The Twins are trying to shake off a painful opener in Anaheim and do it with a bullpen that’s been pushed hard. After losing the series opener to the Angels in walk-off fashion, Minnesota turns the page Friday night with left-hander Connor Prielipp on the mound and a clear need for length from him.
Prielipp comes in with a 5-7 record and a 5.24 ERA, and he’s looking to rebound after taking the loss in his last start Sunday against the Guardians. This will be his first career look at the Angels, and he’ll also be seeing every hitter in their lineup for the first time. For a pitcher trying to close out his 2026 season on better footing, it’s a useful test.
The matchup on the other side is one the Twins offense should feel like it can attack. Right-hander Grason Rodriguez gets the start for Los Angeles, carrying a 4-7 record and a 6.10 ERA across 18 starts. Minnesota will need to string together quality at-bats and make him work.
That task gets even more important because of the state of the Twins’ relief corps. Between Thursday’s game and the heavy bullpen work during the Yankees series, the group has been extremely taxed. The biggest priority tonight is simple: Prielipp has to give them a long outing.
Zach Neto is one of the Angels bats Minnesota has to keep in check. After being the subject of substantial trade rumors, he’s been better in the second half with a .735 OPS, and he owns a .881 OPS against left-handed pitching. Prielipp will need to keep Neto off base if he’s going to slow down the top of the Angels’ order.
Ryan Jeffers, meanwhile, gets a full day off after catching 13 innings in Wednesday’s marathon, though he did take an at-bat in extras. He’s also had success against Rodriguez before, going 2-for-6 with a double and a walk. The Twins will need him to be a factor again as they try to get the offense moving.
First pitch is set for 8:38 p.m. CT at Angel Stadium, with the game on TwinsTV.
In Other News...
Angels May Have Found A Bullpen Answer Nobody Saw Coming
Ryan Watson arrived in Anaheim in early August as a waiver claim from the Red Sox, the kind of low-profile move that usually only matters if a club is trying to patch together the back end of a bullpen. For the Angels, though, the pickup has turned into something more than a depth add. In 16 appearances since joining the team, Watson has given them steady late-inning work and quickly become one of the more effective arms in a relief mix that has struggled for much of the season.
The appeal is obvious for a club searching for reliable outs after the starters hand over the lead. Watson has trimmed his numbers sharply since the move, posting a 1.88 ERA and 0.98 WHIP, and he has earned a bigger role in the process. The larger question for the Angels is whether this is the start of a real bullpen answer or just a late-season burst from a pitcher who was barely on the radar a few weeks ago. [Read more 🡒]
Angels Still Have One Roster Problem New Ownership Could Finally Address
Catching has quietly been one of the Angels nagging roster issues for years, and it has become even more pronounced with the recent trade of Logan OHoppe. For a club trying to stabilize its lineup and give its pitching staff a steadier target behind the plate, that makes the position one of the more obvious places to look if new ownership wants to make an immediate imprint.
One possible fit is Brandon Valenzuela, whose strong defensive season for the Blue Jays has put him on the radar as a trade candidate. Toronto already has Alejandro Kirk locked in on a long-term extension, which could make Valenzuela available if the Angels decide catching needs to be addressed sooner rather than later. The question is whether this front office sees him as the kind of upgrade worth pursuing, or whether the search for a long-term answer at the position continues into another offseason. [Read more 🡒]
Angels Face A Tough Reid Detmers And Walbert Urena Decision
Reid Detmers and Walbert Urena have given the Angels something they havent had often enough this season: two young arms worth building around. Both pitchers have already established new career highs in innings, and each has helped steady a staff on a last-place team that has spent too much time trying to piece things together. Detmers has been especially sharp since the break, working to a 1.65 ERA with strong strikeout-to-walk numbers, while Urena has emerged as one of the clubs most encouraging breakout stories.
The challenge now is less about what they have done and more about how much the Angels should ask them to do from here. Urenas rise has put him in the mix for AL Rookie of the Year consideration, and Detmers has looked like a pitcher the organization can lean on for years to come, but both are also carrying more innings than they have before. For a team not playing for a postseason chase, the balancing act is clear: keep the development momentum going without pushing either arm too far. [Read more 🡒]