Ted Schwerzler

Fort Myers wound up being the lone affiliate to take a victory tonight, and the Saints had a seven game win streak snapped. There were more than a few standout performances however, and a couple of key prospects were on the move. TRANSACTIONS C Ryan Jeffers and OF Gilberto Celestino promoted to Twins OF Mark Contreras and C David Banuelos promoted to Triple-A St. Paul C Nick Garland transferred from Low-A Fort Myers to Double-A Wichita SAINTS SENTINEL Louisville 6, St. Paul 2 Box Score It was a busy day for the St. Paul Saints, but for a handful of reasons off the field. Both Ryan Jeffers and Gilberto Celestino were activated by the Twins in the wake of injuries to Mitch Garver and Rob Refsnyder. Playing without a key lineup fixture, and the recently promoted outfielder, the ball was Charlie Barnes’ tonight. He was excellent turning in six scoreless while punching out six and walking just three. The middle of the Saints lineup did all of the damage, but hits didn’t turn into runs. Brent Rooker launched his sixth homer of the year, and the 3-4-5-6 batters accounted for five of the team’s seven total hits. After being up 2-0 through five, the wheels fell off. Lewis Thorpe entered in relief and allowed five runs on just three hits while walking two. He’s going to likely called upon by the injury-laden Twins again this year, but it’s been a tough go of late. These two clubs will play a twin ball tomorrow after a rainout on Tuesday. St. Paul will look to start another win streak with the seven gamer snapped tonight. WIND SURGE WISDOM Arkansas 5, Wichita 2 Box Score Austin Schulfer got the start for the Wind Surge in this one and he kept the home club in it while dancing around danger for the better part of four innings. Allowing four runs, three earned, on six hits, Schulfer struck out six and walked three. He left with Wichita trailing 4-0, but the lineup picked him up quickly. A brief rain delay also through a wrench in this one. One of Wichita’s best hitters this season, Jermaine Palacios, came through with his fourth double. Driving in B.J. Boyd, the Wind Surge were on the board. An Ernie De La Trinidad single later in the inning brought Palacios around and cut the lead in half, a 4-2 score. He joined Palacios in a multi-hit effort. The circus started a bit in the 9th as a Ryan Mason wild pitch combined with a Roy Morales throwing error allowed the Travelers to plate their fifth run. Unfortunately, Wichita couldn’t muster a comeback late and that’s where this one ended. Another multi-hit night for Palacios has his average up to .320 on the season, and his OPS at .890 is begging to be reckoned with. KERNELS NUGGETS Fort Wayne 6, Cedar Rapids 1 Box Score Kody Funderburk made the start in this one for Cedar Rapids. He came just one out shy from completing five innings, but his line was both confusing and dominant. Although three runs scored, none of them were earned, and he gave up just five hits and a single walk while striking out nine battings across the 14 outs recorded. Cedar Rapids faced a 3-0 deficit in the 6th inning when they plated their first run. Spencer Steer has had a nice start to 2021 and a sac fly allowed Max Smith to scamper home. Unfortunately for the Kernels, that was the only run they’d tally all night. Fort Wayne answered in the bottom half of the inning with a bases clearing single that plated three. The 6-1 result would hold through the 9th and give the Tin Caps a victory. Only Smith was able to join Steer in the hit column on the evening for Cedar Rapids. MUSSEL MATTERS Fort Myers 8, St. Lucie 4 Box Score If you’re looking for a minor league player of the day, Sawyer Gipson-Long made a pretty strong case with his outing. Coming one out shy of six full innings, he punched out 11 while walking none. Four runners scored on six hits, but only two were earned. In a game that the Mighty Mussels put up runs, he kept the Mets in check. Rain kept this one from starting on time, but it didn't cool the bats. Down 2-0 early, Jeferson Morales ripped the first of his two doubles on the night. This one plated Aaron Sabato and Yunior Severino in the 4th to knot the game at 2. Trailing again in the 5th, Fort Myers went to work. Misael Urbina wore a hit by pitch to pick up an RBI before Charles Mack singled and Morales doubled. When the dust settled, muscles were flexed, and the home team lead 7-3. Recently re-entered into the lineup, Keoni Cavaco made up for a throwing error that allowed a run in the 6th by driving in Edouard Julien during the bottom half of the frame. Fort Myers saw their top three hitters account for seven of the 12 hits in this contest. Morales had a two hit night, but his four RBI proved to be the difference. It’s also worth noting that Osiris German closed this one out for the Mighty Mussels grabbing 10 outs. Of those, he fanned eight and allowed just a single hit. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Charlie Barnes (St. Paul) – 6.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 6 K Hitter of the Day – Jeferson Morales (Fort Myers) 2-for-4, 4 RBI, K, 2 2B PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 - Alex Kirilloff (Minnesota) – 0-for-3, BB, K #2 - Royce Lewis (Rehab) - Out for Season (torn ACL) #3 - Trevor Larnach (Minnesota) – 1-for-4, 2 K #4 - Ryan Jeffers (Minnesota) – 2-for-4, 2 R, 2 RBI, K, HR(1) #5 - Jhoan Duran (St. Paul) – Did not pitch #6 - Jordan Balazovic (Wichita) – Injured List (back) #7 - Keoni Cavaco (Fort Myers) – 2-for-5, R, RBI, 3 K #8 - Aaron Sabato (Fort Myers) – 2-for-5, 2 R, K #9 - Matt Canterino (Cedar Rapids) – Did not pitch #10 - Blayne Enlow (Cedar Rapids) – Injured List (right elbow strain) #11 - Gilberto Celestino (Minnesota) – 0-for-2, K #12 - Brent Rooker (St. Paul) – 1-for-2, R, RBI, 2 BB, K, HR(6) #13 - Matt Wallner (Cedar Rapids) – Injured List (wrist sprain) #14 - Misael Urbina (Fort Myers) – 0-for-3, R, RBI, K #15 - Cole Sands (Wichita) – Did not pitch #16 - Edwar Colina (Rehab) - 60-Day IL (elbow) #17 - Ben Rortvedt (Minnesota) – Did not play #18 - Alerick Soularie (Complex) – N/A #19 - Jose Miranda (Wichita) – 0-for-4, K #20 - Bailey Ober (St. Paul) – Did not pitch THURSDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS St. Paul @ Louisville (4:30PM CST) – RHP Jhoan Duran (0-0, 1.29 ERA)/G2 RHP Chandler Shepherd (0-1, 5.06 ERA) Arkansas @ Wichita (7:05PM CST) – RHP Josh Winder (1-0, 1.48 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Fort Wayne (6:05PM CST) – TBD St. Lucie @ Fort Myers (6:00PM CST) – RHP Louie Varland (2-1, 4.50 ERA) Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Wednesday’s games! 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After last night’s loss to the Baltimore Orioles, Rocco Baldelli’s Minnesota Twins had capped off their first third of the 2021 Major League Baseball season. To define it, a lump of excrement fits, a turd. Sitting at 22-32, the two-time defending Al Central champions find themselves 10.5 games back of the Chicago White Sox. While the Pythagorean results have them at 25-29 due to a -24 run differential, the reality is that positive regression has yet to take shape. This club has scored nearly 75 less runs than the prolific Bomba Squad to the same point, and offense seems non-existent most nights. Combine that with lackluster pitching performances, and you have the result we’re faced with. It’s still hard to place much blame on the skipper. Baldelli has been very good over the course of his short career in Minnesota, and it’s fair to suggest he’s been on the wrong side of many coin flips this season. The deck he’s been working with isn’t full though, and the front office took some gambles that certainly haven’t paid off. There was no real bullpen addition of note, and the depth there amounted to a handful of waiver claims with the intention of one being able to stick. Health has also been a problem for Minnesota. On their 54th game of the season, Baldelli was forced to start an outfield that consisted of Alex Kirilloff, Kyle Garlick, and Willians Astudillo. That might be the worst defensive trio any team in baseball has ran out this season, and it’s not surprising that Cedric Mullins ripped a leadoff triple that Astudillo was entirely overmatched on. Everywhere you look on the roster includes positional groupings with guys on the Injured List, and as has been customary this season, players have dropped right as they’ve begun to hit their stride. Baseball is a marathon, not a sprint, but it’s also designed that way for expectations and assumptions to normalize themselves. Coming into the season there was a perception that Minnesota was again a Postseason team with the ability to win a division title. The problem is that was under the assumption that health and production would remain relatively predictable. The former has not, and the latter may be even worse. To call the Twins a good team is overselling the reality of what we’re being shown. Over the next two-thirds of the season, Minnesota will only go as far as they are available. Right now, there’s too much talent on the shelf to be any sort of competition most nights. If a return to a relatively healthy roster happens in short order, a plethora of players finding even the baseline of their expectation all at once could give this team a shot. The division isn’t good and chasing down a Wild Card spot is easier than it’s ever been. No matter what happens from here on out, flushing this first third is a must, and putting together something of promise the rest of the way should be the goal. Until that happens, we’ve got nothing but Rob Refsnyder running into stationary objects to define this thing.

The biggest worry I have regarding the wrist, is that happened near the end of May. He was struggling prior to that happening.

This is one aspect of understanding analytics that frustrates me. We have *always* had launch angle and exit velocity. There are now tools to measure it, and understand what optimal outcomes look like. Ignoring that ability leaves production on the table. It's not that knowing launch angle and exit velocities is a groundbreaking alteration in approach. It is something that can be combined with the idea that base hits come through the air, and trying to figure out the best process to drive consistent results.

Over the winter the Minnesota Twins and Nelson Cruz looked at each fondly while they also had discussions from a distance. Although it seemed destined that a reunion would happen, the pieces had to fall into place. Now, through 47 games in 2021, maybe the victor of all the spoils is finally going to be Father Time. Coming off a season in which Cruz played in 53 games for the Twins, Minnesota watched him follow up a 1.031 OPS in 2019 with a .992 mark. Although Rocco Baldelli’s club wasn’t a complete reincarnation of the Bomba Squad, Cruz continued to send the ball over the fence with routine frequency. That is still happening in 2021 as he’s on pace to smash 30 homers, but that would also be his lowest total since 2013. Then there’s what happened in May. Sure, Cruz’s .839 OPS is still fine, especially for a man doing this at 40 years old. That said, he posted a lackluster .663 OPS in the month of May, launched just three dingers, and owned a 23/9 K/BB. His 33.9% hard hit rate on the year is the lowest it’s been since 2011, and his 18.9% HR/FB rate is something he’s virtually never messed with. When Cruz started in the big leagues way back in 2007, the average fastball velocity he faced was 91.5 mph. Now, that’s been ratcheted up to 94 mph and combined with an aging human body. He’s also made things harder on himself by posting a career worst 34.8% chase rate. At some point this was all bound to happen. 2020 caused concern for me down the stretch as well. Over the final month Cruz owned just an .844 OPS, which wouldn’t be as negative if he weren’t dropping off from a 1.068 mark to that point. He then completely hit the skids over the final 11 games of the season, owning just a .523 OPS with two extra-base hits. It is true that Cruz was one of the only Twins to contribute during the Postseason, but that was a three-game sample that amounted to just six total at bats. Maybe the month of May was a grind for Cruz, and maybe he’s still coming out of some lingering effects following the hit by pitch. What would certainly not be a good development for a bad Twins team is that their slugger is falling off a cliff, and it’s a reality that would hurt twice as much when it comes to the deadline and any opportunity to flip him for assets becomes more of a chore than a choice. We’ve seen Cruz stave of the aging process for quite some time. If the Twins are going to come back in 2021, or get anything back for their designated hitter, we’ll need one last encore. For more from Off The Baggy, click here. Follow @tlschwerz

That has been a problem. Surprising, but a problem

If you're looking to put the ball in play for the sake of major league players making "misplays and errors" you're doing it wrong.

That's just start two though. Would imagine he'll be 5+ next time out.

Despite the corny title, it’s true, as the St. Paul Saints crossed home plate three times in the 9th inning en route to a come from behind victory. With Duran on the bump, that was tonight’s must watch action. TRANSACTIONS Cedar Rapids added IF Yeltsin Encarnacion from Triple-A St. Paul SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 4, Iowa 2 Box Score Top Twins pitching prospect Jhoan Duran got the start in this one, and he definitely didn’t disappoint. Going four innings, he punched out eight while walking just two and giving up a single hit. Following up the triple-digits in his 2021 debut, Duran routinely pumped 100 again tonight for the Saints. St. Paul infielder Tzu-Wei Lin broke the scoring open in the 5th when a single drove in J.T. Riddle. Unfortunately, reliever Lewis Thorpe gave up a pair of runs in the 6th inning allowing Iowa to take the lead. Once again though, it was Lin doing damage late. A single in the 9th inning knotted things at two when Riddle scored his second run of the game. Spending plenty of time on the Twins travel squad, catcher Tomas Telis was in the lineup for St. Paul during this one. He reached on a throwing error with the bases chucked after Lin’s single and both Jimmy Kerrigan and Daniel Descalso raced home. The miscue was enough to give Toby Gardenhire’s squad the lead, and Rob Whalen slammed the door despite some traffic. WIND SURGE WISDOM Springfield 6, Wichita 2 Box Score It was a forgettable night for the Wind Surge as they got behind early and never were able to completely overcome the deficit. Chase Vallimont gave up four runs on seven hits while recording just one out in the 5th. He did strike out seven while allowing just a single free pass. Peter Mooney drove in the Wind Surge’s only runs on a two-RBI single in the 3rd inning. That knotted the score before Springfield was able to add on and pull away late. Jovani Moran continued his strong 2021 showing with a scoreless outing of relief work. KERNELS NUGGETS Game postponed due to weather. MUSSEL MATTERS Fort Myers 3, Lakeland 0 Box Score Sawyer Gipson-Long took the ball to start this one and nearly made it through six complete innings. Coming just an out shy, he struck out eight while walking just one and allowed five hits on the evening. Helping to combine for the shutout, the Flying Tigers were blanked all night. Jefferson Morales started the scoring early for Fort Myers, driving in Misael Urbina on a first inning line-drive single. Urbina would then score again in the 6th inning on a passed ball, and Kyle Schmidt added the game’s third tally on a single from Ruben Santana in the 9th. Bradley Hanner got his first save of the season, and Miguel Rodriguez also help to keep Lakeland off the scoreboard. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day- Jhoan Duran (St. Paul) – 4.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 8 K Hitter of the Day- Tzu-Wei Lin (St. Paul) - 3-for-5, 2 RBI, K PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 - Alex Kirilloff (Minnesota) – No Game #2 - Royce Lewis (Rehab) - Out for Season (torn ACL) #3 - Trevor Larnach (Minnesota) – No Game #4 - Ryan Jeffers (St. Paul) – 0-for-1, 3 BB, K #5 - Jhoan Duran (St. Paul) – 4.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 8 K #6 - Jordan Balazovic (Wichita) – Injured List (back) #7 - Keoni Cavaco (Ft. Myers) – Did not play #8 - Aaron Sabato (Ft. Myers) – 0-for-2, 2 BB, K #9 - Matt Canterino (Cedar Rapids) – Did not pitch #10 - Blayne Enlow (Cedar Rapids) – Injured list (elbow) #11 - Gilberto Celestino (Wichita) – 3-for-4, R, 2B #12 - Brent Rooker (St. Paul) – Did not play #13 - Matt Wallner (Cedar Rapids) – Injured list (wrist) #14 - Misael Urbina (Fort Myers) – 1-for-3, 2 R, BB #15 - Cole Sands (Wichita) – Did not pitch #16 - Edwar Colina (Rehab) - 60-Day IL (elbow) #17 - Ben Rortvedt (St. Paul) – 0-for-4, K #18 - Alerick Soularie (Complex) – N/A #19 - Jose Miranda (Wichita) – 0-for-5 #20 - Bailey Ober (St. Paul) – Did not pitch FRIDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS St. Paul @ Iowa (7:08PM CST) – RHP Griffin Jax (2-1, 4.29 ERA) Springfield @ Wichita (7:05PM CST) – RHP Austin Schulfer (1-1, 6.32 ERA) Wisconsin @ Cedar Rapids (6:35PM CST) – RHP Andrew Cabezas (1-0, 2.13 ERA) Fort Meyers @ Lakeland (5:30PM CST) – RHP Louie Varland (2-1, 4.76 ERA) View full article

Prior to the 2020 Major League Baseball season the Minnesota Twins signed Josh Donaldson to a four-year deal worth $92 million. Thus far he’s played just 65 games and posted a .788 OPS. The time for more is now. We can give Donaldson somewhat of a pass in 2020. Sure, he was hurt again, and his gargantuan calves didn’t hold up over what was a shortened season. There were comments made that pregame preparation was hardly ideal, and given the circumstances, that’s more than fair to believe. When he did play, 28 games to be exact, an .842 OPS was produced. While that’s not superstar level, it’s well above average and the 134 OPS+ reflects that mark as well. Fast forward to 2021 and Minnesota has a third basemen posting a .752 OPS across 37 games, and his OPS+ sits at just 115. Take a look at the slash lines year over year though. A season ago Donaldson batted just .222 but posted a strong .373 OBP and a .469 SLG. This year he’s hitting .236, but the OBP is all the way down to .338 and the SLG sits at just .415. If you need an indicator that batting average is overrated, well, there you go. At any rate, what’s going on? The short answer is a lot. From a process perspective, Donaldson is actually improved when it comes to plate discipline. His 26.9% chase rate is basically in line with his career mark, and it’s resulted in a strong 22/21 K/BB. His CSW%, which is a combination of called and swinging strikes, sits at a career low 22.3%. Contact, both in the zone and as a whole, are also way up. So, to summarize the process, we’re in a good place. Now, how about the results? Donaldson has long been a hitting savant, and because of it, a banger in the box when the bat meets the ball. That’s still happening for the most part. His 15.2% barrel rate is a career best, and the 35.2% hard hit rate is above the mark posted a season ago. He’s dropped his ground ball rate (good) and increased his line drive rate (also good). Why in the world aren’t the results better? There’s a couple of reasons, and as silly as it is, some of it comes down to bad luck. Donaldson owns a miniscule .240 BABIP, which is just four points higher than his average. Not all balls put in play are equal, and obviously expecting this man to be a burner on the basepaths is a losing strategy. What the expected outcomes are, however, tells a much different story. Fangraphs has the Bringer of Rain’s expected batting average at .282, with an expected SLG of .534, and an xWOBA of .385. Expected outcomes are derived from the assessment of launch angle and exit velocities. In other words, the outcomes that inputs should create. Some of that could be blamed on the baseball. Prior to the season MLB announced that it would change the playing object with an intention of a deadening effect. An article from The Athletic in early April talked about the drag coefficient on this baseball. Is livelier off the bat, but flight parameters are muted. For a power guy like Donaldson, that should create a net negative effect when it comes to carry over the wall. It explains a rise in barrel percentage, but helps really only on line drives. Another amount of it could be blamed on bad luck and a small sample size. Donaldson’s radial and launch angle charts both illustrate the previously discussed outputs. We’re still just dealing with a 37-game sample, 123 at bats in total, and what equates to 22% of a full season. So, if there’s good news here, it’s the positive normalization should be coming. Rocco Baldelli has seen his lineup be rejuvenated by the emergence of both Miguel Sano and Mitch Garver’s return to form. Next could be Donaldson, and for a guy that Minnesota is paying nearly $100 million to anchor the offense, it couldn’t be more necessary. MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email View full article

Stealing my thunder for tonight eh?!

It always had to be this way. This was the only plausible outcome. As the Twins look towards a resurgence, the talent had to rise to the occasion. For a pair of Minnesota mashers, it’s starting to happen. Coming into the 2021 season Rocco Baldelli’s club had won two straight AL Central division titles while also having heightened expectations for the year ahead. There wasn’t supposed to be a slide, and the roster as constructed should’ve been among the best in baseball. The results haven’t followed that narrative, but there’s never been a doubt when it comes to what this team is capable of. The reality for Minnesota is that regression struck for so many at roughly the same time. April was not a good month, and to be frank, May hasn’t been that great either. Combined with injuries and a slight covid scare, suggesting nothing has gone right would be putting it kindly. Now faced with a stretch of winnable games and opportunity for a turnaround, having a resurgence from a few guys at once would be nice. Enter Miguel Sano and Mitch Garver. Sano has long been a lightning rod of criticism for Twins fans. He’s a prolific power hitter that, at his best, remains an on-base and slugging machine. If he’s not hitting the fastball though, he’s a check swinging mess and the value tanks. After discussion surrounding a demotion cropped up, an eventual benching took place following the May 8 contest. We’ve seen this before with the Dominican, and he’s responded by righting the ship. Once again, that’s playing out before our eyes. In 13 games since being put on the pine, Sano has reinvigorated his season. Across 51 plate appearances he has a .261/.333/.717 slash line to go with nine extra base hits, six of which have left the yard. The 16 strikeouts are still high, and you’d like to see more than four walks, but it’s apparent his process is back to a better place. Earlier this season Sano was leading the league in free passes, and it was a timing issue that had him failing to produce the bigger results. Now the timing is there, and while the discipline may have slid a bit, dreaming on a more perfect combination gives the Twins their middle of the order threat back. Funny enough, a teammate of Sano’s also finds himself in a similar situation. Although Mitch Garver was never benched this season, he’s dealt with plenty of maladies along with an inability to crush the fastball as has become his calling card. With just a .644 OPS through April, a flipped script was necessary come May. Across 56 plate appearances this month Garver owns a .261/.393/.500 slash line with five extra base hits including three dingers. I think it’s a bit far-fetched to assume Mitch is the backstop with a near 1.000 OPS that he was in 2019, but anything north of .850 in that regard makes him among the best hitting catchers in baseball. When Garver is right, he’s barreling the ball, but more importantly he’s working counts and taking walks. Garver has always excelled as a hitter due to his ability to be patient and find his pitch. The 43/13 K/BB is still out of whack, but in May it’s been an exceptional 16/10 K/BB and that will play all year long. It’s hard to fathom a complete turnaround for Minnesota. The hole they dug themselves out of the gate has been immense. That said, if the expectation was for this team to be great coming into the year, all of those pieces are still in place. Getting guys back to a median level of expectations will bear fruit, and given the quality of competition within the division, a run is hardly unfathomable. Mitch Garver and Miguel Sano have begun to turn their tide, now the Twins need others to continue following suit. For more from Off The Baggy, click here. Follow @tlschwerz

Coming into this season the AL Central Division was expected to be a race between the hometown Minnesota Twins and rival Chicago White Sox. Welcome to the plot twist, but that doesn’t change the future. There’s no way of putting this lightly, the Twins have been awful in 2021. After starting 5-2 they have fallen, tripped, and smacked their faces right on the proverbial sidewalk. Rocco, the front office, and players all deserve a differing part of the blame, but the results have been nothing short of terrible. I don’t expect that to continue over a full 162 games, but regardless of what happens, this strikes me more as outlier than indicative of the future. Why is that important? Looking at 2022, the Twins will need to decide a path forward. That starts now and the groundwork begins to be laid. Someone very likely needs to be fired for this debacle. Maybe that’s the hitting coach, or maybe it’s a clubhouse attendant. I don’t really care who it is, and I’m not sure it’s productive in many veins other than sending a message. That said, unless the analysis by so many was so wrong, then there’s plenty to build from here. Could the front office have done more this offseason? Potentially, but the landmines are all over the place there. Trevor May would be nice, but goodbye to Andrelton Simmons or Nelson Cruz then. Other bullpen pieces with ties have all been bad save for Liam Hendriks, who would’ve been a substantial cost in only helping one area. Maybe a better 4th starter made sense, but hey, James Paxton is already done for the year and Corey Kluber has been a bit more lucky than good despite his recent no hitter. What they could’ve done and what they did on the open market isn’t too wide of a divide. That brings us to the reality moving forward. What the Twins have in terms of relevance still banks heavily on pieces that were committed to on the basis of assumed production. Max Kepler, Jorge Polanco, and Miguel Sano were all signed to extensions on the basis of upward trajectory. It’s fair to assess all three as having fallen short of expectations, but where do they fit going forward. Is it so bad that they aren’t lineup fixtures at all? If so, that’d be damning for the front office and quite a fall in terms of development. Jose Berrios and Byron Buxton remain as key pieces, while Josh Donaldson still has multiple years left on his deal. From there Minnesota was always going to be in a place of opportunity. Cruz, J.A. Happ, Matt Shoemaker, and Simmons are all on one-year deals. So too is Alex Colome and Hansel Robles. The front office gave themselves flexibility in this roster construction to re-tool rather than rebuild. Alex Kirilloff has an opportunity to establish himself, as does Trevor Larnach. Down the stretch guys like Jhoan Duran and Jordan Balazovic should become potential solutions, and they’ll all provide a clearer picture heading into 2022. If there’s uncertainty for the year ahead, it’s whether the season happens at all given the MLBPA and MLB’s looming CBA discussions. Should cooler heads prevail though, tearing this down and starting over would seem like a rash over reaction by this front office. They’ve put the right developmental and coaching pieces in place, and we’ve seen that bear fruit throughout the organization. Rather than second guessing that at this point, it makes sense to crumple up this calendar, toss it out, and recalibrate with new assets from a position that should be relatively similar to where they found themselves after 2020. A weird year interrupted by pandemic issues likely hid some of the more notable regression we may have seen from some major league contributors. Now having that rear its head, deciding whether it’s a small sample or indicative of more remains the key focus going forward. This ship will turn some the rest of the way, and although the Twins won’t make the Postseason, they shouldn’t embark on an offseason with any less certainty as to who they are than they entered 2021 with initially. MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email View full article

Due to covid protocols.

Ready is subjective, but if they wanted him out of the pen he could get guys out. I'd like to see him stop at either Double or Triple-A with an eye on starting.

Playing the early game today on the Twins farm, the Wichita Wind Surge started things off in a nice way by homering three times and picking up a victory. The most notable development on the farm today may be the appearance of a rehabbing rookie in St. Paul. To find out how all of your favorite Twins prospects and teams performed on Wednesday, keep reading! TRANSACTIONS OF Alex Kirilloff joins St. Paul on MLB rehab assignment RHP Luke Farrell contract purchased by Twins RHP Tom Hackimer promoted to Triple-A St. Paul from Double-A Wichita SAINTS SENTINEL Indianapolis 2, St. Paul 2 Box Score Chandler Shepherd was tonight’s starter for the Saints and gave up just a single run on four hits across four innings. He struck out six and walked just two in what was a very solid effort. The story in this one however was the much-anticipated return to action for Twins rookie Alex Kirilloff. Starting at designated hitter and batting second to open his rehab assignment, Kirilloff made his mark in the 6th inning when he launched a two-run shot to knot things up for St. Paul. Tied in the 8th inning, Mother Nature decided she’d seen enough of the star prospect and hung this one with a tarp on the field. Kirilloff was set to bat second in the inning. Right now the plan is for him to play the outfield tomorrow. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 6, Tulsa 1 Box Score Starter Josh Winder came out firing bullets and looked great in this one. He punched out four while walking just one. Unfortunately, mother nature caused a disruption, and the sit down ended his outing after just four innings. Wichita opened the scoring early in this one, plating two runs in the top half of the first both coming on a single from Jermaine Palacios. Gilberto Celestino, who seemingly has been close to necessary by the big-league club of late, cracked his first homer of the year in the third inning. Jose Miranda continued his torrid start and launched his fifth dinger of the year in the fifth inning, this one of a two-run variety. After giving a run back to the Drillers in the bottom of the sixth, the Wind Surge quickly erased the gain on a solo blast from Mark Contreras. Brandon Koch made his Double-A debut walking two and striking out two in a single hitless inning. Yennier Cano continues to look like he’s overmatching the competition as well. Today the Wind Surge reliever turned in two scoreless innings of relief work, allowing no hits and striking out five. KERNELS NUGGETS Beloit 4, Cedar Rapids 3 Box Score Tyler Beck took the ball for Cedar Rapids tonight and twirled five innings of one run baseball. He fanned four and allowed just a single free pass and hit apiece. He earned a no-decision, but now owns a 1.42 ERA on the year. Cedar Rapids opened the scoring on a Michael Helman homer in the third. The two-run shot put them on the board before Matt Wallner ripped his third doubled and drove in Leobaldo Cabrera. Unfortunately, the Kernels were shucked from there on out and found themselves unable to add on. Hanging on to a 3-2 lead entering the 9th, a tough outing for Tyler Palm earned the blown save and loss for Cedar Rapids. The Kernels have gotten a nice boost from Matt Canterino this year, and he may wind up being called upon by the Twins sooner rather than later. Lucas recently wrote him up here. MUSSEL MATTERS Tampa 15, Fort Myers 1 Box Score If you can throw this one away, you should. There were no unwritten rules shenanigans in tonight’s tilt, but the artists formerly known as the Miracle mustered just one run. Anthony Prato kicked off the scoring on a fielder’s choice that scored Kyle Schmidt. Three of the four Mighty Mussels arms to throw in this one gave up runs, although only 11 of the 15 found themselves as earned. In a game that included two errors for Fort Myers, this was just a page turner all around. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Yennier Cano – 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 5 K Hitter of the Day – Alex Kirilloff – 2-for-3, R, 2 RBI, HR(1), K PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 - Alex Kirilloff (Minnesota) – 2-for-3, R, 2 RBI, HR(1), K (Rehab assignment) #2 - Royce Lewis (Rehab) - Out for Season (torn ACL) #3 - Trevor Larnach (Minnesota) – 0-for-2, BB, 2 K #4 - Ryan Jeffers (St. Paul) – 0-for-3, K #5 - Jhoan Duran (St. Paul) – Did not pitch #6 - Jordan Balazovic (Wichita) – Injured List (back) #7 - Keoni Cavaco (Fort Myers) – 1-for-4, 2 K #8 - Aaron Sabato (Fort Myers) – 0-for-2, BB, K #9 - Matt Canterino (Cedar Rapids) – Did not pitch #10 - Blayne Enlow (Cedar Rapids) – Did not pitch #11 - Gilberto Celestino (Wichita) – 1-for-4, R, RBI, HR(1), BB, K #12 - Brent Rooker (St. Paul) – 0-for-1, 2 BB #13 - Matt Wallner (Cedar Rapids) – 1-for-4, RBI, 2B #14 - Misael Urbina (Fort Myers) – 0-for-4, BB, 2 K #15 - Cole Sands (Wichita) – Did not pitch #16 - Edwar Colina (Rehab) – IL #17 - Ben Rortvedt (Minnesota) – 0-for-2, K #18 - Alerick Soularie (Complex) – N/A #19 - Jose Miranda (Wichita) – 2-for-5, 2 R, 2 RBI, 2B, K #20 - Bailey Ober (Minnesota) – Did not pitch THURSDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Indianapolis @ St. Paul (7:05PM CST) – RHP Andrew Albers (1-1, 7.07 ERA) Wichita @ Tulsa (7:05PM CST) – RHP Bryan Sammons (0-1, 4.82 ERA) Beloit @ Cedar Rapids (6:35PM CST) – RHP Kody Funderburk (0-0, 1.13 ERA) Fort Myers @ Tampa (5:30PM CST) – RHP Steven Cruz (0-2, 3.86 ERA) Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Wednesday’s games! 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In some sense I agree, and that's why I think he deserves some blame. It's tertiary though for me.

I don't think you can put Buxton on a list of regression in a season where he was leading the MVP race, hurt or not. It is disappointing he can't ever avoid the injury bug.

Back at the end of April I questioned whether or not the Twins were good. This team was expected to compete for the AL Central division, and there were real World Series aspirations. Now, owners of the worst record in baseball, it’s worth contemplating if any Twins team has flopped this badly. We’re past the point of it being early, and there’s plenty of blame to go around, but much of it lands on the players in the dugout. Sure, Minnesota could go on a run and make it a relevant summer by playing some compelling baseball and battling back towards .500. The reality though, is that process will take months and there’s been nothing to suggest that development is coming. Rocco Baldelli has pulled strings that haven’t worked, but he’s also watched a plethora of injuries dog his roster, and an overall ineffectiveness of talent be put on full display. The front office failed to put their best foot forward across the board, but even the alternatives are somewhat of a reason. This clubhouse was built on holdover and internal talent. Simply put, they haven’t been good enough. The 2016 Twins were nothing short of a dumpster fire. That group lost 103 games and the house was cleaned. After a 2nd place finish in the division the year prior, a level of ineptitude that low probably wasn’t expected. They weren’t expected to be juggernauts however, and much of the groundwork was laid early on when the Paul Molitor club started the season 0-9. That Twins team recorded their 13th victory while already owning 34 losses. This group sits at 13-25, but it’s not hard to imagine a further slide with a difficult week ahead. Since beginning the year 5-2, Minnesota has gone on a stretch culminating in an 8-23 record. They have hit poorly, pitched badly, and played defense embarrassingly. There have been very few bright spots to this group as a whole, and even where there have been, they likely have a blemish or two to their credit as well. It’s May, so looking at who becomes trade bait and which assets you might ship off still seems a bit premature. If nothing else, the level of practicality in terms of other teams desire probably won’t get sorted out until there’s at least another month worth of a sample size. That said, it’s beyond high time that the guys in this clubhouse take this personally. I have no indication that there’s a character or clubhouse problem, but the nightly meltdowns have gotten to a point where the embarrassment is bordering on apathy. No one should feel bad for a group of underachievers, and neither should those currently going through it. Adversity has offered the opportunity to respond, and there’s more than enough talent for a relative turnaround. No one saw this coming for the Twins, and the only ones able to course correct are those that are on the field. Take it personal. Make a stand. Do something to stop this incredibly poor level of play we’ve now seen for over a month. For more from Off the Baggy, click here. Follow @tlschwerz

This is why it's an amazing sport. While the end result may not be what we want, the journey is compelling. Here's to hoping there's a turnaround in store.