Jamie Cameron

Perfect summary on Refsnyder!

The Twins improved to 5-2 in their last 7 games on Tuesday. Twins cult hero Rob Refsnyder smacked two doubles and a home run, while José Berríos was inefficient but effective in his 5.2 innings of work. Box Score Berríos: 5.2 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 7 K Home Runs: Refsnyder (2) Top 3 WPA: Refsnyder .276, Simmons .136, Rogers .105 Win Probability Chart (via Fangraphs) Injuries and Roster News The Twins injury carousel continued its inevitably relentless spin on Tuesday. Nelson Cruz and Luis Arraez did not return to the lineup from respective wrist and shoulder injuries. Max Kepler and Jorge Polanco did return however, easing the strain on a lineup hamstrung in recent days. Despite their seemingly perpetual health struggles, the Twins entered Tuesday's game as obvious favorites, with Jose Berríos taking on Dean Kremer, who is, well, not very good yet. The Orioles immediately posed a threat in the top of the 1st, before Berríos picked off Cedric Mullins at 2nd base for the Twins league leading 7th pickoff of the 2021 season. The Orioles did take the lead in the second, a missed catch error by Andrelton Simmons opening the door for two unearned runs to score. The rejuvenated Polanco immediately got a run back in the second for the Twins, blistering a home run to right field while hitting left handed, a promising sign as he continues navigate the ankle injury which has resulted in back to back offseason surgeries. Rob Refsnyder continued his torrid hitting for the Twins, lacing a double to tie the game. Refsnyder would add two more hits on the night, bringing his average with the Twins to .438 and providing a real spark which has invigorated the lineup in the last week. Two wild pitches and two additional Twins runs later, Minnesota was up 4-2, and didn’t look back. Berríos delivered the kind of typically maddening performance which will have both fans and detractors affirmed in their assessments of his assets and shortcomings. The Twins enigmatic pitcher produced incredible swords, striking out 7 over 5 innings. Conversely, he was inefficient and wobbled significantly, giving up 7 hits. Berríos began the 6th inning, immediately hitting Ryan Mountcastle on the hand. He was pulled after 5.2 innings and 106 pitches, giving way to Caleb Thielbar. Thielbar escaped the inning, leaving the Twins with a 5-3 lead heading into the bottom of the 6th. An Alex Kirilloff double scored Donaldson to increase the Twins cushion to 6-3. Alexander Colomé entered for The Twins in the 8th. Stop me if you’ve heard this before, he immediately surrendered a home run to DJ Stewart to cut the lead to 6-4. The Orioles followed up with back to back singles, leading to Taylor Rogers warming up in a hurry. Rogers needed one pitch to induce a Cedric Mullins ground out and end the threat. Back to back appalling appearances from Colomé seem to have re-relegated him to a lower leverage role in a Twins bullpen still struggling to get out of its own way. Refsnyder added a solo shot in the 9th (what’s the in season equivalent of the Sire of Fort Myers?) to continue his helium fueled ascent to Twins fans cult hero. Rogers slammed the door in the 9th to help the Twins improve to 5-2 in their last 7 games and begin a soft 13 game stretch in their schedule 2-0. Other News In other Twins news, congratulations to LaTroy Hawkins as he received the nod to manage the AL in the Futures Game at this years All-Star festivities. New Era may have caused the biggest stir of the day on baseball twitter with new city themed caps. Bleacher Tweets On my recap days, I’m going to throw in a crowd sourced statistic, joke, story, or complaint to get more voices into the recap. Tonight's non Twins related offering is courtesy of Cory Engelhardt. Bullpen Usage Chart FRI SAT SUN MON TUE TOT Robles 0 27 24 0 13 64 Farrell 38 0 0 16 0 54 Rogers 0 9 14 0 26 49 Alcala 10 17 0 14 0 41 Duffey 0 13 15 0 0 28 Colomé 0 2 0 8 13 23 Thielbar 0 0 18 0 2 20 Stashak 0 0 0 0 0 0 What’s Next? On Wednesday, the Twins will send Michael Pineda to the hill against Jorge López. First pitch is at 12:10 CT. View full article

The Twins walked off the White Sox 5-4 Tuesday in a game full of drama. In a game where Miguel Sanó finally arrived in the 2021 season, the biggest question remains, did Tyler Duffey throw at Yermin Mercedes on purpose? Box Score Ober: 4 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 4 K Home Runs: Sanó 3 (6) Top 3 WPA: Sanó .477, Polanco .432, Rogers .139 Win Probability Chart (via Fangraphs) Pineda Scratched, Pen Shuffled Michael Pineda was scratched from his start Tuesday, with Twins injury news coming thick and fast. To replace Pineda, the Twins promoted 6’9 Bailey Ober, The Twins 2017 12th round pick. The control artist has put up consistently outstanding numbers for the Twins in MiLB, most recently sporting an ERA under 1.00 in 2019 between A+ and AA. In an additional move, the Twins promoted Cody Stashak, DFAing Derek Law after surrendering 4 runs in 1.1 inning in Monday’s blowout. In other roster and injury news, well, here’s a summary: Ober-Matched? Ober was welcomed to the show by Jake Lamb, who deposited a pitch into the right field bleachers to give the White Sox a 1-0 lead. After back to back hits from Moncada and soon-to-be-punished Yermin Mercedes, Ober settled down to retire the side. Ex-Twin and current sweaty grizzly bear Lance Lynn struggled in the first, before getting Miguel Sanó to pop out to end a two-on threat. The Sox added on in the third, Moncada doubling home Lamb. Yasmani Grandal then added a two run home run off Ober, on one of his few mistake pitches. Despite surrendering 4 ER in his first 4 innings, Ober’s stuff looks like it will play at the back end of an MLB rotation. In what is already a lost season, Twins fans will want to see more. Sanó continued his improved at bats with a solo home run to left field in the bottom of the 4th, keeping his hands inside a Lance Lynn cutter, trimming the deficit to 4-1. Five Innings of Bull...pen Ober surrendered the game to a returned Cody Stashak in the 5th inning. Stashak worked two scoreless inning, *lowering* his ERA to 7.11. Sanó added his second home run of the night after an excellent at bat in the bottom of the 6th, working a 3-2 count after being down 0-2 and depositing a pitch to straight away center field. Larnach followed up with a 114 mph single to right field, before Kyle Garlick grounded out to short to end the threat. Late Inning Drama After entering in the 7th and beginning the inning with as Moncada groundout, Tyler Duffey was ejected after throwing behind Yermin Mercedes. Rocco Baldelli was ejected in quick succession after arguing with home plate umpire Jim Reynolds. The million dollar question: did Duffey throw at Mercedes on purpose? You decide. In an improbable turn of events, Miguel Sanó hit his third home run of the game in the bottom of the 8th, an opposite field shot of Aaron Bummer, tying the game at 4. Taylor Rogers entered in the top of the 9th, and struck out Yasmani Grandal, giving the Twins an opportunity to walk off in the bottom of the 9th. In the bottom of the 9th, Simmons singled, Cruz moved him to second with a weak groundout. Tony La Russa intentionally walked Luis Arraez before a Donaldson fly out moved Simmons to third base. Enter Jorge Polanco. Polanco's walk off was an outstanding end to what seemed like another inevitable defeat. Whether the Twins can put more wins together and turn their season around, remains to be seen. What were your thoughts on the game today? Is Miggy back? Did Duffey throw a Mercedes? Weigh in below. Bleacher Tweets On my recap days, I’m going to throw in a crowd sourced statistic, joke, story, or complaint to get more voices into the recap. Tonight's depressing offering is courtesy of noted grump Cody Pirkl. Bullpen Usage Chart FRI SAT SUN MON TUE TOT Thielbar 29 0 28 0 0 57 Stashak 0 17 0 0 35 52 Rogers 0 0 12 0 27 39 Robles 0 17 0 0 17 34 Duffey 0 0 26 0 5 31 Colomé 0 7 0 0 19 26 Alcala 0 0 0 18 0 18 What’s Next? On Wednesday, the Twins will send Matt Shoemaker to the hill against Lucas Giolito. First pitch is at 12:10 CT. View full article

The Twins reached a new trough Wednesday, getting hammered by the White Sox. The lethargy with which the team has been playing is quickly spreading across a once energized fan base. The gulf in class between the two teams was as cavernous Wednesday night as the deficit J.A. Happ put the Twins in by the end of the fourth inning. Box Score Happ: 3.1 IP, 9 H, 9 ER, 2 BB, 3 SO Home Runs: Cruz (9) Bottom 3 WPA: Happ -.517, Simmons -0.94, Sano -0.65 Win Probability Chart (via Fangraphs) Injury Updates The Twins provided positive injury news Wednesday, with Alex Kirilloff showing signs of progress from a wrist strain. In the relentless carousel of Twins relievers, Shaun Anderson was recalled to replace Devin Smeltzer, who was placed on the 10 day IR with elbow inflammation. Twins Take Early Lead, Surrender it in Comically Expedited Fashion The Twins started the game well. Nelson Cruz clubbed his 9th HR of the season to left center field. Tom Froemming tried to warn me, and I didn’t listen. The White Sox came into the game slashing .300/.387/.471 against left handed pitching. J.A. Happ took the mound for the Twins. If nothing else, Happ’s previous two seasons with the Yankees have deprived baseball fans of a truly elite beard. Full yet even, with the right balance of salt and pepper to fit into a dramatized reenactment on History Channel, Happ was ready for the White Sox. They wasted no time demolishing him, immediately hitting a single, two doubles, and a triple...in the first inning. The Sox took a 2-1 lead after one. Known Twins Killer, Billy Hamilton? The Sox quickly added on in the second, career .323 SLG Billy Hamilton ripping a triple off Happ, before scampering home on a wild pitch which seemed to spell the beginning of the evergreen evening Twins fans have experienced all season. The Twins fought back however, Josh Donaldson exemplifying a strong offensive approach in staying away from Dallas Keuchel’s soft and away stuff to poke a two run, opposite field single through the hole, to cut the lead to 4-3. White Sox Pour it On The story of the Twins season however, in addition to a lot of losing, is at least one phase of play letting them down on a nightly basis. Today, it was Happ. White Sox prospect Andrew Vaughn crushed a two run home run off Happ in the bottom of the 4th to increase the lead to 6-3, before Hamilton added a double. This elevated Happ’s pitch count to almost 80 in the bottom of the 4th with none out. Not the position to put a bad bullpen in when the Twins are in the midst of a stretch of 17 games in 16 days. Some time elapsed. At the end of the 4h inning, the Twins were down 9-3. Newly promoted Shaun Anderson relieved Happ in the 4th. He gave up a solo homer to previously struggling Yasmani Grandal in the 5th to extend the lead to 10-3. Some more time elapsed. At the end of the 5h inning, the Twins were down 12-3. In spite of his final pitching line, Anderson’s stuff was intriguing. He showcased good velocity and a sharp bite to his slider. Given then he threw over 50 pitches, he will likely be replaced by a fresh arm Thursday, but warrants a further look from the Twins. The Twins continued to execute decently against Keuchel in the 6th, with 3 consecutive singles cutting the lead to a mere 8. Jorge Polanco is a clear reason for optimism amongst Twins fans. In addition to his increased consistency from both sides of the plate, Polanco’s last 100 plate appearances show a clear improvement Twins fans should be excited for moving into May, with approximately 130 games left in the 2021 season. A two run Luis Arraez single closed the lead to 12-7 after the top of the 6th. The Final Third In the final third of the game, Twins twitter continued to provide sobering perspective on the state of the still young 2021 season. Scott Badger put the division into perspective. Alexander Colomé pitched a scoreless (gasp) 7th for the Twins, despite two deep fly ball outs. The Twins offered little offensively in the 8th or 9th save Trevor Larnach’s first big league hit, a double to right field off Liam Hendriks. The Twins fell to 12-22, 9 games behind the first place White Sox. Bullpen Usage Chart Click here to see the bullpen usage over the past five days (link opens a Google Sheet). What’s Next? On Thursday, the Twins will send Michael Pineda to the hill against ex-Twin Lance Lynn. First pitch is at 1:10 CT. View full article

The Twins looked as if they would continue their hot streak Tuesday, until another harrowing bullpen performance cost the team yet another winnable game. J.A. Happ delivered another strong performance against old friend Kyle Gibson.Box Score Happ: 5.1 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 3 K Home Runs: Buxton (9), Astudillo (3) Bottom 3 WPA: Waddell -.293, Rogers -.245, Polanco -.218 Win Probability Chart (via Fangraphs) Download attachment: Rangers.png Arraez to IL, Kirilloff Scratched Luis Arraez was placed on the 7 day concussion IL after a home plate collision on Monday, with Nick Gordon being recalled on MiLB opening night (what does he have to do to get an at bat?) Elsewhere, hot hitting Alex Kirilloff was a late scratch from the lineup after experiencing wrist soreness which is likely to cause significant anxiety for Twins Territory until the extent of the injury is known. Dueling Aces? Elsewhere, the battle of the mound consisted of the Twins most effective pitcher this season against an old friend, as J.A. Happ took on Kyle Gibson. After getting rocked on opening day, Gibson has been excellent for Texas, dominating for an ERA in the low twos, in addition to not allowing a home run. That changed early Tuesday, as Byron Buxton continued his torrid season, launching a 433 foot home run into the bullpen on a sinker left up by Gibson. Gibson then settled in, retiring nine straight Twins hitters before Mitch Garver ripped a 100 mph single to right field, continuing his encouraging trend of squaring up the ball with more consistency in recent games. Happ meanwhile, was giving up plenty of hard contact, with batted ball events with xBA of .650, .970, .930, and .500. Tortuga Adds On In spite of Gibson’s excellence, the Twins managed to add on in the bottom of the fifth inning. Gibson hung a slider to Willians Astudillo, who deposited it into the left field seats for his third home run of the year. Despite not making it through the sixth inning, Happ again gave the Twins an excellent chance to win the game, lowering his ERA in 2021 to 1.91. Hansel Robles replaced Happ with a man on base and Joey Gallo at the plate. Gallo grounded out to first before Willie Calhoun struck out looking to end the inning. While Happ is due for some regression, his 3.75 xERA is an excellent return on the Twins investment so far in 2021, a product of his ability to generate consistently soft contact. Over to the Pen With the Twins bullpen remaining one of the biggest issues with the team currently, Robles came back out for seventh. David Dahl crushed a 103 mph line drive after a strong at bat at the top of the 7th, but made the mistake of hitting it to the area of the field covered by Byron Buxton. Baldelli faced an interesting bullpen decision in the top of the eighth, inserting Tyler Duffey in the top of the inning, despite having thrown 24 pitchers Monday night. Despite giving up a ground rule double, Duffey struck out Adolis Garcia before turning the ball over to Joey Gallo, who had taken Taylor Rogers deep for a two run home run on Monday night. Rogers won round two, getting Gallo to strike out swinging to end the eighth. Rogers took the top of the ninth, and immediately served up a home run to Willie Calhoun, cutting the lead to one. Donaldson was then unable to play a Culberson ground ball to third. Culberson came around to score on a sac fly to shallow center field which Andrelton Simmons did incredibly well to snag. Solak flew out to end the inning with the score tied at three heading to the bottom of the ninth. Extra Innings? Familiar Outcome Joely Rodríguez entered in the bottom of the ninth for Texas, easily dispatching the heart of the Twins lineup, before Rocco Baldelli brought in Brandon Waddell for the 10th. A taxed Twins bullpen produced an outcome all too familiar and pitiful in close and late situations in 2021. Waddell served up a two run home run to Adolis Garcia. It’s telling that with almost no relievers available, Baldelli preferred Waddell to Alexander Colome. Wednesday’s game with spot starter Lewis Thorpe promises to be challenging if Thorpe struggles. Garver singled Polanco to third to lead off the bottom of the 10th. Jake Cave then struck out, before Astudillo ground into a double play to end another late game meltdown. What is your take on the Twins performances over the last week? How do you think the team will absorb new injuries and manage a taxed bullpen throughout the rest of the week? Bullpen Usage Chart Click here to see the bullpen usage over the past five days (link opens a Google Sheet). What’s Next? On Wednesday, the Twins will send Lewis Thorpe to the hill for a spot start against Rangers lefty Hyeon-Jong Yang. First pitch is at 6:40 CT. Click here to view the article

Jorge Polanco has struggled mightily offensively in 2021, particularly as a left handed hitter. Should Polanco continue to switch hit in the face of such consistent struggles, or hit from the right side full time?A front office stroke of genius has quickly turned into a move viewed with apathy by the Twins fan base. When the Twins signed Jorge Polanco to a five-year, $25 million extension prior to the 2019 season, Polanco’s subsequent appearance as the starting SS for the AL All Star Team had Twins fandom in raptures. Since then, Polanco has regressed significantly at the plate, with no struggle more evident than the switch hitters inability to hit right handed pitchers batting left handed. Let’s rewind to a happier time. It’s 2019 and Polanco has made his first All Star team. Polanco, fresh off a team friendly, front loaded extension, has managed a searing 129 wRC+ and .367 wOBA in the first half. As his name is announced over the PA system while playing an 18 inning game against the Tampa Bay Rays, a surreal grin spreads unstoppably across his face. The Twins had found a top of the order hitter for the next five years, one who had just beaten out Gleybar Torres and Carlos Correa for an All-Star appearance. Fast forward to 2021 and Polanco is in the doldrums. Polanco has plateaued, then regressed, his progression hindered by multiple ankle surgeries. In a young 2021 season, Polanco is worth -0.2 fWAR and has amassed a 44 wRC+, making him about 65% worse than an average MLB hitter. Particularly of note since his ankles began to trouble him is his performance from the left side of the plate. It’s time to question whether Polanco has any business switch hitting. Download attachment: polanco.png 2019 was an outlying year for Polanco as a left handed hitter. 16 of his 22 home runs came from the left side of the plate, in addition to a .306 average and 133 wRC+. 2020 and the beginning of 2021 have been a spiral in the wrong direction. Over that span, Polanco has seen his average drop .136 points, his isolated power evaporate, and his ground ball rate from the left side increase close to 25%. There are too many concerning metrics about Polanco’s performance as a left handed hitter to simply explain away. Polanco’s penchant for ground balls when batting left handed is a severe detriment to the rest of his offensive game. In 2019, his BABIP as a left handed hitter was .334, followed by .264 in 2020, and .200 so far in 2021. All that adds up to a 33 wRC+ left handed, compared to 95 wRC+ as a right handed hitter since the beginning of 2020. It’s both notable and noticeable that Polanco’s left handed swing looks awkward. Gone is the swaggy, confident look of a hitter able to spray the ball to all fields. Polanco now spins out of his left handed swing, no longer getting into the base of his core and his legs, a result which usually results in a ground ball to the pull side. Polanco’s transition to second base will advantage the Twins defensively long term. In Andrelton Simmons, Minnesota has, at least temporarily, an elite defensive shortstop, whose range, arm and defensive savvy no analytically laden positioning can outmaneuver. Offensively, the bottom half of the Twins order has been completely lost. While the lineup without Kepler has been short of effective left handed bats, Polanco from the left side is as good as a free out so far in 2021. Until he gets back on track offensively, the Twins second baseman has no business switch hitting. More from Twins Daily Trevor Larnach on the Minor Leagues, Prospect Rankings, and Where he Still Needs to Improve How Long Will the Twins Be Able to Keep Thad Levine Click here to view the article

The Twins showed signs of early offensive life Tuesday before slumping to another lifeless defeat, characterized by the poor play which has encapsulated their 2021 season.Box Score Maeda: 5.2 IP, 8 H, 5 ER, 3 K Home Runs: Buxton (7) Bottom 3 WPA: Maeda -.180, Garver -.154, Arraez -.117 Win Probability Chart (via Fangraphs) Download attachment: chart (4).png Buxton Returns to Strengthened Lineup Byron Buxton returned to the lineup Tuesday, after a bout of patellar tendinitis. Kyle Garlick and Max Kepler cleared COVID protocols, promising further reinforcements later in the week. Rocco Baldelli also reported that Miguel Sanó’s hamstring is close to one hundred percent, meaning the Twins could be at full strength by the weekend. Twins Bats Come Out Strong The Twins bats came out strong against CBT starter Aaron Civale, who had excelled early in the 2021 season. A Byron Buxton infield single in which he reached 30.9 ft/s was followed up by a Nelson Cruz triple (yes, you read that right). Kirilloff then followed up with an RBI single but was thrown out by Cleveland left fielder Eddie Rosario attempting to turn a single into a double. Maeda Still Out of Command Kenta Maeda gave a run back immediately in the bottom of the first, as Jose Ramirez deposited a center cut fastball into the right field seats. In the bottom of the third, Franmil Reyes followed up with this. The Twins surrendered the lead in the bottom of the 3rd inning. Alex Kirilloff took a bad route to a fly ball to left field, fumbling the ball off his glove leading to a double on a batted ball which had an xBA of .090. The Twins evened up the game in the 4th, stringing together a single from Cruz, another from Astudillo, and a double from Cave. In a stretch where the offense has been so ineffective, it was at least encouraging that the Twins had five batted balls over 100 mph by the end of the 4th inning. Little did we know that would be almost the end of the Twins offensive threat. Cleveland Takes the Lead for Good Cleveland took the lead again in the bottom of the 6th, Franmil Reyes swatting a Maeda fastball over the left field wall for his second home run of the night. A Josh Naylor double spelled the end of the night for Maeda. In a Twins season marred by poor execution and underperformance, Maeda continues to be a microcosm of the problem, again failing to muster the command his stuff requires. A Jake Bauers double off Caleb Thielbar’s curveball made it 5-3 Cleveland at the end of six innings. A two run lead would prove enough for Cleveland. Byron Buxton crushed his 7th home run of the season in the 8th, off an Aaron Civale curveball, cutting the lead to one. Once again, the Twins needed someone to come up in a big spot for them. Once again Nelson Cruz and Byron Buxton answered the call. One again, no one else did. Buxton’s solo home run in the 8th inning was the Twins lone hit after the 4th inning. Rocco Baldelli brought in he embattled reliever Alexander Colomé in the bottom of the 8th. Colomé promptly hit Josh Naylor and walked three batters before being pulled by Jorge Alcala. Alcala hit a batter, scoring another run, before striking out Jose Ramirez to end a miserable inning of Twins pitching. Another game, another pitiful performance by a team expected to be one of the best in baseball. After a positive start to the season, the Twins have lost 13 of their last 15 games. You have to imagine Twins fans may transition from passionate and upset at the performance of their team, to tired and apathetic in short order. And who can blame them? Night after night of poor baseball and failed execution is tough to watch. Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet Click here to see the bullpen usage over the past five days (link opens a Google Sheet). What’s Next? On Wednesday, the Twins will send J.A. Happ to the hill against Logan Allen. First pitch is at 12:10 CT. Click here to view the article

The Twins looked like they hadn’t played baseball in a week as they fumbled through a double header on Tuesday, struggling to pitch, hit, or field, falling to a disheartening 6-10 on the young 2021 season.Game 1: Athletics 7, Twins 0 Box Score Shoemaker: 3.1 IP, 4 H, 5 ER, 4 BB, 0 K Home Runs: None Bottom 3 WPA: Shoemaker -.202, Cruz -.116, Polanco -.078 Win Probability Chart (Via FanGraphs) Download attachment: Game 1.png Game 2: Athletics 1, Twins 0 Box Score Berríos: 5 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K Home Runs: None Bottom 3 WPA: Astudillo -.209, Rooker -.203, Buxton -.174 ​Win Probability Chart (Via FanGraphs) Download attachment: Game 2.png Twins Return to Action on a Heavy Day in Minnesota The Twins returned to action for the first time in four days Tuesday, playing a doubleheader against the red hot Athletics. Tuesday was a monumental day in Minnesota, with a guilty on all counts verdict being returned in the trial of Derrick Chauvin, a moment putting baseball into perspective, which reverberated around the Minnesota sporting community. Twins Moved to COVID IL Prior to first pitch the Twins placed Kyle Garlick, Max Kepler, and Caleb Thielbar on the COVID IL, reinstating Brent Rooker, recalling Travis Blankenhorn, and purchasing the contract of Luke Farrell, essentially calling up their entire travelling taxi-squad, putting the clubs incredibly disruptive few days into perspective. Game 1: Moreland is to Shoemaker as Kepler is to Bauer Game 1 got off to a poor start. After managing two baserunners in the top of the first, steampunk enthusiast Matt Shoemaker served up a two run home run to Mitch Moreland in the bottom of the second inning, followed by a solo shot in the bottom of the fourth. Shoemaker gave up four hits and walked four in 3 1/3 innings of work, before giving way to Jorge Alcala in the fourth with two men on base. Alcala entered, struck out a hitter and walked the bases loaded. Alcala has the stuff to close out games. The question attached to his performance has been around his ability to be effective against LHH. Matt Olson provided a status update, launching a 110.3 mph grand slam 385 feet to right field and breaking open the game for Oakland. It was more of the same from the Twins. Perhaps this performance was to be expected. The team has been unable to workout, practice, or play, confined to their hotel rooms in COVID limbo. The malaise which has afflicted the team all season was again apparent Tuesday in a game punctuated by poor pitching, error-laden fielding, and uncompetitive at bats. Game 2 - Power Outage in the Stands, and On Offense Game 2 saw as strong a lineup as the Twins could muster. Ryan Jeffers took over behind the plate, shifting Mitch Garver to first base against Jesus Luzardo, who had struggled to an 8.31 ERA coming into the second game of the double header. Luzardo came out throwing 99 mph, a Josh Donaldson first inning infield single was quickly extinguished by a Nelson Cruz double play on the very next pitch. Berríos wound up in trouble in the second inning, before wriggling out of it, including this putrid two seam fastball to Elvis Andrus. Oakland finally broke through in the fourth, after a 74.2 mph Matt Olson double beat the shift before Seth Brown ripped a single to left center field to give the As a 1-0 lead. With men on first and second, Berríos picked off Mitch Moreland at second, only for home plate umpire Scott Barry ‘to claim’ (Dick Bremer’s words, not mine) that time had been called. After the first inning, the Twins offense (stop me if you’ve heard this before) offered very little. Their next base hit came off a Jorge Polanco 75.6 mph single in the fifth inning. Indeed, the Twins offense was so paltry, the cumulative struggle turned off the Coliseum left field lights in the fifth, resulting in a delay of game. After a stoppage in which the left field lights did not fully return, the teams returned to the field, a partially illuminated left field and fully illuminated right field the perfect allegory for the two teams performances on Tuesday night. In the ultimate indicator of Twins offensive futility, the Athletics brought in lefty Jake Diekman to face righties Nelson Cruz, Byron Buxton, and switch hitter Jorge Polanco. After creating a threat against the Athletics closer, Willians Astudillo flew out to deep left field to end the game, and cap a miserable day for the Twins offense, in which they were held scoreless. Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet Click here to see the bullpen usage over the past five days (link opens a Google Sheet). What’s Next? On Wednesday, the Twins will send Kenta Maeda to the hill to stop the rot against Frankie Montas. First pitch is at 2:40 CT. What did you make of the Twins performance tonight? What does the 2021 squad need to get going? Click here to view the article

The Minnesota Twins went 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position and left 10 men on base in their 4-2 loss to the Red Sox Tuesday afternoon. Read more about the game in today’s recap.Box Score J.A. Happ: 4.2 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 3 K Home Runs: None Bottom 3 WPA: Simmons -.230, Cave -.133, Polanco -.073 Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs): Download attachment: chart.png Snow Instead of Rain, Cruz Scratched As J.A. Happ took to the mound for his first start of the season at Target Field. The Twins ballpark was a frigid 34 degrees with flurries of snow. Nelson Cruz was a late scratch from the lineup with a non COVID related illness (why does this keep happening?). Josh Donaldson, it seems, will make his return to the lineup from an opening day hamstring strain on Wednesday, when first pitch temperatures are predicted to be in the mid 40s. Buxton Leads Off, Stays Hot. J.A. Happ managed a scoreless top of the first despite getting into some deep counts with the top of Boston’s lineup. Hitting leadoff for the first time in 2021, Byron Buxton continued his searing form, ripping a first pitch, broken bat double down the first base line. Kyle Garlick was hit by a pitch before old friend Martin Pérez walked Mitch Garver to load the bases. Jorge Polanco hit a deep sacrifice fly, scoring Buxton, before a Luis Arraez groundout scored Garlick to push the Twins to a 2-0 lead. Arraez Flashes the Leather Happ continued to work inefficiently in the second inning putting two men on with no outs. Luis Arraez helped squash the threat with a beautiful double play, forcing Xander Bogaerts at third before a beautiful Willians Astudillo scoop got Christian Vazquez at first. Happ Steady Enough, Until he Wasn’t After an inefficient first three innings with several three ball counts, Happ finally settled in the fourth. Andrew Thares noted early that Happ had a clear plan of attack for some of Boston’s better hitters. While Happ was hardly an exciting offseason signing, his command in the fourth inning improved notably and showed what he is capable of from the fifth spot in the rotation, painting the corners as the game went on, and taking advantage of strong framing from Mitch Garver, and a generous strike zone from Mark Carlson. Happ is one of the oldest starters in MLB, and has proved to be exactly what we thought he would be so far in 2021, a solid, average, MLB starter. Happ finally blinked in the fifth inning, as a Hunter Renfroe solo home run to straight center got the Red Sox on the board. Noted Twins assassin Bobby Dalbec doubled in Vazquez to tie the game, knocking Happ out after 4 2/3 innings. Bullpens Battle, Twins Fall Short Again After a promising start against Pérez, the Twins offense again sputtered to a dejecting halt, doing little to trouble the Red Sox starter after the first inning. As Randy Dobnak entered the game in the sixth inning, the clouds parted and the flurries melted away, as if Dobnak was the spark the Twins were waiting for. Dobnak cruised through the sixth and seventh innings, inducing five ground balls in a flawless 15 pitches before giving up back to back doubles to begin the eighth inning, Bobby Dalbec again stinging the Twins, bringing home Christian Arroyo. Jorge Alcala served up a solo shot to Rafael Devers in the ninth. The insurance run was more than enough for Boston. Darwinzon Hernandez and and Matt Barnes combining for two scoreless innings in the eighth and ninth. After a promising start, the Twins managed one hit in four innings against the Red Sox bullpen, which will inevitably lead to frustration about another game squandered from a winning position. To finish on a positive, Willians Astudillo provided the lone Twins offensive highlight in the latter innings, sliding under a tag from Bobby Dalbec on his way to first base. What were your highlights from the game today? What were your frustrations? What do you think the Twins need to get them back to winning ways? Postgame Interview 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

Nelson Cruz and Byron Buxton both hit their third home runs of the season but the Twins fell to the Tigers 4-3 in extra innings Tuesday afternoon in Detroit in a game marred by poor execution. Read more about the game in today’s recap.Box Score Happ: 4.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 4 K Home Runs: Cruz (3), Buxton (3) Bottom 3 WPA: Robles -.350, Arraez -.210, Stashak -.196 Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs): Download attachment: chart.png Happ Solid, Stretched Out J.A. Happ joined the Twins’ spring camp late due to a positive COVID test. Previously, Happ had only been stretched out to 73 pitches. In his first start of the season, Happ was solid, if not spectacular, striking out four in four innings of one-run ball. Happ managed 89 pitches, with a very mediocre Twins infield behind him. Mize Strong Early Casey Mize looked strong early for the Tigers. The 2018 No. 1 pick worked around scattered hits and walks in the first few innings, before struggling significantly in the fourth. In 2020, Mize typically got into messy innings, limiting his ability to get into later innings, the same was true today. Arraez and Buxton Return to Lineup Both Luis Arraez and Byron Buxton returned to the Twins lineup after exiting previous games with illness. Arraez started the game at second base, Buxton entered for Brent Rooker in the fifth. Squandered Opportunities The majority of the game felt like a frustrating 2020 offensive performance, full of missed opportunities. In the top of the seventh inning however, Nelson Cruz again took matters into his own hands, sending his third HR in two days to right center field. After replacing a struggling Brent Rooker, Byron Buxton deposited a pitch from José Cisnero deep into the left center field seats, emphatically tying the game in the top of the eighth after missing the previous two games with gastrointestinal discomfort. Bullpen Battle Happ’s relatively short start thrust the Twins bullpen into six innings of work. Cody Stashak entered the game in the fifth and struggled significantly. Stashak, who normally models impeccable control and command, needed 28 pitches (18 strikes) to see out his inning of work, giving up three hits, a walk and two runs in the process, ballooning his early 2021 ERA to 9.00. 2020 most surprising Twin Caleb Thielbar made his first appearance of 2021 in the seventh inning after missing some time in spring training with a back strain. Thielbar looked impressive in his outing, striking out five in two innings of work, showing sharp command of his curveball, and reaching an improved 93 mph with his fastball. After Tyler Duffey pitched his best inning of the year, allowing just a walk in the eighth, Taylor Rogers found trouble in the ninth. Rogers induced a double play from Miguel Cabrera to end the inning. In the top of the 10th, with Jorge Polanco beginning the inning at second base, Nelson Cruz immediately shot an opposite field single through the gap, sending Polanco to third base. Byron Buxton ground out, leading to Jorge Polanco being thrown out at the plate for the second time in the game before Andrelton Simmons struck out to end another empty Twins threat. In the bottom of the 10th, Jeimer Candelario grounded out, moving Harold Castro to third base. Wilson Ramos struck out swinging. Hansel Robles deliberately walked Robbie Grossman before Akil Baddoo continued his torrid start to his first month in MLB, stroking the game winning single to right field to put the final nail in the coffin of a game the Twins will feel they should have won. Mauer Joins Broadcast Lastly, in a treat for home team fans, Twins great and future Hall of Famer joined the broadcast in the sixth inning, joining Dick Bremer and Justin Morneau to preview a charity home run derby being held at Target Field. What were your thoughts on today's game? Who impressed? Who left you frustrated? Postgame with Baldelli Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet Download attachment: Screenshot 2021-04-06 at 4.11.31 PM.png Click here to view the article

To wrap up the Twins Daily staff predictions, the crew forecast some Minnesota specific outcomes for the 2021 season.Twins Daily Staff Predictions: World Series and Individual Awards Twins Daily Staff Predictions: National League Twins Daily Staff Predictions: American League How many games will the Twins win in 2021? 91-95: 17 96-100: 5 86-90: 3 Download attachment: Wins.png It’s challenging to predict anything after a 60 game season so here’s some helpful context. Didn’t it feel like the Twins struggled last year? Games were always close, the bullpen was always in high leverage spots, and there was an abundance of fairly lengthy injuries. That team was on pace to win 97 games in a full 162 game season. That fact, combined with the Twins getting the NL Central for interleague play has me believing the Twins Daily team is being overly conservative with the majority predicting 91-95 wins in 2021. By how many games will the Twins win the Division? 1-4: 13 5-8: 8 9-12: 2 None, they're not winning the division: 2 Download attachment: Screenshot 2021-03-31 at 7.29.21 PM.png We have two moles discover! Two of our team picked the White Sox to win the division. I felt confident about the Twins chances of going back to back to back in the Central before the Eloy Jimenez injury, even more so now. The Twins April schedule yields 17 games out of 26 against sub .500 2020 teams. Team health for the Twins and the White Sox will surely be the most critical factor here. Who leads the Twins in home runs in 2021? Nelson Cruz: 10 Miguel Sano: 10 Josh Donaldson: 5 Download attachment: HomeRuns.png King Nelly has only one season in the last six with a wRC+ of under 140. Phew. Over the same span, Cruz has averaged 41 HR per season. Cruz and Sano are logical candidates to go head to head here. In 2020, Cruz’ HR/FB was 41%, compared to Sano’s 34.2%. Donaldson, meanwhile, is taking a Giants-esque every other season approach to massive home run totals, managing 37 with Atlanta in 2019, a season in which his HR/FB was 25.7%. Cruz remains the favorite until someone else takes the crown. How many games will Alex Kirilloff play for the Twins in 2021? 81-100: 13 101-120: 8 0-80: 3 121-140: 1 Download attachment: AK.png If Kirilloff was called up on May 1, he would be available for the Twins remaining 135 games. That would be super sus of the Twins though, and open up the organization for just criticism about suppressing service time. The Twins have plenty of depth and options for the outfield between Jake Cave, Kyle Garlick, Luis Arraez and Brent Rooker. Make no mistake, Kirilloff is coming, and he’s going to be special. Who leads the Twins in innings pitched in 2021? Kenta Maeda: 14 Jose Berrios: 11 This is challenging to judge because Kenta Maeda so often functioned as a reliever with the Dodgers. He was on track to throw 211 innings last year over a full 162 game season. Berríos himself has been a picture of durability and averaged 198 innings pitched from 2018-19. This one is a toss up. How many games will Randy Dobnak *start* for the Twins in 2021? 6-15: 19 16-25: 6 Dobnak’s recent extension proves he’s not just a feel good story. The Twins (rightly) believe in him. His openness and work ethic have drawn rave reviews from the front office. His newly developed slider may even give him more upside than he previously had. FanGraphs projects the Twins will use 11 starting pitchers this year, so 6-15 starts for Dobnak feels like a shoe in. Who has more saves in 2021? Alex Colomé: 16 Taylor Rogers: 9 Rocco Baldelli has been explicit about the Twins not having an official closer. Colomé, Rogers, Duffey, and Robles all have experience closing out games. In the instance of a tie, Colomé likely gets the nod, but the Twins will rely on data and matchups to put their relievers in the best possible spots to lock up games. Who is your pick for 2021 Twins MVP? Byron Buxton: 14 Josh Donaldson: 5 Nelson Cruz: 2 Kenta Maeda: 2 Luis Arraez: 1 Jose Berrios: 1 This outcome speaks to how tantalizing the thought of a healthy Buxton season is. Buxton looks stronger than previously this spring, will 2021 be the season we see 145 games from one of the most exciting players in the game? Fangraphs likes Donaldson for Twins MVP, and it would be hard to argue if he can stay healthy, he was locked in all spring. Perhaps the most encouraging anecdote from this category is the Twins have six players who were voted for, and a few more who it wouldn’t surprise you to hear about if they made the list. This team is deep. Will the Twins finally win a postseason game in 2021? Yes: 23 No: 2 Speak it into existence, Twins Daily team! I assume the same two grumps who predicted the Twins won’t win the division predicted their playoff drought will continue. I’m drinking the kool-aid, let's play ball, October here we come. Click here to view the article

The Minnesota Twins continued their 2021 Spring Training slate with 7-6 loss at the Rays. Notes on that game and more in today’s Twins Daily Notebook.Rays 7, Twins 6 Box Score Twins Takeaways Standout pitcher: Brandon Waddell (1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 K) Standout hitter: Andrelton Simmons (2 for 3, HR, SB) The Twins bats broke out Wednesday, with plenty of power on display against a strong Rays pitching staff. The Twins pitching, however, was a different story in a 7-6 loss to Tampa Bay. Michael Pineda’s last outing was a ‘B team’ game where he stretched out to 70 pitches. Wednesday's game gave Twins fans an opportunity to see him for the first time since March 12. It was not pretty. Pineda showed better control (than his March 12 outing) but poor command, getting lit up for nine hits and five earned runs over five innings of work. Pineda was undone by some bad luck, with two first inning hits beating infield positioning and some soft contact in the third inning leading to runs. Overall, however, he left too much over the center of the plate against the reigning AL champs. The latest installment of Tyler Duffey’s roller coaster spring was another uneven performance. The good? Duffey’s fastball was up to 94 mph, ameliorating any early spring velocity concerns. The bad? Duffey continues to get beat up on. Wednesday, he failed to get out of his inning, giving up a walk and two runs which ballooned his spring ERA to 13.50. The Twins best pitching performer was Brandon Waddell, who has installed himself with Derek Law as co-outstanding fungible slider relief guy this spring. Waddell pitched a scoreless inning while striking out two. The Twins offense clicked Wednesday, paced by home runs from Andrelton Simmons, a mammoth blast from Ryan Jeffers, and this opposite field shot from Trevor Larnach. Byron Buxton added a triple. Willians Astudillo continued his push for a roster spot with another double. Max Kepler continued his spring slump with another hitless day. Tomorrow: Twins at Red Sox (Dobnak vs M. Perez) Other News With opening day in Milwaukee only seven days away, the Twins finally got some closure in the drawn out case of Lewis Thorpe and his fourth option. Thorpe then, will likely begin the season at the alternative site at St. Paul. It’s a tough blow for the Australian, who has worked hard and had an outstanding spring. One would assume Thorpe’s fourth option gives a boost to Randy Dobnak’s prospects of breaking camp with the team. In a league-wide memo, MLB is pledging to crack down on foreign substances used by pitchers in 2021. This seems like it would be challenging to monitor. In further details, it emerged that MLB intends to use spin rates from Baseball Savant as part of its analysis. This news was met with a variety of reactions around the league, not least former Twin, Trevor Plouffe. What do you think of the league’s attempts to limit foreign substance use on baseballs? Where do you think Lewis Thorpe will begin the year? Who do you think is going to emerge victorious in the battle for the Sire of Fort Myers? More from Twins Daily Twins 2021 Position Analysis: Relief Pitcher Ranking the Twins Top-5 Slider Prospects José Berríos is On Top of Things Click here to view the article

The Minnesota Twins continued their 2021 Spring Training slate with a 9-1 loss at the Red Sox. Notes on that game and more in today’s Twins Daily Notebook.Red Sox 9, Twins 1 Box Score Twins Takeaways Standout pitcher: Derek Law (1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K) Standout hitter: Willians Astudillo (1-for-3, 1 R) What does Bobby Dalbec have against the Twins? Dalbec crushed a grand slam off Matt Shoemaker for his third home run of the spring against Minnesota. Shoemaker struggled significantly today after the Twins rotation had been nearly flawless so far in spring. Shoemaker surrendered seven earned runs in three innings pitched, including an additional home run to Rafael Devers. Other pitching performances were mixed. Shaun Anderson continued a poor spring which surely places him at St. Paul to start the season. Taylor Rogers and Alex Colomé were both uneven on their first back to back appearances of March. Jorge Alcala, Tom Hackimer, and Andrew Albers all had scoreless appearances for the Twins. The Twins standout pitcher was Derek Law, currently a frontrunner for the prestigious Sire of Fort Myers crown. For the second straight appearance, Law struck out three hitters in his inning of work: The Twins offense offered nothing. JT Riddle and Willians Astudillo offered the only hits until a Caleb Hamilton garbage time single. Channels Bill Belicheck ... "we’re onto Atlanta." Tomorrow: OFF Friday: Twins at Atlanta, 5:05 CST, Randy Dobnak vs. Ian Anderson Other News Bally Sports North (I’ll never be O.K. with this) announced it’s full 156 game televised lineup today. 12 Twins games have at last been co-opted for a national broadcast. Additionally, it'll be the first time all 162 Twins games are televised. In additional welcome news, Justin Morneau will serve as the lead analyst for BSN alongside Dick Bremer. Twins fans will also experience Roy Smalley and LaTroy Hawkins in what should be a strong and compelling booth for an exciting 2021 Twins season. Michael Pineda continued to lengthen for the start of the regular season Wednesday, throwing 70 pitches over four innings in the Twins ‘B’ game. More from Twins Daily Spring Training Live: Two Weeks to Go Introducing Randy Dobnak's New and Improved Slider What a Luis Arraez Contract Extension Would Look Like Click here to view the article