Last Tuesday, Mick Abel spun 7 shutout innings against Boston, his second consecutive gem, and the Twins won their 8th out of 9 games.
Fast-forward 6 days: The Twins have lost 4 straight and Abel heads to IL with an elbow injury.
Buzz. Kill.
The rotation excelled. The offense started big against Crochet, then cooled. The bullpen was bad and the defense was horrific.
The Twins went from winning 4 straight to losing 4 straight as weaknesses rose to the surface. New Week in Review @twinsdaily.com: twinsdaily.com/news-rumors/...
Matt Wallner has been the worst defender in the majors, per DRS. He's also batting .191 with a league-leading 32 strikeouts.
Probably in the minority but I'm still not worried about him. He's gonna start mashing, and when he does everything else will work itself out.
Ryan Kreidler homered twice and drove in 8 runs in 89 games with the Tigers. He has homered twice and driven in 4 runs in 3 games with the Twins.
If he can hit AT ALL, gonna be a really nice bench piece.
The Twins are 7-1 in their last 8 games after starting 3-6. During this successful stretch they lead the majors in runs scored, and lead the AL in wOBA and HR.
Strong early returns for new hitting coach Keith Beauregard and hitting-oriented new manager Derek Shelton.
2026 Twins offense through 16 games: .225/.328/.366 (.694 OPS), 79 R, 17 HR
2025 Twins offense through 16G: .208/.278/.335 (.613), 55 R, 12 HR
2024 Twins offense through 16G: .195/.284/.336 (.620), 56 R, 15 HR
Markedly better season-opening results compared to last two years.
Good piece at @twinsdaily.com from @codyschoenmann.bsky.social on Martin's recipe for success coming together: twinsdaily.com/news-rumors/...
What's especially impressive about this is that Martin has no power to strike fear into opposing pitchers. You look at other names on the leaderboard and it's Machado, Trent Grisham, Ben Rice, Nick Kurtz, Mike Trout.
Martin is just seeing the ball. 100th percentile chase rate.
Among players with 40+ plate appearances, Austin Martin currently has the highest walk rate in the majors (23.8%). Manny Machado is second.
The Twins just had their best week in a LONG time.
Catch up on all the details and highlights with the Week in Review at @twinsdaily.com: twinsdaily.com/news-rumors/...
The Twins just had their best week in a LONG time.
Catch up on all the details and highlights with the Week in Review at @twinsdaily.com: twinsdaily.com/news-rumors/...
Just did a 40-minute livestream with @sweetloumn.bsky.social recapping the past week of Twins baseball. Much fun stuff to discuss from a 6-1 stretch. Run it back here: www.youtube.com/live/j7ITKVm...
That might have honestly been Taj Bradley's most impressive start yet. Had no command but still managed to dance through 5 innings with 1 run allowed. Worked out of jams, made the big pitches when he needed to. Confidence builder.
Right. The quick-hook narrative was also funny because like, the bullpen was the biggest strength of the team. Why would you not try to leverage it as an advantage?
Is this reflective of a differing philosophy for Shelton vs "quick hook Rocco," or more so reflective of the relative bullpen strength compared to start of last year?
I'd guess a combo of both.
Through 13 games in 2025, Twins SPs averaged 84 pitches per start and surpassed 100 pitches once.
Through 13 games in 2026, Twins SPs have averaged 89 pitches per start and surpassed 100 pitches 4 times, including 3 of the past 4 games. (And Ober threw 99 on Wednesday.)
In four games against the Tigers, Twins starters gave up 5 ER on 18 hits in 23 IP (1.95 ERA), with zero HR allowed. Masterful showing from the rotation.
Excellent game for the Twins to cap a stunning four-game sweep over the Tigers. Abel finally locks in. Lee with a clutch go-ahead hit. Acton delivers six big outs in team debut.
The Twins are a winning ballclub. Soak it in.
The Twins front office needs some big wins to start restoring confidence in a fan base that has lost faith (with valid reason).
Still very early, but Taj Bradley is looking like a great start. New @twinsdaily.com: twinsdaily.com/news-rumors/...
After dropping 4 of their first 5, the Twins have won 4 of 6.
Tonight's game feels meaningful. Secure a series win over the division favorite, reach the .500 mark, and maybe we start to get a little energy percolating...
You're entitled to your opinion. It's a move that had no benefit or upside other than saving money for ownership.
Among pitchers with 15+ IP, Taj Bradley's 1.08 ERA is the best in the American League.
G4 😆
Let's be clear here: he wished he could GTFO because they gave up on trying to win. Which was partially illustrated by their willingness to trade him and his salary for nothing. We gonna hold that against him?
I would probably rather have Gray or Kreidler at SS than Lee, but that in and of itself is such a damning indictment of the Carlos Correa trade.
Correa would currently lead the Twins in WAR, btw.
The Twins do not have enough caliber at the top and middle of their lineup to afford James Outman and Brooks Lee at the bottom.
Incredible: Twins RH hitters are slashing .152/.270/.222 against LHP. Their .492 OPS is nearly 200 points worse than LHB vs LHP (.681).
Yes, the Twins have too many LH bats. But that's not the problem. It's that their righties are hitting like pitchers in favorable matchups.
My weekly recaps at @twinsdaily.com include a "Trending Storyline" section focusing on the most interesting current plot point to follow for the Twins. Except for the first two editions this year, they've been about the Saints, and that'll probably continue to be the case for a while
New weekly recap is live at @twinsdaily.com. Twins have been held to one run in 4 of their first 9 games. This offense is a complete drag. twinsdaily.com/news-rumors/...
1-4
Getting worse not better