Rocco Baldelli got starting pitcher Bailey Ober back from the injured list over the weekend, but the pitching staff remains in flux as well. Monday night the Twins are starting reliever Travis Adams in a bulk role. They have yet to name a starter for Wednesday.

The organization has gone through so much change, and they continue to need healthy arms. Enter their latest waiver claim in the form of Thomas Hatch.

Thomas Hatch claimed by MN Twins

The Kansas City Royals have had a disappointing season just like the Minnesota Twins. Of course that didn’t prompt them to sell off in epic proportions. They do continue to make roster moves though, and one of their latest was designating Thomas Hatch for assignment. Minnesota swopped in.

#MNTwins have claimed pitcher Thomas Hatch from the Royals. He'll report on Tuesday.

— DanHayesMLB (@DanHayesMLB) August 4, 2025

Hatch pitched just a single game for the Royals at the big league level, and the exposure was just one inning. He gave up a pair of runs on two hits and was sent packing.

A former third-round pick in 2016 out of Oklahoma State, Hatch has spent five years in the big leagues while pitching for three different organizations. His entire combined experience results in just 70 innings and a 5.14 ERA.

He has a respectable 62 strikeouts, but has walked way too many batters with 33 to his credit. There isn’t much reason to believe he’ll suddenly figure it out in Minnesota, but I guess you can’t fault the Twins for trying.

Related: Report: MN Twins Reliever Requested Trade

Hatch worked 18 games as a starter for Triple-A Omaha this year. He owns a 4.22 ERA and has a 78/28 K/BB across 91 2/3 innings. He must be added to the 40-man roster, and at this point, will simply look to eat innings the rest of the way.

Flashback to 2020, an interesting time for a bunch of different reasons. The Minnesota Twins, along with the rest of the MLB participated in a truncated 60-game season, where they went 36-24, but never had a winning streak longer than six games. That pitching staff had some interesting names on it… including 40-year-old Rich Hill.

Royals sign former Minnesota Twins starter Rich Hill

Most professional baseball players don’t make it into their mid-30s, before leaving the game. Not Hill. Five years after what we thought was a last hoorah in Minnesota, the former 2002 4th round pick out of Michigan is signing with his 14th MLB team. This time it’s a minor league deal with the 45-year-old’s 14th MLB organization, the Kansas City Royals.

We have signed LHP Rich Hill to a minor league contract. He will report to Surprise and is expected to join Omaha (AAA) soon.

— Kansas City Royals (@Royals) May 13, 2025

Last season Rich Hill returned to Boston. He pitched just 3 2/3 innings at the major league level. It was his sixth season with the Red Sox though. He waited for an opportunity to present itself in 2025, and now the Kansas City Royals have come calling.

Related: What is Fueling This Minnesota Twins Hot Streak?

Hill has not pitched professionally since the 5 2/3 innings he threw for the Boston Red Sox organization last season, between Triple-A and the big leagues. While the deal is a minor league one, it stands to reason that the now 45-year-old left-hander will get his shot back in the MLB very soon, or this deal doesn’t get done.

In 2023 Hill pitched 146 1/3 innings for the Pittsburgh Pirates and San Diego Padres. His 4.76 ERA (4.43 FIP) with Pittsburgh landed him in San Diego for the stretch run. He flopped to the tune of an 8.23 ERA (6.77 FIP) in 27 1/3 innings, however.

Rich Hill, 70mph Breaking Ball (home plate view/tail).

In case you were wondering what 20 inches of break looks like. pic.twitter.com/qlSxHVFqfl

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) August 28, 2021

Hill has never been a high velocity arm. As a rookie, he threw 90 mph. Last year with the Red Sox, he averaged 87.6 mph on his fastball. Rich Hill is a spin doctor, who uses his curveball 38.1% of the time over the course of his career.

Where does Hill fit for the Royals?

It remains to be seen how many turns Hill will take in Omaha, but it’s very plausible the Twins could see him at some point this season. The Minnesota Twins are set to play against the division rival Royals in 10 days, but then they won’t see them again until early-August.

It seems unlikely that Kansas City would insert Rich Hill into the starting rotation. Their group of Seth Lugo, Michael Wacha, Kris Bubic, Cole Ragans, and Michael Lorenzen have each made all of their starts. Kansas City is also 25-18, good for second in the AL Central Division.

Related: Big Time MLB Insider Suggests MN Twins Could Consider Trading… Byron Buxton

The bullpen may present an opportunity though, and Hill brings a left-handed presence to the group. Southpaw Angel Zerpa has thrown 15 innings for Kansas City and owns a gaudy 7.20 ERA (6.18 FIP). That’s not a high bar for Hill to clear, and he brings the veteran presence with him.

It will be interesting to see how quickly the Royals deem Hill ready to compete. If they do, Hill could have runway to stick if things work out. He would be nearly 10 years older than every teammate with Mark Canha (36) being the current elder statesman.

The Minnesota Twins grabbed Nick Gordon with the 5th overall pick during the 2014 MLB Draft. He played just 243 games in a Twins uniform, compiling a career fWAR of just 1.4 during his time with the organization. Last year, Derek Falvey shipped Gordon off to Miami, and he surfaced with the Baltimore Orioles this spring.

Nick Gordon joins Minnesota Twins rival Kansas City Royals

Gordon didn’t make the Opening Day roster for Baltimore (he went just 3-for-28 in Grapefruit League play) and was sent to Triple-A Norfolk. Kansas City came calling and decided to make a move that brings the former Minnesota Twins utility man back to the AL Central.

Trade: The Kansas City Royals are acquiring Nick Gordon from the Baltimore Orioles, sources say. Gordon, who was in Triple-A with the Orioles, has hit .244/.283/.386 with 23 home runs and 112 RBI in four major-league seasons.

— Robert Murray (@ByRobertMurray) April 5, 2025

Last season Gordon played in 95 major league games for the Marlins. His .227/.258/.369 slash line was well below league average and was good for just a 68 OPS+. He never turned out to be a capable shortstop, which was the position he was drafted as, and has morphed into more of an Austin Martin-type utility man.

Just like big league Opening Day, the Triple-A season only just begun. In four games for Norfolk Gordon went 4-for-13 with a double and 4/1 K/BB. He also successfully stole a base on two attempts.

It remains to be seen how Gordon will be used by the Royals. Miami had him predominantly in left field last season. Unfortunately he was worth -6 DRS (defensive runs saved) and -2 OAA (outs above average) in that exposure. His arm is not a strength, and while outfield is where he has transitioned to, routes and ball tracking aren’t exactly ideal either.

Funny enough, Nick Gordon has an OPS of .831 against the #Royals in his career (35 games).

He also drove in 17 runs in those 35 games. It’s the most RBI against any team he’s faced. pic.twitter.com/8akDFd3vNh

— Jack Johnson (@JohnyJ_15) April 5, 2025

Kansas City didn’t need to put Gordon on their 40-man roster. Nick Loftin is the only infielder on the roster in the minors. Outfielder Dairon Blanco was placed on the injured list with an achilles ailment. Kyle Isbel, M.J. Melendez, and Hunter Renfroe are the only outfielders still on the active 26-man roster.

Not the first former Twins first round pick for Kansas City

Just before Opening Day in 2022, the Minnesota Twins traded Brent Rooker as part of a deal to acquire Chris Paddack and Emilio Pagan from the San Diego Padres. Rooker was a former first round pick (35th overall in 2017) by Minnesota.

He played just two games for the Padres before they sent him to Kansas City for Cam Gallagher. Things didn’t work out much better with the Royals. He played just 14 games and went 4-for-25 before being cast off.

Related: Twins Working on Another Top Pitching Prospect

That’s when Rooker landed with the Athletics, where he has since thrived, even becoming a first-time all-star in 2023. Last season, he batted .293/.365/.562 with 39 home runs en route to his first Silver Slugger award. This offseason, the Athletics gave Rooker a five-year, $60 million extension.

Gordon is a year younger than Rooker, but the likelihood he works out better for Kansas City is extremely low. Still, it would be nice to see Gordon generate reason for run back at the big league level. If not, he may be closing in on a full-time role as rapper Flash G (formerly G Cinco).

Rather than do anything worthwhile at leading up to July 31, Twins president of baseball operations Derek Falvey sat idle, outside adding Trevor Richards to the bullpen. He was DFA’d last week. Meanwhile, as the Twins sat on their hands, the Royals were wheeling and dealing this time last month.

Kansas City Still has Minnesota Twins in rearview mirror

And boy oh boy, did our AL Central rival hit on a lot of those moves. In fact, a lot of their sustained production in the last month has come from those key acquisitions.

• Hunter Harvey (from Washington) – Harvey quickly hit the injured list with mid back tightness. He made six appearances for Kansas City and allowed four runs in 5 2/3 innings.
• Michael Lorenzen (from Texas) – A pitcher of interest for the Twins this offseason, Lorenzen has been incredible for the Royals. Through his first five starts he owns a 1.85 ERA and hasn’t lost a game. The performance shows clear signs of regression, but it hasn’t hit yet.
• Lucas Erceg (from Oakland) – Quickly moving into the closer role, Erceg already has five saves for Kansas City. His 2.63 ERA is better than the mark with Oakland, and he owns a 16/2 K/BB. He did recently get hit by a comebacker and leave the game.
• Paul DeJong (from Chicago) – After posting just a 97 OPS+ with the White Sox this season, DeJong owns a 159 OPS+ in 22 games for Kansas City. I guess he has been reinvigorated playing meaningful baseball.

Star first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino recently was placed on the injured list, after suffering a broken thumb that will have him out for 6-8 weeks. The Royals countered his loss by claiming Tommy Pham off of waivers from the St. Louis Cardinals, as well as Robbie Grossman from the Texas Rangers.

Related: Minnesota Twins Claim Familiar Pitcher

Minnesota, hamstrung by spending practices, added nothing at the trade deadline. The only waiver claim the Twins have made to bolster their roster was for previously DFA’d Michael Tonkin.

Minnesota Twins inactivity continues to highlight ownership ineptitude

Immediately following their best season in decades, ownership brought forth a talking point that payroll was being scaled back. The Twins spent all offseason fumbling over terrible public relations messages. The product wasn’t on the television for months. With injuries mounting, they’ve struggled to stay afloat.

The #MNTwins average attendance from 2001-09 at The Metrdome – 25,884

The #MNTwins average attendance in 2024, at Target Field, coming off the most successful season in 30 years – 24,090

Pohlad's reaping what they sowed. https://t.co/54BJZp75Ca

— Ted (@tlschwerz) August 22, 2024

At this point it is clear Minnesota possesses the best team in the division. That has been evident by how they have hung with both Cleveland and Kansas City. The problem is that ownership has not allowed the front office to make any moves of substance.

The Minnesota Twins were lacking depth, going into the season. Months later, the situation has only gotten more dire. The Royals, meanwhile, weren’t just good at the trade deadline. Seth Lugo and Michael Wacha have proven to be great offseason free agent signings, too.

Related: Upgrades Incoming for Minnesota Twins Infield and Outfield

The Twins would have benefit by adding pieces at the deadline. Even after failing, there, they could have made up for it by grabbing worthwhile pitchers off of waivers. Unfortunately, all of those moves require spending money.

Through the first quarter of the season, it has been the Twins, Cleveland Guardians, Kansas City Royals, and Detroit Tigers that have all shown differing levels of competitiveness. While Stephen Vogt’s club has led the group from the get go, a Royals team that spent has remained in the thick of things, while A.J. Hinch’s Tigers have hovered around .500. Only the Chicago White Sox, which was to be expected, have been a complete disaster.

Minnesota Twins Facing Tough Test in AL Central

If the Minnesota Twins are going to repeat as division champions in the AL Central then they’ll need to remain substantially more consistent than they have out of the gate. While the pitching staff has largely been unphased by the departures of Sonny Gray and Kenta Maeda, the lineup has missed productive stretches from Royce Lewis, Carlos Correa, and Byron Buxton.

Rocco Baldelli’s club hit and pitched their way back into competitiveness, but the schedule now starts to add in multiple divisional opponents. With a three-game set kicking off in Cleveland, and a four-game home series with Kansas City not far off, the Twins can do themselves plenty of favors when trying to distance themselves from those they are most closely connected to.

3️⃣ STRAIGHT DAYS FOR SLAMTANA! pic.twitter.com/U2AjBDnai8

— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) May 12, 2024

As of Friday, there are four teams within six games of the division leading Guardians. The only other division that currently has that many teams still competitive is the AL East, which includes four teams at or over .500. There’s nobody out there crowning the American League Central as the best division in baseball. But without a doubt, it’s far from the worst.

Offseason Narratives Are Hollow for AL Central

The talk of this offseason was about what every AL Central team failed to do, aside from the Kansas City Royals. Signing Seth Lugo and Michael Wacha never should have been viewed as organizational shifting deals, but with the Twins and Guardians failing to spend any real dollars, it was only the Kings of Kauffman that were given positive momentum.

Starting out the year, Kansas City made waves with their new acquisitions immediately showing up in the box score. Cleveland was dealt a big injury blow in the form of Shane Bieber, but the collective roster came to play just as they have always done with Jose Ramirez leading the way. It took some time for the Twins to join the party, but an ugly offseason never truly provided them with momentum out of the gate.

Now with the top three teams looking to separate themselves, it will be interesting to see who has staying power. Both Minnesota and Cleveland have been here before and are expected to remain as the best bets to make the postseason. While Kansas City seems likely to fade, it remains to be seen when, and how substantially that will happen.

The early action for most divisions across Major League Baseball is largely reflective of teams feeling each other out and trying to find their way. You really can’t win a division in the first couple of months, but the Chicago White Sox definitely lost the AL Central out of the gate. As Minnesota, Cleveland, and Kansas City settle in, it will be through the heart of the summer that they find their identities.

Related: What Does MLB’s New Statcast Bat Tracking Say About the Minnesota Twins?

As the Twins continue their ascent to the top of the AL Central, it appears likely that neither Cleveland nor Kansas City will bend over. The division might not have the top-tier talent expected from the American or National League East Divisions, but they are going to produce a team that will be a postseason force to be reckoned with.

Between a two-year, $13 million deal with outfielder Hunter Renfroe that @Feinsand reported earlier today and the Wacha deal that @ByRobertMurray was on top of, the Royals now have committed $105 million in free agent dollars to Renfroe, Wacha, Lugo, Stratton, Smith and Hampson.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 15, 2023

Kansas City Royals Offseason Spending Spree

After being outspent by the Minnesota Twins by around $60 million in 2023, the Royals are now projected to spend within about $20 million of the Twins in 2024. And that’s before Minnesota makes many of their cost-saving roster changes.

Remember, Derek Falvey announced that the Twins are hoping to make payroll cuts this offseason and, outside of losing Sonny Gray and Kenta Maeda to free agency, those have yet to happen. Max Kepler ($10 million), Jorge Polanco ($10.5 million), Christian Vazquez ($10 million) and Kyle Farmer (est. $6.2 million) are all still on the roster.

Related: Twins Aren’t the Only MLB Team Cutting Payroll and Blaming TV Revenue

MLB Insider Jon Heyman says Kansas City is probably done in free agency, for the most part, but still plan to be active in the trade market, etc. In other words, they may not be done. So it’s possible they finish very close to what the Twins are spending in 2024.

Does that guarantee the Royals will win more games? Absolutely not, and the projections still say they probably won’t. But what it does indicate is this. Other teams in the AL Central see Minnesota’s cost-saving proclamation as an opportunity to jump up and try to steal a weak division.

Why are the Minnesota Twins cutting payroll then?

Which, as I’ve written about before, invites questions about why Derek Falvey and Twins decision-makers made their payroll cutting plans public knowledge in the first place. But as the offseason plays out… I see their reasoning unfolding right before our eyes.

The Pohlads realized, early on this offseason, that the American League Central’s biggest annual spenders, the Chicago White Sox, were going into rebuild mode for this offseason and into next summer.

Related: TV Blackouts Will Not Exist in Minnesota Twins New Broadcasting Age

The White Sox had $175 million in player salaries on their books in 2023 (ended up being $162 million after selling some assets at the trade deadline). As of Friday afternoon, they are currently projected by Spotrac.com to spend just $118 million in player payroll in 2024. That’s a $57 million difference.

Pohlads aren’t interested in being AL Central big spenders

Well, the Pohlads saw an opportunity in their division rival ramping things down. But unlike the opening you and I might have seen — step on the gas and fully consume one of the weakest divisions in baseball — they saw it as a chance for the Twins to remain competitive, probably make the playoffs AND still save a bunch of money.

They’re probably right too, because they are heavy favorites to win the AL Central, projected to win the division by five or more games, according to FanGraphs.

As of now, it almost makes you wonder if AL Central owners are colluding to keep costs down. If the Twins can clear $25-$30 million in salary like they are hoping, then all five teams in the division will have dangerously similar payroll balance sheets for 2024. If I had to guess, I’d say they all end up right around $125-$130 million each.

Reckless Speculation: Is it possible that Jerry Reinsdorf, who also owns the Chicago Bulls, is sick of spending $10’s of millions more than the Twins, just to lose more division crowns than he wins?

Maybe he finally went to the Pohlads and offered a truce to keep payroll down, in order to help competitive balance and stop what was starting to be an AL Central arms race? Who knows… I’m not an insider.

Read all of our offseason Minnesota Twins blogs

How good was he? It took just 80 pitches for Devin Smeltzer to slice and dice his way through 7 innings vs the Royals. He allowed 0 runs on just 2 hits and struck out 6. Kansas City hitters appeared lost in the batter’s box all night. It was probably the most dominant performance from a Minnesota Twins starting pitcher this season.

Devin Smeltzer’s 6Ks thru 6. pic.twitter.com/w2wr1GrtS3

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) May 27, 2022

Smeltzer Pulled After 7th

So when Tyler Duffey walked to the mound in the top of the 8th inning, fans were dumbfounded. Myself included. Smeltzer’s pitch count was still well under 100 pitches and he had left Royals hitters hopeless at the plate all night. Oh, and the first batter of 8th inning was a lefty. Was Smeltzer hurt or sick? That’s the only sensible explanation, right?

Nope, pitching Duffey in the 8th with the lead was a decision that was made pregame. And Rocco Baldelli made it very clear with media, after the game, that it didn’t matter how much common sense fell into his lap last night. Devin Smeltzer could have morphed into Game 7 Jack Morris and the Twins would still have went to Duffey in the 8th. Why? Because that was the plan and nothing, not even winning, was going to stand in the way of letting things unfolding as planned.

“The Plan” > Everything

To Rocco and the Minnesota Twins’ braintrust, “the plan” takes precedence over everything else. We’ve seen it with Byron Buxton’s management, Royce Lewis’ demotion and, last night, with Devin Smeltzer’s early exit. Choosing “the plan” over winning looks like the new ‘Twins Way’.

Asked Rocco Baldelli if a pitcher (Devin Smeltzer) can lobby his way into another inning: “Sometimes the decisions are already made, and (Thursday), after the seven, I think it was pretty solidly going to the bullpen. Guys can lobby. That can happen. But when the decisions are made, there’s really no lobbying, no matter how hard they’re going to push for it.”

Dan Hayes – The Athletic

What happened to adaptability? For a decade, new age baseball fans and nerds have ripped and destroyed ‘old-school’ baseball managers and classic ‘ball guys’ for their inability to adapt in an always-changing environment. We have all of this information at our fingertips telling us what works and what doesn’t. Adapt or die, right?

Adapt or…

There isn’t a franchise in the league nerdier than the Minnesota Twins. We’re told that no organization is more adaptable or more open to change than the one located at 1 Twins Way in downtown Minneapolis. Unless, apparently, a game is being played. When the team steps between the lines, adaptability dies.

It doesn’t matter that Devin Smeltzer is willing and able to carry you to a victory or if a batter vs pitcher matchup might be more favorable. The Twins pregame plan, if they had a small lead entering the 8th inning, was to pitch Tyler Duffey. Nothing was going to make them deviate from that “plan”. Including, but not limited to, winning.

This in-game attitude makes no sense. There isn’t an environment more apt to change in baseball than on the actual field during actual competition. Why is that the place where fluidity is not allowed? That in-game rigidness cost the Minnesota Twins a victory last night.

It won’t be the last, either.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

All Sergio Romo has done since arriving in Minnesota and putting on a Twins uniform, is run his mouth constantly and mow down hitters whenever he takes the mound. He both pitches and talks at a professional level. The heavily bearded Romo took the mound tonight, to close out the Kansas City Royals in game 3 of a 4-game set, and looked dominant per usual..

After he struck out the side and secured a 4-2 victory, Sergio did his usual pointing and screaming to the sky, in celebration. At this point in his career, most around the MLB are used to the way Romo celebrates and expresses emotion.

There was a little extra to this one, though… if you watch (or listen) closely.

#TwinsWin#TwinsWin#TwinsWin pic.twitter.com/IqTkoBMMi9

— FOX Sports North (@fsnorth) August 16, 2020

Can anybody confirm what I thought I heard Sergio Romo say after that final strikeout? #MNTwins

— Derek Wetmore (@DerekWetmore) August 16, 2020

That's what I thought he said,based on the TV broadcast. Interesting! https://t.co/0omNGBLLc3

— Derek Wetmore (@DerekWetmore) August 16, 2020

Can we pause for a moment and bow our heads in respect and admiration toward Sergio Romo? This man deserves our absolute respect. I can’t believe we landed such a treasure. He walks the walk and talks the talk.

WTF Actually Happened?

According to Royals manager, Mike Matheny, the away bench was chirping to the umpire about low strike calls. They didn’t mean to direct those complaints toward Romo but, without fans in the stands, they don’t fall on deaf ears on the mound.

Tensions rose after the final pitch of the Twins-Royals game.

Managers Rocco Baldelli and Mike Matheny discuss what happened. pic.twitter.com/ey55jH2WYx

— FOX Sports North (@fsnorth) August 16, 2020

For anyone who still plays a sport at any competitive level, this will sound familiar. Whenever an ump or referee is being chirped by the other team for a call that benefited you, there is a natural urge to defend them, especially if you think their call was correct.

Matheny seems to think Romo was mistaking their chirping for something that was directed at him. In reality, he probably knew what was happening but didn’t care. ‘Stop begging and swing the bat’ (is what I would have been thinking).

No matter Romo’s understanding of the situation or what the outcome was, a Minnesota Twins hitter will pay for this with a fastball to the ribcage tomorrow. The questions after that: Who will it be? Will we see any benches clear? If benches do clear, will we see bullpen pitchers sprint toward the infield for the greatest 100-yd dash in sports?

Above all, would the bench-clearing altercation include social distancing?

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

Remember last week when the Minnesota Twins were the talk of the league? Back when they were setting franchise records for hot starts? Remember when the Twins were 10-2? That seems like a lifetime ago after the Twins were swept by the Kansas City Royals on Sunday, losing on getaway day 4-2. They have now lost four-straight.

Because of the shortened season, each game in 2020 counts for the equivalent of 2.7 games in a normal 162-game season. That means the Twins have lost what feels like 12 straight games over the last 4 days. Those losses have come against two of the worst teams in all of Major League Baseball, too (3-Royals, 1-Pirates). Entering the year, the Twins had the easiest schedule in baseball… but it hasn’t looked that way these last few days.

#Twins and #Indians have the easiest strength of schedule in 2020. pic.twitter.com/zf9ZkPoSOL

— Danny Vietti (@DannyVietti) July 6, 2020

pic.twitter.com/RRCQ9EbhKz

— Jack Kewitsch (@JackKewitsch) August 9, 2020

WHO’S TO BLAME?

While this losing streak has been frustrating, it is hard to say who fans should blame, if anyone at all. With both pitching and offense struggling to produce results, one could say the whole team is to blame and that this is just the worst possible time for cold streaks across the board.

The offense couldn’t put anything together against rookie pitcher Brady Singer, posting only two runs. But the true frustration from Sunday falls on Jose Berrios. Allowing four runs on eight hits with one being a home run to Maikel Franco in the sixth. With no starting pitcher making it beyond six innings lately, how much of that is due to the quick ramp up to the season?

José Berríos is done after throwing 96 pitches over 5 1/3 innings. The command still doesn’t look fully there.

He’s issued 3 walks in consecutive starts, but still did a decent job of navigating a good amount of traffic to keep the Twins in it, for the most part.

— Do-Hyoung Park (@dohyoungpark) August 9, 2020

Likely not much. Instead, it is the lack of aggressiveness on the mound and getting ahead in counts. Forget the injuries and lineup juggling, this team is deep enough to win every game on their schedule. While that was never actually going to happen, they shouldn’t be dropping four in a row and getting swept by the Royals.

As I wrote last week, Berrios’ outing continues to prove the Twins need an actual ‘ace’ to compete in 2020. Let alone win the World Series. Tipping your cap and not being horrible won’t cut it.

That’s what we’re looking for from our aces. “Not horrible” https://t.co/Ur2PLx5z3V

— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) August 9, 2020

But will Falvey and Levine make a move before the August 31st deadline? That is yet to be seen. As Derek Falvey mentioned on the Fox Sports North broadcast Friday, the market is likely to be relatively dry. As more teams will be in the hunt for the postseason due to the expanded playoffs and a lack of scouting opportunities to see how players have and will perform.

Tip your hat to the Royals, as Berrios mentioned. They came out and completely shut down the Twins offense…especially out of the pen. Baldelli even mentioned he was impressed with their overall game and game planning.

GETTING OVER THE HUMP

The Twins had a chance to win each game of their current losing streak. As Taylor Rogers blew a save against the Pirates, a 3-2 squeaker in the first Royals game, one horrific inning in the second game, and another close result in the series finale.

Yet the team could never get over the hump. While the offense hasn’t been completely atrocious and continuing to hit Bombas and get guys on-base, the long ball and runners on-base seem to always come at the most inopportune times. Recent home runs are often solo shots and the base runners are left stranded. Even when the Bombas aren’t solo ones, the bullpen coughs the lead right up. This is obviously not an ideal recipe to win games. Especially in a season where each game holds significant meaning than in year’s past.

#MNTwins Buxton with the “Yep, gone” stare! pic.twitter.com/t7J4ktqPPd

— Ted (@tlschwerz) August 9, 2020

As someone who likes to think they know a lot about the inner workings of a baseball team, I am out of answers at the moment. It’ll take a team effort and the veterans in the clubhouse stepping up to make a difference.

While the Twins still have a winning record (10-6) and are in position to make the postseason and win the Central, they are continually decreasing their chances. Getting back to winning needs to happen…duh.

Although the Twins started their record-setting 2019 in a worse fashion and didn’t let that impact them, that was over a 162-game season. With less only 43 games remaining, they need to start clicking immediately. The room for error continues to shrink and their losses are piling up. Still keep the faith as this team is still stacked. But fans are rightfully starting to worry.

#MNTwins through 15 games …

This season:
Record: 10-5
Runs scored: 76
Runs allowed: 51
Run differential: +25

Last season:
Record: 9-6
Runs scored: 77
Runs allowed: 65
Run differential: +12

— Aaron Gleeman (@AaronGleeman) August 9, 2020

OFF TO MILWAUKEE

Time for the first border battle of the year. As Randy Dobnak (2-1, 0.60 ERA) and his elite ERA will face off against Adrian Houser (1-0, 0.75 ERA) and the Brewers in Milwaukee.

One may look at Houser’s ERA and be concerned with the Twins offense performing. But with only 12 innings pitched in two starts, it is a small sample size. The same could be said for Dobnak, especially with how little he strikes batters out (14.3%). Yet heavily relying on a pitch mix involving a sinker and curveball has been his key to keeping balls in the infield or popping up.

Pitching matchups for Twins @ Brewers:

Mon — Dobnak vs. Houser
Tue — TBA vs. Lindblom
Wed — Maeda vs. Lauer

Sounds like a bullpen game on Tuesday, perhaps with an opener, perhaps with Thorpe. Maeda getting an extra day off before his start.

— Phil Miller (@MillerStrib) August 9, 2020

That will be Dobnak’s challenge on Monday though. As he faces a lineup that is starting to put it together. Especially MVP-slugger Christian Yelich. Who through six games in August has hit .300/.500/.900 with three home runs, six RBI, seven runs, and eight walks. A far cry from his performance to begin the year when he had a five OPS+ at one point.

With the Twins offense hitting a wall, this series has gained significant importance. Even more important is that they can’t automatically gain ground against their AL Central opponents when playing NL teams.

It looks like Kenta Maeda will have his scheduled start pushed back a day to Wednesday. Nothing too concerning. But with shorter outings from the starting rotation, one has to question what the outcome will be on Tuesday with an opener.

Jack Kewitsch | Minnesota Sports Fan

The Minnesota Twins lost to the Kansas City Royals on Saturday night 9-6. This is the second straight game the Twins have lost to the Royals and their third loss in a row overall..

Jake Odorizzi finally made his 2020 debut tonight, finishing with 3.0 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, and 2 K. Odo labored through 3 innings, running a pitch count up to 71. I only expected him to pitch 3-4 innings anyway. Jake likes to throw a lot of pitches and it’s his first start of the year so that’s whatever. The only thing that I really didn’t like about his start was this mistake to Soler in the 3rd inning.

UP, UP AND JORGE. ☀️?#AlwaysRoyal pic.twitter.com/ffrmt7RpWv

— Kansas City Royals (@Royals) August 9, 2020

Hitters Game

Seven total homers were hit tonight, 4 by the Royals and 3 by the Twins… and Byron Buxton tallied four RBIs and his third straight with a home run. But it was Nelson Cruz who first got the Twins on the board. If you listen closely you can hear Duffy express his frustration after Cruz went yard.

NELSON CRUZ INTO THE FOUNTAIN! #MNTwins pic.twitter.com/chUxRerZLi

— The Sports Paige (@sports_paige) August 9, 2020

Three straight games with a bomb for Byron Buxton. Twins need it bad. pic.twitter.com/AHhxF8nQiJ

— Jared Carrabis (@Jared_Carrabis) August 9, 2020

Then came the bottom of the fourth inning, which was an absolute disaster. Lewis Thorpe gave up three runs without recording an out, and then Cody Stashak came in and sucked too. He let in three of his own.

It’s definitely time to give up on the Lewis Thorpe dream, and maybe he could spend his free time seeing a barber. The Royals scored six runs in total, hitting three home runs. Jorge Soler hit his second of the game.

Jorge Soler – Kansas City Royals (5) pic.twitter.com/sePD64u8nN

— MLB HR Videos (@MLBHRVideos) August 9, 2020

Things never got better and the Twins would eventually fall to 10-5 on the season. They now only lead the AL Central by 1.5 games over Detroit. No, that’s not a typo.

The Best

Byron Buxton has finally found his swing, now homering in three straight games. When Buxton is on, he is my favorite player to watch and it is not even close. Twins fans can only hope that he can keep this going and doesn’t get hurt running into any center field walls anytime soon.

The Worst

Lewis Thorpe just does not belong in the MLB. My nephew’s 10U traveling baseball team could hit off of Thorpe. With a 6.23 ERA and velocity down under 90 MPH, it’s time for the Twin to try someone new.

Does Lewis Thorpe Have a Velocity Problem? – Major League Baseball News – https://t.co/E0um0g7KKt pic.twitter.com/HRKeDVUvSP

— MLB &NHL News Now (@MLB_News247) August 8, 2020

Every team is going to run into rough spots along the season, I get that. Still, losing three games in a row to the Pirates and the Royals is absolutely embarrassing. Not only did this Twins loss ruin my parlay, but it made a terrible MN sports weekend that much worse.

Nonetheless, the Minnesota Twins will return to action against the Royals tomorrow afternoon (looking to avoid a sweep) at 1:05 PM CT. Jose Berrios (1-1 4.80 ERA) will take the mound against Brady Singer (0-1 4.80 ERA).

Cameron Thomson | Minnesota Sports Fan