The Twins followed up last week’s relatively decent week with a dud this week, finishing 1-5, with the lone win coming against the Rangers. The pitching staff gave up double-digit runs in three games, while the bats failed to come alive in the clutch. The Twins were walked off twice in the series against the Astros, as Jhoan Duran was unable to hold a 1-1 tie in Game 2 and a 2-1 lead in Game 3. The team now gets to bounce back against two teams from the NL Central: the Reds and the Brewers.
The Past Week on Twinkie Town:
Elsewhere in Twins Territory:
John Ke and Ben Jones, in the new episode of Twins Talk, try to find a silver lining from this past week. Spoiler alert: they don’t.
In the World of Baseball:
Detroit is still atop the AL with a 46-27 record, still 2.5 games clear of the 2nd place Yankees. After getting swept by the Astros, the Twins are now a half game out of the wild card race. The Mets are now alone atop the NL, with a 45-27 record, while the Cubs are right behind by 1.0 game.
The Red Sox shocked the league, trading franchise player Rafael Devers to the San Francisco Giants for…well…not much. David Shoenfield at ESPN grades the trade, and I’m personally surprised about how high the grade was for the Sox.
In more fun news, Shohei Ohtani will be pitching in a major league game for the first time in over two seasons! According to Sonja Chen at MLB.com, Ohtani will be used more as an opener for now, as he is not completely stretched out yet.
All-Star Ballots are out now – vote for your favorite Twins!