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Snapshot (chart via FanGraphs) Odorizzi: 29 Game Score, 4.2 IP, 4 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 4 K, 4 BB, 55.3% strikes (52 of 94 pitches) Home Runs: Astudillo (2) Multi-Hit Games: Polanco (2-for-4), Kepler (2-for-4) WPA of 0.1 or higher: None WPA of -0.1 or lower: Odorizzi (-.241) Early in the game, things looked OK for the Twins. Jake Odorizzi started out with two scoreless innings. The Twins had their opportunities early against Astros rookie starter Framber Valdez. They had runners in scoring position but were unable to capitalize. Odorizzi then gave up two-run homers to Alex Bregman in the third inning and Evan Gattis in the fourth inning. And from there, the Astros piled on a bit. Odorizzi just didn’t throw enough strikes. As much as the goal was to not let Bregman beat them, he had the two-run homer and in the eighth inning, he put the icing on the cake with a bases-clearing double. On a related note, I like cake. I rarely have cake, but I do like it. Sometimes I like just the vanilla cake with vanilla icing. Sometimes, chocolate cake is good, especially with some creamy chocolate icing (most of the time it’s a little too rich for my liking). My favorite might be vanilla (yellow) cake with chocolate frosting. Although strawberry shortcake is also fantastic! Back to Jake Odorizzi… in his post game presser, Mike Berardino asked him if he might be interested in being a “Primary” pitcher. Fair to say he doesn’t seem too interested in it. Anyway, back to the Twins. Willians Astudillo DHd and hit a home run. He now has two home runs, two strikeouts and zero walks. Yes, his scouting report and minor league track record have been proven pretty accurate through his small-sample-size big league career. https://twitter.com/fsnorth/status/1037517440211513344 It was a rough game for Tyler Austin on Wednesday. He started and played first base. He went 0-for-3 with three strikeouts. Later in the game, he was chasing a pop up, but he slipped on the warning track near the first base dugout and landed hard. An inning later he was removed from the game for a pinch hitter for precautionary reasons. Austin now has 26 strikeouts in 78 plate appearances (33.3%). While that isn’t great, it is worth noting that in his time with the Yankees this year, he struck out 40.1% of his 132 plate appearances (53 Ks). Also of note, he has seven home runs in 78 plate appearances with the Twins. He had eight home runs in 132 plate appearances with the Yankees. Improvements. A brief look at the number of pitches thrown by the relievers in Wednesday’s game: Andrew Vasquez (8), John Curtiss (24), Oliver Drake (7), Taylor Rogers (6), Matt Belisle (29). https://twitter.com/fsnorth/status/1037551908615929857 What else got your talking and asking questions throughout Wednesday’s game? Next Three Games Thu: Off Fri vs. KC, 7:10 pm CT: TBD (meaning, Opener to go with “primary” Stephen Gonsalves) Sat vs KC, 6:10 pm CT: Jose Berrios Sun vs KC, 1:10 pm CT: TBD (reportedly Zack Littell and Chase De Jong piggybacking) Last Three Games MIN 10, TEX 7: Tex-plosion! HOU 4, MIN 1: Astros Take Advantage of Pivotal Polanco Error HOU 5, MIN 2: Rough Opener, Strong Stewart Homecoming

Snapshot (chart via FanGraphs) May: 18 Game Score, 1.0 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 0 K, 0 BB, 69.2% strikes (18 of 26 pitches) Home Runs: Polanco (4) Multi-Hit Games: Grossman (2-for-3) WPA of 0.1 or higher: Grossman (.154), Stewart (.101) WPA of -0.1 or lower: May -0.302 The Sample Size is just two, so making any grand statements about the Opener concept at this point would be silly. The “Openers” have been non-good, but the young pitchers who have come after them have been pretty solid. https://twitter.com/MikeBerardino/status/1037167887637606400 Gabriel Moya gave up two, first-inning runs on Sunday. In this game, Trevor May gave up four runs in the first inning. Littell performed pretty well on Sunday, and Stewart was terrific for five innings and twice through the Astros lineup. He gave up just three hits and one walk and didn’t allow a run. He struck out three batters. So, did they do better because of the “opener” or did they do better because when they came on in the second inning, the team was already behind and there was, at least theoretically, less pressure. Did Stewart pitch better because he now has three prior starts to learn from? Did Stewart pitch well because he was pitching at home, in front of many friends and family members? How much did pitching to Chris Gimenez help him? Doesn’t really matter why he pitched better, if you ask me (and you probably won’t). The coaches and Stewart will sift through the data tonight and tomorrow. What matters is that he pitched really well. In those five innings, he was more economical than he has been, throwing just 73 pitches (44 strikes, 60%, still not ideal). But as much as young pitchers can learn from their rough outings, it can be equally important for them to experience some success. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3a4q7eB2Yo YouTube video by Mike Berardino, Pioneer Press If nothing else, there is no reason to give up on the Opener concept yet. Aside from Stewart, the only other real positive was Robbie Grossman had a couple of hits including an RBI double. In 13 games since returning from the disabled list, Grossman has hit .342 (13-for-38). In seven games on this current road trip, he has hit .429 (9-for-21). As much as it may make sense for the Twins to move on from Grossman with newer options, he continues to be a reliable guy in taking quality at- bats. He works the counts well, and he is capable of these types of streaks. While he isn’t a great outfielder, he does make nearly all of the plays that he gets to. He is making $2 million in 2018. My guess for what he might make in 2019 would be in the $3-4 million range. For a part-time DH, part-time OF, pinch-hitting option on a team with a lot of young, inexperienced hitters in need of playing time, it might not be out of the realm of possibility to bring him back again. (Though I would still think it’s not terribly likely.) Jorge Polanco added his fourth homer of the season in the ninth, though it was too little, too late. On a roster that includes the reigning AL MVP (Jose Altuve), the reigning World Series MVP (George Springer) and a likely future MVP in Carlos Correa, the Astros best player this year has been third baseman Alex Bregman. In this game, he took over the MLB doubles lead from Eduardo Escobar. With three in this game, Bregman now has 46 two-baggers on the season. Maybe the best news to come out of Houston for the Twins on Tuesday night is that Miguel Sano appears to “only” have a leg bruise. So I don’t have to type out the play-by-play, here is a view of when Sano got injured and Twins fans all over gasped, wondering aloud why we can’t have nice things (again). https://twitter.com/DWolfsonKSTP/status/1037142436290748416 Sano left the game on a cart. Fortunately, x-rays were negative, which is positive for Sano and Twins fans. Instead of likely being done for the year, he could be back in the lineup in the not-too-distant future, though they will certainly be cautious. This is likely the first time that Sano has felt any sort of pain through his left leg, the titanium rod-filled one. Molitor noted after the game that he felt pain up and down his leg, down even to his ankle. He probably got a bit scared, I know I would, and wisely stayed off of it as a precaution. Looking at the video, his leg and knee just stopped at the bag, so if it’s truly just a bruise, it is very lucky. https://twitter.com/fsnorth/status/1037187188646014977 While Tom has stopped doing the daily reliever pitch count chart, I figured that I would at least update you on the Twins who pitched on Tuesday. In the “Opener” role, Trevor May threw 26 pitches. Oliver Drake came in for the seventh inning and needed 19 pitches. Tyler Duffey had a very nice, tidy, nine-pitch eighth inning. By the way, Ryan Pressly was really good for the Astros. He was throwing hard, spinning it well, and putting up numbers. But he struck out the side against the Twins in the eighth inning. He struck out the pinch-hitting Mitch Garver, Joe Mauer and Logan Forsythe. While the radar gun looked the same, Pressly appeared so much more confident on the mound. He looked smoother, more in control. In his time with the Astros, he has 22 strikeouts without issuing a walk. Next Three Games Wed at HOU, 7:10 pm CT: Jake Odorizzi vs. Framber Valdez Thu: Off Fri vs. KC, 7:10 pm CT: TBD (meaning, Opener to go with “primary” Stephen Gonsalves) Sat vs KC, 6:10 pm CT: Jose Berrios vs Somebody Last Three Games TEX 18, MIN 4: Speechless TEX 7, MIN 4: Is Jose OK? MIN 10, TEX 7: Tex-plosion! HOU 4, MIN 1: Astros Take Advantage of Pivotal Polanco Error

Who Is This Guy? Generously listed at 6'0" and 185 lbs, Bregman is a diminutive specimen who often draws comparisons to Dustin Pedroia as an undersized middle infielder who overcomes his physical disadvantages with tremendous work ethic and technique. The New Mexico native was viewed as a likely first-round pick coming out of high school, but he broke a finger while fielding grounders in pregame warm-ups during his senior year, and the injury caused his stock to plummet. Bregman ended up being drafted by the Red Sox in the 29th round of the 2012 draft, but elected to head to college rather than signing. Good call. Three years later, he's a projected top five draft pick. Bregman has put up monster numbers in his three seasons at LSU, hitting .336/.410/.518 in 191 games. He has solid pop for a guy his size, but what really stands out is his ability to control the strike zone; in his collegiate career, he has drawn 87 walks while fanning only 66 times. The biggest question is whether Bregman will stick at shortstop in the pros. Most scouts seem to believe he has a good chance to do so. Back in April, Carson Cistulli of FanGraphs highlighted four different stand-out plays that the shortstop made in one game against Auburn. This one, in particular, seems to demonstrate that he has the athleticism and arm to play the position. Why the Twins Will Pick Him Shortstop is a tough spot to lock down, as the Twins are well aware. They've struggled to find a permanent answer, and while they probably felt decent about the position coming into 2015, neither Danny Santana nor Eduardo Escobar has done much this year to inspire confidence. If you have the chance to get a guy who you think can play shortstop in the majors and hit, you've got to get him. That's why the Twins selected Nick Gordon last year, and that's why they will likely take Bregman if he's available to them. Outside of pitcher and catcher, there's no position where it's more beneficial to have strong minor-league depth. Bregman has that gritty, "baseball rat" type reputation that the Twins tend to gravitate toward, and his production in college has been everything you'd want to see in a top pick. He was actually named first-team All-SEC shortstop over Vanderbilt's Swanson, who is likely to go first overall. The Twins just spent the fifth pick on a shortstop last year, but I doubt that would impede them from taking another one this time around. Gordon is currently hitting just .230/.303/.279 at Cedar Rapids, and while that hardly dooms the 19-year-old's long-term outlook, it does indicate that he might need a while to develop. Bregman's bat is more advanced and he would move ahead of Gordon in line with a chance to make a faster impact in the majors. Consider that Trea Turner, the first college shortstop taken in last year's draft (14th overall to the Padres) is already tearing up Double-A. Why the Twins Won't Pick Him Bregman is not without his question marks. Some believe he might follow in Pedroia's footsteps and wind up moving to second base, which would diminish his value to the Twins quite a bit. There's also no assurance that his bat will make the same kind of impact in pro ball, particularly in the power department. While clearly a superior prospect, Bregman does have a somewhat similar profile to Levi Michael, the smallish college middle infielder drafted by the Twins out of North Carolina in 2011's first-round. Michael's moderate power all but disappeared once he made the switch to wood bats. With all that being said, if he does fall to them at No. 6, I find it quite unlikely that the Twins would pass up Bregman unless they don't believe in his glove. I've seen very few recent mocks that have him falling out of the top five. Jeremy has him going to Houston one pick before Minnesota.