Andrew Gebo

It's not an even year but the San Francisco Giants are back and they're ready to make a run under new leadership and surprise resurgent years from two veteran holdovers from the dynasty years of the last decade. Minnesota has the pieces to help San Francisco get back on top of the baseball world but does a trade with San Francisco make sense for Minnesota? What’s Their Situation? The San Francisco Giants have been the biggest surprise in baseball this year. Going into the season, most industry pundits and prediction systems had the Giants hovering around the .500 mark and finishing third place in their division behind Los Angeles and San Diego. With less than two weeks until the trade deadline, the San Francisco Giants hold the best record in baseball and sit atop their division. Their surprise run has been powered by the resurgent years of two 34-year-old veterans Buster Posey and Brandon Crawford as well as unexpected starting pitching success from Kevin Gausman, Anthony DeSclafani and Alex Wood. While the Giants reached the pinnacle of the baseball world three times in the 2010s, they have not reached the postseason since 2016. Even though they currently own the best record in baseball they only have a small lead over their division rivals, the Los Angeles Dodgers. The road to the postseason in 2021 for the San Francisco Giants looks all but guaranteed, however, the division title is far from a guarantee. In order to win their division and take down the defending champions, the Giants will need some reinforcements and could look to the Twins to provide the pieces they need. What Do They Need? The Giants dynasty teams of the last decade were comprised of perennial All-Stars and household names. Those teams had a roster with Madison Bumgarner, Matt Cain, Tim Lincecum, Sergio Romo, Buster Posey, Brandon Crawford, Pablo Sandoval, and Hunter Pence. They were also led by future Hall of Fame manager Bruce Bochy. The 2021 version of the San Francisco Giants looks a lot different. Outside of the likes of Buster Posey and Brandon Crawford this team lacks star power and household names. You’ve probably never heard of Darin Ruf, Donovan Solano, Austin Slater, Thairo Estrada or Steven Duggar. Surprisingly though, there aren't many holes to be filled on this team, but that doesn't mean they won't be buyers. Here's what they could add at the deadline to make this team even better. Starting Pitching: This has been an area of pleasant surprise for the Giants. During the winter they made a lot of short-term acquisitions to bolster their starting rotation. Many of those short-term acquisitions have had very strong seasons, which is a big part of the Giants' success. However, very few of them have the track record of staying healthy and being guys that can be relied on to make a deep postseason run. For that reason, starting pitching will be the Giants number one priority at the trade deadline. Relief Pitching: The Giants bullpen hasn't been terrible but it hasn't been great either. They’ve pretty much been average to slightly above-average in most statistical categories; however in the postseason you need better than average bullpen arms. Outfield: Other than Mike Yastrzemski, the Giants have struggled to get consistent production from any of their outfield options. Earlier in the season they acquired Mike Tauchman from the New York Yankees but his .569 OPS has provided very little impact offensively. Some of the other guys like Austin Slater, Alex Dickerson or Steven Duggar have had stretches where they played well but their numbers overall leave something to be desired. The only other bright spot in the outfield would be LaMonte Wade Jr but he spends most of his time at first base. Which Twins Are The Best Fit? José Berríos: Much has been made about whether or not the Twins should trade José Berríos, but if Minnesota ultimately does decide to part with their former top pitching prospect turned All-Star, the San Francisco Giants would likely be one of the many teams calling. Acquiring Berríos not only helps the Giants in 2021 but it helps them in 2022 as well. As previously mentioned, many of their current rotation options are on short-term deals that expire at the end of this season. So a move to bring in José Berríos sets them up for success now and for the future. Taylor Rogers: As with Berríos, Taylor Rogers will be one of the most highly sought-after pieces on the trade market but it's unsure whether or not the Twins will be willing to part with him. If Minnesota does in fact pull the trigger on dealing Taylor Rogers, they will have many suitors and the Giants will certainly be one of them. As stated earlier, the Giants bullpen has been average and adding a guy like Taylor Rogers makes them a better-than-average group. Additionally, it would also be pretty cool to see the Rogers brothers on the same team pitching against the Dodgers in the NLCS, or better yet, the World Series. Byron Buxton: There seems to be a trend here because much like the first two mentioned names, Buxton also fits into the category of will the Twins actually want to trade him. Given his injury history and amount of time spent on the injured list this season it may be a little bit harder for Minnesota to find a suitor for Buxton than it will be for Berríos or Rogers. It's no secret that a healthy Byron Buxton is one of the best players in all of baseball and a player of that caliber will help any team, especially a team like San Francisco that struggles to get high-end offensive production from many of their current outfield options. In addition to what he offers offensively, Byron Buxton would also be a huge defensive upgrade for the Giants. Imagine how fun it would be to see Byron Buxton patrol the vast open spaces of the Oracle Park outfield. What Could The Twins Get Back? This is where it gets dicey. If recent history tells us anything it's that the Minnesota Twins should avoid any trade calls from the San Francisco Giants at all costs. Let's take a look at some of the recent trades between the Giants and Twins and how they fared for each team. In 2016 the Giants acquired then All-Star shortstop Eduardo Núñez from Minnesota in exchange for Adalberto Mejia. Núñez would go on to help the Giants make the postseason in 2016 and they would later trade him to Boston in exchange for Shaun Anderson. Mejia, on the other hand, pitched 138 innings in a Twins uniform and posted a lackluster 4.63 ERA and a 96 ERA+. He now pitches in the Chinese Professional Baseball League. Now, raise your hand if you remember Sam Dyson. If you managed to completely scrub that from your memory until now, I'm sorry. In return for Sam Dyson, the Giants acquired Jaylin Davis, who to this point hasn't done much to speak of at the major league level, however, Sam Dyson was one of the worst trade acquisitions a team could possibly ask for and he is no longer pitching in professional baseball. Lastly we have the LaMonte Wade Jr. for Shaun Anderson trade that took place this past winter. LaMonte Wade Jr. has been a revelation for San Francisco and is hitting .252/.347/.520 (.867) and a 133 OPS+. Meanwhile, Shaun Anderson is no longer in the Twins organization and is currently pitching for a third different organization this season. Perhaps Falvey and Levine would be better off blocking Farhan Zaidi’s number but if they were to strike another deal, the Giants do offer some intriguing options. Joey Bart: If Minnesota is committed to Mitch Garver then perhaps Bart wouldn’t be that intriguing but he is the 17th ranked prospect in baseball and the second-highest ranked catching prospect behind the Orioles Adley Rutschman. Bart is a very promising young player who’s currently blocked by further Hall of Famer, Buster Posey. Marco Luciano: This 19-year-old shortstop is the prize possession of the Giants farm system and the 12th overall prospect in baseball. It will be difficult to pry Luciano away from the Giants but a package deal of Berríos and Rogers may do the trick. Heliot Ramos: This Giants outfield prospect is the 63rd ranked prospect in baseball and is on the fast track to the big league roster. After a breakout spring training in which he hit .410/.425/.718 (1.116), Ramos went on to hit for a .756 OPS in double-A before his recent promotion to triple-A. Seth Cory: After developing Madison Bumgarner, Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain the Giants have largely failed at developing quality starting pitching but Seth Cory looks promising. The 22-year-old is currently pitching in high A and is the 84th ranked prospect in baseball. Bart, Luciano, Ramos and Cory won’t come easy but if Minnesota is willing to part with any one or some combination of their most prized possessions then San Francisco would likely be willing to part with some of their prized prospects. View full article

Jake Cave had a big night in support of Kenta Maeda as the Twins beat the Tigers 7-6 Wednesday night. The victory combined with another White Sox loss puts the Twins back on top of the American League Central standings.Box Score Maeda: 6.0 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 9 K Home Runs: Cave 2 (4), Rosario (13) Top 3 WPA: Maeda .195, Cave .134, Clippard .122 Kenta Maeda Deal…. Again Kenta Maeda continued to do what he’s done all year. Maeda allowed an infield single to Victor Reyes to start the game and responded by not allowing another hit until the sixth inning. The sixth inning would be the worst and final inning of the night for Maeda. He allowed two Tigers hitters to reach base before surrendering a three-run home run to the future Hall of Famer, Miguel Cabrera. Overall, Kenta Maeda did exactly what he’s done all year for Minnesota. He delivered yet another quality start, his eighth of the season in 11 starts. He finished the night with a final line of 6 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 9 K Small Ball and Bombas The Twins offense got the scoring started in the third inning with a steady dose of small ball. Jorge Polanco singled on a soft line drive to the opposite field and would eventually steal second base. Marwin Gonzalez drove him in with a single to right and Marwin would later score the second run of the inning when Buxton grounded into a fielders’ choice. Minnesota scored again in the fourth, this time with the long ball. The always patient and disciplined Eddie Rosario led off the inning with a walk and would eventually cross home plate courtesy of a two-run home run from Jake Cave, pushing the lead to 4-0. He got to wear the robe. The Twins struck again in the fifth inning when Eddie Rosario followed in the footsteps of Jake Cave when he launched a two-run home run, extending the Minnesota lead to 6-0. He too got to wear the robe. Jake Cave wore the robe again in the sixth when he led off the inning with an opposite field home run, answering the Tigers three-run inning and pushing the Twins lead to 7-3. Twins Bullpen Closes the Door It wasn’t clean but they got the job done. Bullpen ace Matt Wisler entered the game following the stellar outing from Kenta Maeda. Wisler didn’t pitch his best inning as he allowed the Tigers to load the bases with one out and was eventually relieved by Tyler Clippard. Clippard showed veteran prowess as he was able to wiggle out of the bases loaded jam without surrendering a run and preserving the 7-3 Minnesota lead. Jorge Alcala entered the game in the eighth and pitched a scoreless inning, setting up the ninth for Caleb Thielbar, who ran into some trouble after allowing two base runners and was relieved by Sergo Romo. Sergio promptly served up a home run to Cabrera, his second of the night and narrowed the Twins lead to 7-6. Romo responded by inducing a ground out from the next batter and put the lights out on a 7-6 Twins victory. After tonight's win and a loss from the White Sox, the Twins are back on top of the AL Central. Postgame Pint Check out tonight’s episode of Twins Daily’s Postgame Pint live stream on or Facebook. Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet Download attachment: Bullpen.png Click here to view the article

José Berríos struck out eight batters over six innings of one-run ball while the Twins’ lineup scored eight runs for the first time in 19 games. The White Sox did their part to help things along as well, committing four more errors to end what was an ugly series in the field for Chicago.Box Score Berríos: 6.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 8 K Home Runs: Cave (2), Sanó (8), Rosario (8) Top 3 WPA: Berríos .205, Donaldson .192, Cave .107 Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs): Download attachment: WinChart.png Quality Start For Berrios Jose Berrios took the mound for the Minnesota Twins in the rubber match of the series and provided the Twins with the kind of start they were hoping for. Jose was dialed in from the first inning and looked very sharp all night. He ran into a little trouble in the third when he gave up a single and two walks. He could have wiggled out the jam had he gotten some help from his defense but he was able to limit the damage and only allowed one run to score. His final line was 6 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 8 K The effort tonight from Berrios is exactly what this team needed. They finally snapped their losing streak last night and needed a good start from their ace to take the series against a very good Chicago White Sox team. Offense Comes Alive Josh Donaldson was activated off the IL today and immediately made a positive impact. He singled in his first at-bat and would later drive in a pair with a double to right-center in the second inning. His presence in the lineup had definitely been missed. Ownage is ownage and Jake Cave certainly owns Reynaldo Lopez. His first home run of the season came in the opening series of the year against Chicago when he took Lopez deep. He did it again tonight when he hit a solo shot in the second to put Minnesota on the board early. That wasn’t the only offense Cave would provide tonight. He also singled and drove in Arraez for his second RBI of the game in the fifth inning. Miguel Sano continues to swing a hot bat. He launched a solo home run in the fourth inning and led off the fifth with a double. He would later score on a very ugly defensive play. So ugly you have to see it for yourself. Eddie Rosario kept the offensive attack going when he blasted a two-run home run in the sixth inning to propel Minnesota to an 8-1 lead. Injury Bug Bites Again Last night we got Buxton back off the IL, tonight we got Donaldson back but two more Twins left the game early with injury. Max Kepler pulled up limp after scoring from first on the double from Donaldson and was replaced by Marwin Gonzalez. Luis Arraez also left the game early after limping into second and was replaced by Ehire Adrianza. Neither injury appeared to be too serious but the Minnesota Twins can’t afford to be without either player for any extended period of time. Minnesota Bullpen Slams the Door Jorge Alcala entered the game in the seventh following the quality outing from Berrios. Alcala would toss two scoreless innings, allowing only one hit and striking out two. Devin Smeltzer was called upon in the top of the ninth to put the game on ice and he did exactly that. White Sox Defense Was Bad… Very Bad The Minnesota Twins would have won tonight regardless but the Chicago defense was downright awful. They committed four errors, including the ridiculous debacle of a rundown play that allowed Sano to score in the fifth (see video above). The Twins will enjoy a day off tomorrow before playing a doubleheader against Detroit on Friday. Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet Download attachment: Bullpen.png Postgame Pint John Bonnes, Seth Stohs and Jeremy Nygaard were joined by Twins Daily's virtual live audience to break down the game (and some crummy injury news). Download The Postgame Pint Podcast You can also listen to the Postgame Pint and never miss another one. Just head over to our iTunes page and subscribe. Every morning you'll have a new episode waiting for you. Or listen wherever you download your favorite podcasts. Click here to view the article

Sergio Romo caused a bit of a stir Monday with a fiery outburst, but the flames were dulled tonight. Cleveland took the lead in the eighth inning after Romo retired just one of the five batters he faced. After dropping the series, the Twins’ lead in the division is down to a half game.Box Score Berríos: 5.2 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 4 BB, 6 K (103 pitches, 63 strikes) Home Runs: Kepler (7) Bottom 3 WPA: Romo -.323, Cruz -.178, Polanco -.135 Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs): Download attachment: Winchart.png Berrios Struggles Early then Settles Down Jose Berrios entered tonight's start coming off his best start of the year his last time out and the early results for Jose were not as good as his last outing. Berrios struggled with his command, walking three batters through the first three innings. He was able to escape an early jam in the fist with some help from Max Kepler, who made a spectacular catch at the wall in right field. The biggest blemish of the night for Jose came in the third inning when he surrendered a three-run home run to Jose Ramirez, which gave Cleveland an early 3-2 lead. After the third inning, Berrios was able to settle in and limit the damage. He recorded five strikeouts over the next two innings and kept Minnesota in the game. Jose ran into some trouble again in the sixth after he gave up a two-out double to Greg Allen and a walk to Roberto Perez. He was then relieved by Tyler Clippard, who made his first appearance since being hit by a line drive in his last outing. Jose finished his night with a line of 5.2 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 4 BB, 6 K -- it certainly wasn’t his best effort, but it wasn’t a terrible outing either and he gave his team a chance to win, which is all you can really ask for. Offense Starts With a Bang Max Kepler continued to do Max Kepler things when he led off the game with a solo home run off Mike Clevinger, who was making his first start since being reassigned for violating COVID-19 protocol. Minnesota would add another run in the second inning after LaMonte Wade Jr singled, scoring Sano who had extended his hit streak to 10 games with a one-out double. The bats went quiet through the middle innings as Mike Clevinger was able to settle in and silence the Minnesota offensive attack. They finally broke through again in the seventh when Ehire Adrianza pinch hit for LaMonte Wade against Oliver Perez and ripped a double to left field. Adrianza would advance to third on a deep fly ball and later scored on a Jake Cave bloop single over the drawn in Cleveland infield, which tied the game at 3-3. Bullpen Falters Tyler Duffey worked a scoreless seventh inning, retiring the Indians in order and striking out two. Rocco handed the ball to Romo in the eighth and it did not go as planned. Romo found himself in trouble right away after allowing a single and a walk followed by a double and a sac fly, which gave Cleveland a 5-3 lead. At innings end it was 6-3 in the favor of Cleveland. Cleveland Takes the Series The Twins ended up going down 1-2-3 in the 9th and the Indians took the game and series. They have moved to within a half game of first place in the division. The Twins will now move on to play Detroit and Cleveland will head to St. Louis. Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet Download attachment: Bullpen.png Postgame Pint Immediately following a 6-3 loss to Cleveland, Nick Nelson, Jeremy Nygaard and Andrew Thares discuss the loss with Twins Daily's live virtual audience. Download The Postgame Pint Podcast You can also listen to the Postgame Pint and never miss another one. Just head over to our iTunes page and subscribe. Every morning you'll have a new episode waiting for you. Or listen wherever you download your favorite podcasts. Click here to view the article

The Twins headed to Kansas City to take on the Royals for three more games. Four batters into the game, the Twins were down 4-0. By the end of the evening, they had lost two pitchers to injury.Box Score Odorizzi: 3 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, 0 BB, 1 K Home Runs: None Bottom 3 WPA: Jake Odorizzi -0.259, Eddie Rosario -0.090, Max Kepler -0.068. Odorizzi Struggles; Leaves Early With Injury Jake Odorizzi made his third start of the year tonight and all three starts have come against the Kansas City Royals. Odorizzi ran into trouble in the first inning when he gave up a three-run home run to Jorge Soler. His defense didn’t help him much either. Sano and Vargas misplayed a pop up behind the first base bag, which allowed Whit Merrifield to score the first run of the game. In the fourth inning, Jake Odorizzi was hit in the ribs from a line drive off the bat of Alex Gordon. Odorizzi immediately dropped to all fours and was in obvious pain. He got back to his feet and attempted to stay in the game, but was eventually walked off the field by Minnesota’s head trainer, Michael Salazar. Jorge Alcala came in the game following the injury to Odorizzi and gave up a bunt single to load the bases and walked Merrifield, allowing another Kansas City run to score before recording back-to-back strikeouts against Nicky Lopez and Hunter Dozier to end the inning. Jake ended his night with a final line of 3 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, 1 K Jorge Alcala Shines in Emergency Role After struggling early upon entering in relief of the injured Odorizzi, Alcala settled down and worked quickly shutting down the Kansas City lineup. In his second inning of work, Alcala struck out the first two batters of the inning on six pitches and induced a first pitch pop up for the third out. Alcala worked a second scoreless inning in the sixth, striking out two more Royals hitters and keeping the Twins within relative striking distance. Alcala pitched a total of three innings, allowing one hit and striking out six. Also, he throws gas, which is always fun to watch. Injuries Continue to Mount Much like many teams across the league, the 2020 Minnesota Twins have suffered their share of injuries, most notably to this point on the offensive side. Entering tonight, the Twins were without Buxton, Donaldson and Garver due to injury. The injured list got a bit more crowded tonight. As previously noted, Jake Odorizzi left the game in the fourth after being hit in the ribs by a line drive. Later in the game, Zack Littell, who entered the game in relief of Jorge Alcala, also had his night cut short due to injury. After hitting Soler on the hands, Littell signaled to the dugout for pitching coach Wes Johnson and expressed discomfort in his pitching arm. He was removed from the game and relieved by Caled Thielbar. Losing two pitchers to injury in the first game of a 10-game road trip is not an ideal situation. The No Bomba Squad The offensive woes for the 2020 Minnesota Twins have been well documented. We’re now nearly halfway through this shortened season and the lineup is still sputtering and shows very little resemblance to the powerhouse they were a year ago. Tonight was no exception. Through the first seven innings, Minnesota mustered five hits, all of which were singles, and their lone run came courtesy of a fielders’ choice groundout from Ehire Adrianza, scoring Rosario. Their first extra base hit did not come until the eighth inning when Miguel Sano doubled following a walk from Cruz, who later scored on a wild pitch. The good news is the Twins are still in first place and have another game tomorrow. Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs): Full recap coming soon ... Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet Postgame Pint Nick, Rena and Nash discussed a bad night for the Twins, both because of the result and the potential injuries that the Twins Daily community witnessed. Download The Postgame Pint Podcast You can also listen to the Postgame Pint and never miss another one. Just head over to our iTunes page and subscribe. Every morning you'll have a new episode waiting for you. Or listen wherever you download your favorite podcasts. Click here to view the article

The Bomba Squad scored a dozen runs and Kenta Maeda cruised into the seventh inning as the Twins broke loose Wednesday night in Milwaukee. Byron Buxton had his second career multi-home run game and Miguel Sanó hit a towering dinger.Box Score Maeda: 6.2 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 5 K Home Runs: Sanó (4), Buxton 2 (5) Top 3 WPA: Maeda .125, Cave .108, Polanco .100 Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs): Download attachment: Winchart.png The Bats Finally Wake Up In the first two games of the series, Minneosta scored a combined eight runs, all of which came courtesy of the long ball. In the second inning they scored five runs without a single home run. Miguel Sano walked and later scored on a double from Jake Cave, after Brewers left-fielder, Christian Yelich lost the ball in the sun. Cave would later score after an RBI single from Arraez. Three more singles from Garver, Polanco and Cruz would plate three more runs and give Minnesota an early 5-0 lead. Miguel Sano kept the party going in the third when he launched a ball into orbit, extending the Minnesota lead to 6-0. In the fourth inning, Rocco dug into his bag of tricks and broke out the old school hit-and-run play and it worked to perfection. Rosario was running on the pitch and Marwin lined the ball down the right field line, scoring Rosario and pushing the lead to 7-0 -- the route was on early in Milwaukee. By the end of the fourth inning every starter for the Twins had at least one hit. In the fifth inning, Byron Buxton hit his fourth home run of the year, extending the early lead to 8-0. After the Buxton blast, Minnesota loaded the bases for Nelson Cruz who drew a walk, scoring another run and keeping the bases loaded for Rosario, who was the hottest Twins hitter entering play. Eddie worked the count full and drew another walk, scoring yet another run for Minnesota. After a Milwaukee pitching change, Marwin Gonzalez lifted a sacrifice fly to right field, scoring Polanco and further extending the lead to 11-0. Milwaukee was finally put out of their misery when Cave grounded out, ending the inning in which Minnesota had batted around and scored three runs on only two hits. Byron led off the sixth by collecting his fifth home run of the year and his second of the game, stepping on the throat of Milwaukee and making it a 12-0 game. Kenta Maeda Continues To Shine A lot was made about the Brusdar Graterol for Kenta Maeda trade this winter but Maeda has done nothing but impress every time he’s taken the mound for Minnesota. Tonight was no exception. Propelled by an earlier lead, Maeda was able to settle in and roll through the Milwaukee lineup. He didn’t feature a lot of swing and miss stuff but he worked efficiently and kept the Brewers in check for most of the night. He ran into some trouble in the sixth when he gave up a single, double and another single, allowing Milwaukee to score two runs. Maeda finished his night with a strong 6.2 innings, improving his record to 3-0. Garver Gets On Track? The early struggles for Mitch Garver are well documented and we’ve all been waiting for signs that he is breaking out of his slump. Perhaps we got those signs tonight. Mitch finished 3-for-6 with zero strike outs and hit three balls with an exit velocity of 98mph or greater. That’s the kind of hard contact we’ve been waiting to see from Mitch. Rocco’s decision to have him lead off tonight turned out to be the right move. Even though some people questioned it, myself included. Sometimes you have to admit when you’re wrong and I was certainly wrong. Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet Download attachment: Bullpen.png Postgame Pint Immediately after the last out, Twins Daily's writers and community gathered to revel in an easy win over Milwaukee and a 12-7 record. Download The Postgame Pint Podcast You can also listen to the Postgame Pint and never miss another one. Just head over to our iTunes page and subscribe. Every morning you'll have a new episode waiting for you. Or listen wherever you download your favorite podcasts. Click here to view the article

Every sports fan dreams of one day seeing their favorite team win a championship. Some fans have been fortunate enough to enjoy this multiple times, some have never experienced this in their lives and others have experienced it once but haven’t gotten to experience it again in nearly three decades or more.Regardless of which category you fall into, you likely want nothing more than to see your team on top at the end of the year. But what does that mean for fans? We’re not the ones hoisting the trophy at the end of the year. We don’t get a beautiful shiny ring to wear for the rest of our lives. We don’t get to share in the financial incentive of winning it all or the endorsements to follow. As fans we’re left with some of the best memories of our lives and stories to share for decades about where we were and what we were doing the night they won it all. We hang memorabilia in our homes and talk about these moments to anyone and everyone who’s willing to listen to us. We celebrate with other fans at packed bars, we flock in the millions to attend a parade where we can, for a brief moment in time, feel like we too are in some way part of this special moment. Eventually those moments fade to memories. All of this begs the question of whether or not winning a championship in 2020 would “feel” the same from a fan perspective. This is not about whether there will be an asterisk next to the championship or if it will be deemed illegitimate. This is a discussion of the fan experience and what winning a championship will feel like in 2020. In the midst of a global pandemic, in which our lives have been flipped upside down and seemingly everything we enjoy in life has been taken away from us, it’s hard to argue that the fan experience of winning a championship in 2020 will be significantly different than at any other point in history. When the Red Sox finally broke the curse and won the World Series in 2004, it was absolute pandemonium in the streets of Boston. In 2016, the Chicago Cubs ended their 108-year World Series drought and the scene outside iconic Wrigley Field was incredible. The pain of 108 years was lifted and the people of Chicago celebrated together in a night they will not soon forget. In 2010, the San Francisco Giants won their first title in 52 years since moving to the city by the Bay. Nearly five million people showed up to the parade to share that moment with the team they spent the last seven months cheering for. None of those moments will exist in 2020. There will be no blissful celebrations on the city streets, there will be no parade to cap off an incredible journey and we won’t be able to celebrate with strangers in a packed bar, nor be in the stands when the confetti falls. We will be watching from home isolated from others and left to cherish the moment on our own. Perhaps for a fanbase that has become accustomed to winning championships, the absence of these moments won’t hurt as much. Whereas for a fanbase like Minnesota, Cleveland, Milwaukee, San Diego or Los Angeles who haven’t seen their team win in 30 plus years, or ever in franchise history, the absence of the blissfully joyful moments will certainly be felt. We got our first glimpse of what this might feel like when Nelson Cruz hit the walk-off double against Pittsburgh. The celebration left much to be desired. Cruz wasn’t mobbed by his teammates at second base. There was no explosion of cheers from the crowd as the ball sailed over the center fielders’ head. We certainly cheered at home, the excitement was there but it was different. Even Nelson Cruz described it as “boring”. There’s certainly nothing boring about winning a championship, regardless of the circumstances. However, as a Minnesota sports fan, you have waited 29 years for this to happen, and for some of you that’s longer than you’ve been alive. For those who were alive and remember 1987 and 1991 I’m sure 2020 will feel much different for you. If you had not yet been born, or were too young to experience those title years this would be your first experience with a Minnesota sports team winning a championship. This is by no means to say the Twins should not win or we as fans should root against them. That’s asinine and goes against the very reason we watch and enjoy sports. If the 2020 Minnesota Twins do in fact win the World Series it will be a special moment that will bring joy to many but the overall experience of the journey, and the moment in which they clinch it will be very subdued. It’s possible we could still get a parade. Maybe it’s delayed until the winter and we line the streets of downtown Minneapolis as we ring in 2021. Perhaps we will join our friends through Zoom video chats and celebrate together virtually. If we are blessed with a championship in 2020 we will certainly still celebrate it but the experiences won’t be the same. For Minnesota sports fans who have waited nearly three decades to celebrate a championship, will a 2020 title leave something to be desired? MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email Click here to view the article

Randy Dobnak, Mr. Reliable, delivered six more shutout innings pitching in the stadium he used to visit as a kid. He has now given up just one run in 15 innings pitched this season. Continue reading for the full recap ...Box Score Dobnak: 6.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K Home Runs: Kepler (4) The Legend of Randy Dobnak Continues We all know the story of Randy Dobnak being an uber driver, but the story of Randy Dobnak is becoming much more than that. The story of Dobnak is now that of a really good big league pitcher who’s throwing high quality innings for a very potent postseason contending team. Making his first career appearance in his home city of Pittsburgh, Randy Dobnak once again provided the Twins with a stellar outing and held the Pirates to no runs through six innings while only surrendering three hits, two of which were infield singles. With multiple starting pitchers on the shelf, Dobnak has emerged as a reliable quality arm for the Twins rotation and continues to give them a chance to win every time he takes the mound. Trevor Williams Silences the Bomba Squad Trevor Williams is certainly no household name but he was able to neutralize the high powered Minnesota lineup for seven innings. The Twins were unable to get a single extra base hit against Williams and their lone run off him came courtesy of a bloop single by Marwin Gonzalez that was mere centimeters from being foul. The Twins finally broke through for another run in the ninth inning when Marwin Gonzalez once again delivered the blow on a single, scoring Buxton and pushing the Minnesota lead to 2-0. Max Kepler delivered the finishing blow later that inning when he launched a three-run home run giving Minnesota a 5-0 lead and sending the non-existent crowd home early. Twins Bullpen Does It Again One of the early storylines for this Twins team has been the dominance of their bullpen, which was on full display again tonight. Rocco turned to the ‘pen in the seventh inning following the stellar outing by Dobnak and the trio of Stashak, Duffey and Alcala slammed the door on Pittsburgh, preserving the victory. Although the one blemish came in the bottom of the ninth, when Josh Bell launched a two-run home run off Jorge Alcala. All We Do Is Win Win Win No Matter What Even on a night in which the Twins’ bats were as cold as Minnesota in January for most of the game, they were still able to win their sixth game in a row and improve to 10-2, their best start to a season in franchise history. This team has shown the ability to win in a multitude of ways, which is a sign of a very good team, which is exactly what the 2020 Twins are. Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet Download attachment: Bullpen.png Postgame Pint Immediately following the game, Twins Daily's writers Seth Stohs, Matt Braun, Matthew Taylor and Renabanena were joined by a live virtual audience and discussed the Twins' 5-2 win over the Pirates. Download The Postgame Pint Podcast You can also listen to the Postgame Pint and never miss another one. Just head over to our iTunes page and subscribe. Every morning you'll have a new episode waiting for you. Or listen wherever you download your favorite podcasts. Click here to view the article