up a walk, before Ryan Mountcastle took him deep on this three-run home run. Bullpen Usage Chart What's Next? The Twins will continue their road trip with a visit to Kansas City to take on the Royals in a four-game series that begins Thursday night at 7:10 pm CT. The Twins are slated to throw J.A. Happ against Kris Bubic for the Royals. View full article

Spearheaded by a great start from Michael Pineda, and a three-run bomb from Miguel Sano the Twins completed a three game sweep of the Baltimore Orioles and have now won six of their last seven ballgames. Box Score Pineda: 6 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 8 K Home Runs: Sano (9) Top 3 WPA: Sano .341, Pineda .205, Thielbar .076 Win Probability Chart (via Fangraphs) Michael Pineda Shines in Return from IL It was a brief stint on the IL for Michael Pineda, who had to miss just one start as a result of having a procedure to remove an abscess on the inner part of his thigh. This was welcome news for the Twins as Pineda has unquestionably been their best starting pitcher early on in the 2021 season. The Baltimore Orioles jumped out on Pineda early, as Trey Mancini, who is well on his way to earning comeback player of the year honors, blasted his 11th home run of the season in the first. Luckily for the Twins, it was only a solo shot, as Cedric Mullins was thrown out trying to steal second after a leadoff single in the first. Anthony Santander followed that Mancini home run with a double, and it looked early like Pineda was in for a rough day. That, however, would be the last hit that Pineda would surrender on the day. The third inning got off to a rough start, as Pineda walked back-to-back batters to start the inning, but he was able to retire the 2-3-4 hitters in the Orioles lineup to get out of the jam. From then on, Pineda was perfect as he retired the final 12 batters that he faced. Miguel Sano Continues to Deliver It has been a saying for most of his Twins career that as Miguel Sano goes, so to do the Minnesota Twins. That statement has never been truer than it has been in 2021. At the heart of the Twins struggles during the first month and a half of the season was Miguel Sano’s inability to contribute at the plate. However, the past week the Twins have looked like a whole new ball club, and that is thanks almost entirely to Sano being the hottest hitter on the planet during that stretch. In Wednesday’s ballgame that was more of the same. After the offense struggled to muster just two hits and zero runs through the first five innings, the Twins got a little rally going in the bottom of the sixth. Max Kepler leadoff the inning with a single, and after a Nelson Cruz walk and a couple of base runner advancing groundouts, the Twins found themselves with second and third and two outs, with Sano up. In a situation that Sano has struggled in all year, he came through with a monster three-run home run that Sano took a little time to appreciate off the bat. Twins Bullpen Shuts the Door The Twins bullpen blowing late leads has been another theme of late, but today they got the job done, allowing just one run over three innings. Both Tyler Duffey and Caleb Thielbar pitched scoreless innings in the seventh and eighth innings, respectively. That paved the way for Hansel Robles to come on in the 9th and pick up his third save of the season. It wasn’t the cleanest of innings for Robles, who gave up a run on two doubles, but with two outs and the trying run on second, Robles got a broken bat groundout off the bat that previously belonged to Stevie Wilkerson to end the ball game. Bullpen Usage SAT SUN MON TUE WED TOT Robles 27 24 0 13 20 84 Rogers 9 14 0 26 0 49 Duffey 13 15 0 0 15 43 Thielbar 0 18 0 2 16 36 Alcala 17 0 14 0 0 31 Colomé 2 0 8 13 0 23 Farrell 0 0 16 0 0 16 Stashak 0 0 0 0 0 0 What's Next The Twins have a day off on Thursday, before they welcome the Kansas City Royals to town for a three game series that is slated to start at 7:10 pm CT on Friday with Randy Dobnak on the mound for the Twins. View full article

It was yet another day where the Twins lineup was almost non-existent, as they were only able to muster just one run on two hits, both coming off the bat of Nelson Cruz, as the Twins fall to the White Sox yet again and are now 11.5 games back in the division. Box Score Shoemaker: 6 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 4 BB, 2 K Home Runs: Cruz (10) Bottom 3 WPA: Kepler -.194, Garlick -.130, Sano -.112 Win Probability Chart (via Fangraphs) Matt Shoemaker Gives Twins a Quality Start It has been a rough stretch for Twins starter Matt Shoemaker of late, as he has a paltry 7.83 ERA over his last five starts entering play on Wednesday. That makes today’s start by Shoemaker all the more encouraging, as he gave the Twins his first quality start since his first start of the season. This one, however, was much more impressive as it came against the game’s best lineup in the Chicago White Sox, as opposed to one of the game’s worst lineups in the Detroit Tigers. Shoemaker cruised through the first three innings, as the only base runners that he allowed were on a couple of meaningless two out walks, one in the first and another in the second. However, as the White Sox began their second turn through the rotation, Shoemaker began to show a few kinks in the armor. In the fourth, Shoemaker gave up a leadoff single to Yoan Moncada and hit Andrew Vaughn with pitch, but was able to get out of the first and third situation after striking out Zack Collins to get out of the inning. Both the fifth and sixth innings began with a leadoff double from the White Sox that eventually came around to score both of the White Sox runs in today’s ballgame. In the fifth, the White Sox used small ball to scratch across a run as Danny Mendick laid down a sac bunt to advance Leury Garcia to third, who eventually scored on an infield single from Adam Eaton who narrowly beat out the Jorge Polanco throw from short, robbing Miguel Sano of what would have be an amazing defensive play. Cruz Missile Provides Twins Offense After getting a rest day on Tuesday, Nelson Cruz appeared fresh and ready to go for today’s game. He got the bat going with a single in the first, and then, after Luis Arraez and Jorge Polanco both struck out to begin the third, Nelson Cruz connected on fastball that just narrowly avoided the left-center field wall to get the Twins on the board early. Lucas Giolito Shuts Down Twins Lineup It wasn’t the cleanest of starts to the game for White Sox ace Lucas Giolito, who gave up a leadoff walk in both the first and second innings, to go along with the solo home run he gave up to Nelson Cruz in the third. However, Giolito had only given up one run to that point, and then he absolutely dominated the Twins lineup the rest of the way, as he gave up just one baserunner over his final five innings of work. Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet SAT SUN MON TUE WED TOT Stashak 17 0 0 35 0 52 Colomé 7 0 0 19 15 41 Rogers 0 12 0 27 0 39 Thielbar 0 28 0 0 10 38 Robles 17 0 0 17 0 34 Duffey 0 26 0 5 0 31 Farrell 31 0 0 0 0 31 Alcala 0 0 18 0 7 25 What’s Next? On Thursday, the Twins will head to Los Angels for a makeup double-header against the Angels. Lewis Thorp will take the mound in Game 1 that is slated to begin at 3:07 CT. Jose Berrios will pitch Game 2 that should begin roughly 30 minutes after the conclusion of game 1. Both Angels starts are still TBD. View full article

Yes, the guy was sitting right behind home plate late in the game.

The Twins woes with runners in scoring position did them in again tonight, as they game themselves plenty of scoring chances, but went 0-for-9 with RISP and failed to cash in on any of them and fell to the Texas Rangers by a score of 3-1.Box Score Thorpe: 5 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 2 K Home Runs: Garver (6) Bottom 3 WPA: Polanco -.188, Kepler -.174, Simmons -.130 Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs): Download attachment: Screen Shot 2021-05-05 at 10.20.39 PM.png Garver goes deep Mitch Garver got the scoring started with one out in the bottom of second when he blasted an 88-mph fastball into the second deck in left-center field. After hitting just two home runs in 23 games in 2020, Garver is back on his 2019 home run pace, as this was already his sixth so far this season. Twins blow great scoring chance in the 4th After giving up the lead in the top of the inning, the Twins offense was poised to take it right back in the bottom of the inning. Nelson Cruz got the inning started with a sharp ground ball single to center field and was followed by a ground-rule double off the bat of Kyle Garlick, his first of two doubles on the evening. Mitch Garver then drew a walk to load the bases with nobody out. However, the Twins somehow found a way to not score any runs as Jorge Polanco struck out, followed by a force out at home off the bat of Max Kepler and a ground ball to short from Miguel Sano to get out of the inning. Even though the score was still tied, at the time it felt that was an opportunity that would haunt the Twins late in the ballgame. Lewis Thorpe makes 2nd start of the season After a rough 2020, Lewis Thorpe had to earn his way back in the Twins good graces with a strong spring training performance. As a result, Thorpe has earned the spot starter role for the Twins early in season. After giving up two runs in four innings in his first start, Thorpe gave the Twins another solid outing, as he allowed three runs over five plus. The outing had a chance to be better than it resulted, as Thorpe had given up just one run through five. However, Baldelli kept him in one inning too long as Thorpe gave up a walk and a single before getting pulled to start the sixth. Cody Stashak came in to relieve Thorpe, but failed to strand either runner, as both came around to score giving the Rangers a 3-1 lead. Alex Colome throws two shutout innings in reduced role It has been a very rough start to the 2021 season for newly acquired Alex Colome, who began the season as the Twins closer. In less than a month, he’s already not getting high leverage spots, but he’s filling more of a middle relief role as he was used to pitch multiple innings in a game the Twins were losing. So, it was only fitting that this was the appearance that Colome was able to keep the opposing team off the scoreboard. While it was nice to keep the Twins in the ballgame, it sure would have been better to have a few more outings like this earlier in the season when he was protecting a Twins lead in the final inning, but I digress. Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet Click here to see the bullpen usage over the past five days (link opens a Google Sheet). Click here to view the article

Byron Buxton had a career day as part of the Twins offensive explosion. After some offensive woes, the Twins gave us a glimpse of the 2019 Twins offense. The question is, will this game be the launchpad for the season, or is it just a random one game explosion?Box Score Happ: 7 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 3 K Home Runs: Buxton (8), Donaldson (2), Polanco (1), Astudillo (2), Garver 2 (4) Top 3 WPA: Buxton .137, Polanco .095, Happ .089 Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs): Download attachment: chart.png The Twins home run derby Entering Wednesday’s ballgame, the Twins lineup had produced just 10 first inning runs in 22 ballgames, which was tied for 21st in Major League Baseball. That trend of first inning futility did not carry over into this game, as the Twins had already scored four runs just four batters into the ballgame. It all got started with this Byron Buxton opposite field home run. Josh Donaldson followed that up with a blast of his own in the very next at-bat. This one, however, was a no-doubter off the bat with an exit velocity of 106.3 MPH and carried 423 feet to left. Then, after a Nelson Cruz walk, it was Jorge Polanco’s turn to join the home run bigrade. Like Donaldson’s home run, Polanco’s home run also left the bat at 106.3 MPH, but this one traveled 426 feet to left-center field, giving the Twins a quick four run lead. The Twins early scoring did not stop in the first. In the top of the second, the Twins added a couple more runs to further extend their lead. Alex Kirilloff got things started with a one out single, and then advanced to second on a wild pitch during Byron Buxton’s at-bat that ended with a ground ball between second base and short, that turned into a double thanks to Buxton’s speed and hustle out of the box. Unfortunately, Kirilloff was unable to score after he misread the groundball and went back to second, before advancing to third. That would be a moot point two batters later, when Nelson Cruz delivered this two-run single. In the third, it was Willians Astudillo’s turn to join the party, after he hit the Twins fourth home run of the game. Not to be left out, Mitch Garver went deep in the fifth, giving the Twins an 8 to 1 lead on their fifth home run of the ballgame. A couple innings later, it was Garver again, this time a two-run shot to get the Twins to double-digits on their sixth home run of the game. J.A. Happ builds off great start last time out After a gem of a start last Firday, where J.A. Happ didn’t give up a hit until the 8th inning, he came back out Wednesday and gave the Twins another strong outing, giving up just two runs across seven innings of work. He did give up a number of deep flyballs, but with the exception of a Amed Rosario home run, they all came up short as warning track flyballs. A lot of Twins fans grumbled at the J.A. Happ signing when it happened this winter, but four starts in and it appears to be a great move for starting rotation depth. In total, Happ now has a 1.96 ERA in 23 innings of work and has yet to give up more than two runs in any of his starts. Byron Buxton’s career day Prior to today, Bryon Buxton had only ever had just one four-hit game, which came back in 2017 in Toronto when Buxton blasted three home runs on the way to a Twins 7-2 win. Today, Buxton recorded his first ever five-hit game, and came up just a triple shy of the cycle. We already mentioned the solo shot to leadoff the ballgame. On a couple of his hits later in the game, it was Buxton’s wheels, not his power that was on display. When all was said and done, Buxton had collected 10 total bases along with a stolen base on his way to earning the YouTube Player of the Game honors. Can we just give Buxton the MVP award already? Dobnak throws two shutout innings Thanks to the offensive explosion, the Twins did not need to rely on the bullpen to close out the game late, something the Twins have been unable to do at all this year. Instead, it gave Rocco Baldelli the flexibility to turn to Randy Dobnak, who produced his best outing of the season, giving up just a single to go along with three strikeouts in two shutout innings of work. Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet Click here to see the bullpen usage over the past five days (link opens a Google Sheet). Click here to view the article

If it’s not one thing, it’s the other. The bats finally caught fire for the Twins but Kenta Maeda had a nightmare start and Alexander Colomé blew the lead ... twice! Read more about the game in tonight’s recap.Box Score Maeda: 3 IP, 8 H, 7 ER, 0 BB, 1 K Home Runs: Donaldson (1), Cruz 2 (6), Buxton (6) Bottom 3 WPA: Colomé -.957, Maeda -.651, Astudillo -.179 Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs): Download attachment: chart.png Kenta Maeda has rough outing After a career year in 2020 (well career couple of months) Kenta Maeda has not been on form to start his 2021 campaign, with today’s start being one of the worst of his career. While control was not an issue for Maeda in terms of allowing walks, it was a massive issue within the strike zone, as he left a lot of hittable pitches in the middle of the zone and the Athletics did not miss. As Twins Daily writer Matthew Taylor pointed out, this issue was particularly apparent with his slider. Before his day was done, Maeda allowed seven earned runs on eight hits, three of which were home runs (2 by Matt Olson and 1 by Seth Brown) in just three innings pitched. This start brought Maeda’s season ERA up to an ugly 6.11. Josh Donaldson stays hot While the Twins offense has been struggling to get anything going over the past 10 games or so, Josh Donaldson has been virtually the lone spark during that stretch. That spark continued in Wednesday afternoon’s ballgame. In the top of the first, Donaldson got ahold of a 98 MPH fastball, giving the Twins their first run since last week Friday. He followed that up with an RBI single in his second at-bat, following a Luis Arraez leadoff ground-rule double. He added a leadoff single in the 8th but was left stranded on the bases. Nelson Cruz blasts two home runs It wasn’t only Josh Donaldson who provided the power for the Twins in this game, as Nelson Cruz blasted a couple of long balls of his own. Cruz’s first home run was a two-run shot in the third that gave the Twins a 4-3 lead. He followed that up in his next at-bat, this time it was leading off the fifth to cut into the A’s three-run lead. After both home runs, it was clear that Cruz was dealing with some pain in his lower half, as he rounded the bases gingerly and at an exceptionally slow pace. Jorge Polanco’s four-hit game One of the major focal points for the Twins offensive struggles to start the season has been Jorge Polanco’s difficulties in the top of the order. That was not the case today, as Polanco sprayed the ball around the ballpark, picking up four singles for his efforts. Polanco’s single in the fifth helped setup one of three different three-run innings for the Twins in the ballgame, in which he would come around to score to tie the game at seven runs apiece. He had another big single in the sixth, this time with two outs bringing Josh Donaldson around to score. Polanco then stole second base, and scored on a Willians Astudillo single, giving the Twins a 10-7 lead. Taylor Rogers gets extended work Coming into today’s ballgame, Taylor Rogers had five days of rest since his last appearance. Rocco Baldelli took full advantage of this rest and let arguably his best reliever get the Twins through the later innings. Rogers came in with two outs in the sixth, with runners on second and third and the Twins leading by three. Rogers was not able to get out of the jam, as he gave up a double to Jed Lowrie, cutting the Twins lead to one. He was able to escape the inning without allowing any further damage thanks to this highlight reel catch from Byron Buxton. Rogers stayed in the game not just for another inning, but two more shutout innings of work. He gave up a leadoff single in the seventh, but that was quickly erased with a double play. He then retired the last four batters he faced, including striking out the side in the eighth. Alex Colome blows another save It has been anything but a good start to his Twins tenure for Alex Colome. Today’s game was no different, as Colome entered the game with a one run lead in the bottom of the ninth. Colome then proceeded to hit the first batter he faced. He then got Jed Lowrie to fly out to left, before giving up a single to Matt Olson, and suddenly the A’s had first and third with only one out. Matt Chapman nearly ended the game with a walk off home run, but the ball narrowly missed the foul pole down the right field line. Chapman would latter bring the tying run home on a sac-fly. Byron Buxton’s extra innings blast The inning started with Travis Blankenhorn pinch running for Josh Donaldson at second. While this move was a moot point in the top of the 10th, it played a big part in what ultimately happened in the bottom of the inning. After the Twins failed to score an extra inning run in any of their first three chances, Byron Buxton decided he had enough of that and unleashed the frustrations the Twins and many Twins fans were feeling on this baseball. Twins implode in the bottom of the 10th Any frustrations that Buxton may have taken out in the top of the tenth, were reinstated after what was maybe the worst inning of Twins baseball, I think I have ever watched. For starters, Rocco Baldelli let Alex Colome in to pitch after already seeing him implode once today. The inning actually started out great, as he got Stephen Piscotty to fly out to center, and struck out Sean Murphy for two quick outs. Colome then procced to give up back-to-back walks to load the bases before all hell broke loose. With two outs, and the bases loaded, Mark Canha hit this weak groundball to Travis Blankenhorn (who pinch ran for Donaldson earlier in the inning). Now the A’s are down just one run, with the bases still loaded and two outs. If Colome can get Ramon Laureano he could still close it down. However, after a long at-bat where Laureano fouled off five straight pitches, he finally put the ball in play for what should have been a routine groundout to third to end the game, but with the Twins this season nothing is routine, except ripping their fans hearts out. Oh, the joys of being a Minnesota sports fan. Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet Click here to see the bullpen usage over the past five days (link opens a Google Sheet). Click here to view the article

The Minnesota Twins scratched across just three total runs as they were swept in today’s doubleheader against Boston. Their losing streak extends to five, all of which have been at home. Read more about the games in today’s recap.Game 1: BOS 3, MIN 2 Box Score Maeda: 4.1 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K Home Runs: None Game 2: BOS 7, MIN 1 Box Score Berríos: 4.1 IP, 4 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 5 K Home Runs: None Twins continue to struggle with RISP The theme of the Twins four-game losing streak has been their inability to come up with hits when they need them most. In those four games, the Twins are a paltry 3-for-35 with runners in scoring position, which included 1-for-9 in the first game of Wednesday’s double-header. When you consider that the Twins have lost those four games by a combined total of six runs, it becomes even more painful to realize how winnable each of those games were. Maeda’s rough 2nd inning The game got away from Kenta Maeda in the second inning, something we have not seen much of in his time in a Twins uniform. The inning started with three straight singles to left field, before the wheels fell off on a sac bunt attempt. This was followed by yet another single to left field, giving the Red Sox a three-run lead with still nobody out. Maeda then settled down and was able to get out of the inning without allowing another run. This was big, as it kept the Twins within reasonable striking distance early in the game, as opposed to allowing the Red Sox to blow the game open right then and there. Polanco’s big hit in the 3rd As mentioned previously, the Twins went just 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position in game one. That one hit came off the bat of Jorge Polanco, when he hit a perfectly placed ground ball single up the middle to drive in both of the Twins runs in the game. The inning got started with a couple of singles from the Ryan Jeffers and JT Riddle at the bottom of the order. Luis Arraez followed that up with a sharp line drive, but unfortunately it went right to left fielder Franchy Cordero. A wild pitch during Polanco’s at-bat allowed both runners to advance a base, which Polanco capitalized on a couple pitches later. The Twins had a chance for more, as Nelson Cruz kept the chain moving after he was hit by a pitch. However, Max Kepler and Willians Astudillo failed to come up with a big hit that likely would have tied the ball game. Brandon Waddell Houdinied his way to two shutout innings In just his second appearance of the season, Brandon Waddell kept the Red Sox off the scoreboard in the sixth and seventh innings to keep the Twins deficit at just one run. However, those innings were far from clean. In the sixth, Waddell got an easy pop out to start the inning, before being hit sharply by each of the next three Red Sox batters. Fortunately for Waddell, Alex Kirilloff made a nice catch on the second one. With two on and two outs, Waddell got J.D. Martinez to flyout to end the threat. Waddell decided to turn the stress level up another notch in seventh, after giving up a leadoff double to Xander Bogaerts, followed by a ground ball single to Rafael Devers to give the Red Sox runners on first and third with nobody out. Devers advanced to second on a groundout by Marwin Gonzalez, before Waddell loaded the bases by walking Hunter Renfroe. With the Twins chances of a comeback very much on the line, Waddell buckled down and got two pop ups to escape a second consecutive inning without allowing a run. Twins 7th inning threat Despite coming up short, the Twins did not go down quietly in this game. Jake Cave got things started with a leadoff walk. Then, after a Ryan Jeffers strikeout, Cave stole second during Miguel Sano’s at-bat, who was pinch-hitting for JT Riddle. Later in the at-bat, Sano made a bid to tie the game, but his sharp liner down the left-field line hooked just far enough and landed foul by about a foot. Sano would ultimately strikeout in that at-bat. There was still hope, with a runner on second and Luis Arraez at the plate. rraez had hit the ball hard all game, but had nothing to show for it. That trend continued in his last at-bat who made a great bid for a game tying single, but was robbed by Alex Verdugo (who had moved over from center to left as part of a defensive switch) on this great game ending catch. Per Baseball Savant, Arraez’s batted ball had an expected batting average of .710. In total, Arraez’s four batted balls had an average expected batting average of .438, yet he was unable to get credit for a single hit, going 0-for-4. Donaldson’s hamstring is tested early in his return After injuring his hamstring in the first inning of the first game of the season, Josh Donaldson made his return to the Twins lineup in game two of the double-header, and that injury was immediately put to the test. Donaldson reached based with a one out single, keeping his batting average at a perfect 1.000 to start the season. Nelson Cruz followed that with a single to right, putting the pressure on Donaldson who had to run all out to just reach third safely on a bang-bang play. Donaldson then had to give it one more full gas sprint, as he tagged up from third on a not very deep flyball from Kyle Garlick, giving the Twins an early one to nothing lead. While I’m sure the Twins did not care to see Donaldson’s injury tested right away, it was encouraging to see him round the bases in this manner without even the slightest sign of a lingering injury. Berrios was cruising, until he wasn’t … Building off his first two starts of the season, Jose Berrios was cruising his way through the first part of this game. Through four innings, Berrios had faced just one more than the minimum and looked like he was on his way to a seven-inning shutout. However, things quickly unraveled on his command, as he walked in the tying run, after loading the bases with one out. Tyler Duffey came in to relieve Berrios, and after striking out Enrique Hernandez, he was just one strike away from getting out of the jam with the game still tied. Unfortunately, that is not what happened as the Red Sox were able to bring five more runs across the plate before Caleb Thielbar was finally able to record the third out of the inning. It’s still early, but this start is concerning In the grand scheme of things, 5-7 is not a season killing start, especially when nobody in the rest of the division has more that six wins. However, it is hard not to be concerned when watching this team. They are making countless mistakes, failing to come through when the game is on the line, and have received questionable at best managing from Rocco Baldelli. It would be one thing if the Twins were getting beat by teams that are having great games, but that is not the case. Almost all of these loses can be pinned on mistakes and poor play by the Twins. There is still plenty time to fix it, but it is definitely something that needs to be fixed. Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet Click here to see the bullpen usage over the past five days (link opens a Google Sheet). Click here to view the article

Alex Colomé didn’t make the best first impression, blowing a lead on Opening Day, but he certainly impressed this afternoon in Detroit. The veteran right-hander protected a one-run lead over both the eighth and ninth innings to secure the victory. Continue reading for more on today’s series-clinching win.Box Score Maeda: 6.0 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 6 K Home Runs: None Top 3 WPA: Colomé .374, Polanco .235, Robles .114 Bottom 3 WPA: Garver -.185, Sanó -.080, Cruz -.032 Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs): Download attachment: chart.png Baddoo Stays Hot Akil Baddoo continued to torture his former organization in today’s game. In the bottom of the second, Baddoo got the scoring started with an RBI triple. He followed that up in the next half inning, when he made a great play and throw to nail Andrelton Simmons, who was trying to turn a single into a double, to leadoff the inning. Matthew Boyd Controls Twins Bats Early The Twins stacked their lineup with right-handed hitters against the lefty Matthew Boyd, but they were unable to get anything going against him through the first four innings of the game, as they mustered just two singles, with five strikeouts. It wasn’t until Byron Buxton drilled a double off the right-field wall to leadoff the fifth that the Twins even had a runner in scoring position. The Twins were able to capitalize off Buxton’s leadoff double, as he advanced to third on a groundout from Miguel Sano, and then came in to score on a sac-fly off the bat of Willians Astudillo, evening the score at one a piece. Wilson Ramos Home Run The game didn’t stay tied for long, thanks to Wilson Ramos who drilled a one-out home run down the line in left. Off the bat, the ball didn’t appear to be hit high enough to get out, but the ball was hit hard enough that it stayed up just enough to clear the fence, giving the Tigers a 2-1 lead. Twins Have Big Sixth Inning After the Tigers reclaimed the lead in the bottom of the fifth, the Twins put together a strong sixth inning to give themselves the lead. In the top of the inning, the Twins bats put together a two out rally that started with a single from right-fielder Kyle Garlick. Nelson Cruz followed that up with an infield single, where he was initially rule out, but after a successful challenge from Rocco Baldelli the call was overturned. Jorge Polanco then came up huge, driving a double in the left-center field gap that was able to bring Cruz to score all the way from first, giving the Twins the 3-2 lead. In the bottom half of the inning, it was the defense that bailed out Kenta Maeda, who was struggling to get hitters out. First it was Andrelton Simmons, who completed a strong relay on a Miguel Cabrera double to throw out Willi Castro at home. After a Jeimer Candelario walk and a Nomar Mazara single, the bases were loaded with just one out, with Jonathan Schoop coming to the plate. Maeda was able to get Schoop to flyout to Kyle Garlick, who ended the inning with this great throw. Kyle Garlick’s Big Start With a lefty on the mound for the Tigers, it was not surprising that Kyle Garlick replaced Max Kepler in the lineup. However, it was surprising that he was he was hitting second in the order ahead of Nelson Cruz. Garlick proved that to be a great move, as he collected two singles to get on base in front of Cruz, which included the two-out single in the sixth that sparked the Twins rally to take the lead. Then he backed it up in the field with that throw to get Miguel Cabrera at home to preserve the Twins 3-2 lead. Colome Secures Two Inning Save With Taylor Rogers and Tyler Duffey having pitched yesterday, and Alex Colome coming off three days rest, Rocco Baldelli turned to Colome in the eighth inning to get six outs to end the game, and that is exactly what he did. Colome allowed a single in the eighth, but that was erased with an inning ending double play. He then got the middle of the Tigers order 1-2-3 in the ninth to end the game with Akil Baddoo standing in the on-deck circle. Postgame with Maeda Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet Download attachment: bullpen.png Click here to view the article