8 straight, 11 of 12. Twins offense cannot get going against opposing starters

Nick Nelson@nicknelson.bsky.social · yesterday

Twins have been held to 2 or fewer runs through 6 innings in each of their past 7 games, and 10 of their last 11. Hard to win if you can’t build leads and are constantly fighting from behind.

The Twins' bullpen focus at deadline heightens pressure on the rotation and lineup — both well below average in the past month — to get on track. Otherwise the trades don't matter. Last night a perfect example: Twins were down 5-1 by the time a reliever set foot on the mound.

The Twins Boldly Bolstered Their Bullpen. Can the Rotation and Lineup Do Their Parts?

The Twins upgraded their bullpen but are leaving a slumping rotation and offense to figure it out on their own.

twinsdaily.com

There he goes. First home run in a full month for Josh Bell. Last went deep at Yankee Stadium on July 4th.

Nick Nelson@nicknelson.bsky.social · yesterday

What the Twins sorely need is for Josh Bell to get it going again. 99 OPS+ not good enough from DH and #3 hitter. We know he can flip a switch. Last 20 games: .234/.298/.312, 0 HR, 3 RBI Previous 20 games: .310/.380/.662, 6 HR, 21 RBI

Joe Ryan has struck out fewer than 5 hitters in a start 4 times all year (not counting 1st-inning exit on 5/3). 3 of them are his past 3 starts.

Twins have been held to 2 or fewer runs through 6 innings in each of their past 7 games, and 10 of their last 11. Hard to win if you can’t build leads and are constantly fighting from behind.

What the Twins sorely need is for Josh Bell to get it going again. 99 OPS+ not good enough from DH and #3 hitter. We know he can flip a switch. Last 20 games: .234/.298/.312, 0 HR, 3 RBI Previous 20 games: .310/.380/.662, 6 HR, 21 RBI

Here's my take on the Twins' approach at the trade deadline. On the surface, it might not make a lot of sense to focus entirely on the bullpen when it's been their biggest strength for the past month. But the FO is wisely looking deeper: twinsdaily.com/news-rumors/...

The Twins Boldly Bolstered Their Bullpen. Can the Rotation and Lineup Do Their Parts?

The Twins upgraded their bullpen but are leaving a slumping rotation and offense to figure it out on their own.

twinsdaily.com

Feels like Twins are leaning into the volatility & randomness of relief pitching. Go with what you know. Hoffman's been somewhat worse in high-leverage spots over small sample? We know he's good, get him. MN bullpen was among league's best in July? We know it's bad, improve it.

10 new articles published in the last 24 hours at @twinsdaily.com. Nobody's doin it like us! Come join the convo today as the deadline draws near.

Deadline day is here. Prime yourself on key Twins storylines leading up to 5:00 PM twinsdaily.com/news-rumors/...

Deadline Day: Where Things Stand for the Minnesota Twins

Here's your primer to get up to speed on the Minnesota Twins and their deadline day decisions.

twinsdaily.com

Wherever it goes from here, I’m really appreciating this Twins season. A team that never quits fighting. A front office that actually seems compelled to improve. An owner who is, to some extent, putting his money where his mouth is. #noticing

It was a wild week of Twins baseball that included 4 walk-off finishes, multiple "buy" trades, and one of the most improbable victories in franchise history. Now, a consequential trade deadline bears down. New Week in Review is live at @twinsdaily.com twinsdaily.com/news-rumors/...

Week in Review: Buying Time

Reviewing a riveting week that featured four walk-off finishes and some assertive trades for pitching help.

twinsdaily.com

Twins are in such a weird position. Aggressively seeking RPs despite the bullpen being what's kept their season afloat. (4th in MLB in WPA last month.) Meanwhile they’re shopping their 2 best healthy hitters on a short-circuiting offense. (23rd in runs, 27th in wOBA since ASB.)

Another really strong series for the Twins bullpen: 9 innings pitched, zero runs allowed. Made the two dramatic comebacks possible.

The Twins got no-hit through 6 innings, and were down 3-0 with two outs and nobody on in the 9th. Moments later, Kody Clemens wins it on a walk-off grand slam. One of the most wild turns of events you'll ever seen in a ballgame. Back to .500.

Twins have been held to 2 or fewer runs in 6 of 12 games since the AS break. Thats not counting the finale in Cleveland where they scored 1 run through 11 innings, or last night when they had 1 scored with 2 outs in the 9th.

Twins have now won 8 of Taj Bradley’s last 9 starts. They’re 14-7 with him on the mound this year. He’s quietly building an argument for team MVP, especially with the outlooks for Buxton and Ryan in question.

Huge pre-deadline week ahead for the Twins. Ready yourself with a full recap and rundown of the past 7 days: twinsdaily.com/news-rumors/...

Week in Review: Bouncing Off The Ropes

The Twins showed their resilience once again in a week where the mantra was essentially: bend, don't break.

twinsdaily.com

Clutch moments from Larnach and Roden. Gutsy pitching performances from Bradley and the bullpen. And an alarmingly bad outing from a fatigued Joe Ryan that could disrupt deadline dynamics. No shortage of drama over the past 7 days! Week in Review is live at @twinsdaily.com

Week in Review: Bouncing Off The Ropes

The Twins showed their resilience once again in a week where the mantra was essentially: bend, don't break.

twinsdaily.com

The Twins are face Bryan Woo, Logan Gilbert and George Kirby in Seattle next weekend. Murderer's freakin row. Could really use a sweep against the Royals.

Five shutout innings with 1 hit allowed for the Twins bullpen today. Nance, Rogers and Anderson all stranded the auto runner in extra innings. Gutsy!

We’ll see where things go from here, but for the time being, that feels like a season-saving victory for the Twins. Now gotta make hay at home against the A’s and Royals.

Another scoreless inning in high leverage from Andrew Morris, who has been a revelation in the Twins bullpen. The rookie has a 0.45 ERA in his past 20 innings of work, and ranks fourth among MLB relievers in WPA during that span.

Wrote today at @twinsdaily.com about how Twins fans have been spoiled by elite offensive production at the catcher position, with Jeffers the latest. "It shouldn't be taken for granted how unusual it is for a team to be able to bat their catcher second or use them as a credible DH."

Ryan Jeffers and the Twins' Unlikely Legacy of Elite-Hitting Catchers

Jeffers is following in the footsteps of Mauer and Garver as elite producers at a notoriously glove-first position.

twinsdaily.com

Since 2008, 5 catchers have posted a .400+ wOBA in 300+ PA. 2009: *Mauer* (.438 in 606 PA) 2011: Napoli (.445 in 432 PA) 2012: Posey (.406 in 610 PA) 2019: *Garver* (.404 in 359 PA) 2021: Grandal (.402 in 375 PA) Jeffers has a .409 wOBA in 169 PA. Leads all catchers by 50 pts.

The .500 mark has proven elusive for the Twins, who got there briefly over the weekend before dropping their last two at Wrigley. With two weeks to go until the deadline and a big series in Cleveland on tap, it’s crunch time. New Week in Review is live at @twinsdaily.com ⬇️

Week in Review: Break's Over, Crunch Time Begins

The Twins continue to flirt with ,500 as the trade deadline bears down.

twinsdaily.com

The Twins bullpen has a 2.25 ERA here in July, 3rd-best in the majors, after posting an MLB-worst 6.94 mark in June.

Encouraging thing about this year’s Twins is how they’ve fared against quality opps. Big diff from last season (43-60 vs. >.500 teams). This year: 20-23, with winning records against almost everyone in the ALWC race. Test coming against good teams (CHC, CLE) coming out of ASB.

Baseball is unpredictable. But here are 5 things you can count on in the second half of the Twins season: twinsdaily.com/news-rumors/... @twinsdaily.com

5 Things You Can Count On in the Second Half of the Minnesota Twins Season

Some things you can't predict. These five things, you probably can.

twinsdaily.com

Wrote at @twinsdaily.com today about the fascinating trade deadline dynamics faced by the Twins front office as a team stuck in the middle of competing and rebuilding: twinsdaily.com/news-rumors/...

The Hitters Who've Gotten the Twins Here Are, Paradoxically, the Ones Getting in the Way

Can't live with 'em, can't live without 'em?

twinsdaily.com