Last night’s game at Target Field might have left fans scratching their heads, but tonight, all eyes are on the matchup dubbed the Battle of the Mikes. It’s Mike Paredes for the Twins, a newcomer with just five major-league games under his belt, stepping up as an accidental starter.
Despite his limited experience, Paredes has shown promise, pitching around 60 pitches per outing and managing to go five innings in his last appearance. Impressively, he’s kept opponents to three earned runs or fewer in each game, save for one against the Royals.
Tonight could be his moment to solidify his status as a legitimate major-league pitcher.
Facing him is a seasoned veteran, Michael Lorenzen, who brings 12 seasons of big-league experience to the mound. Lorenzen, known for his two-way play aspirations, has a respectable 1.6 career bWAR from his time at the plate, including seven homers during his stint with the Cincinnati Reds.
However, his focus has shifted solely to pitching now, and this season with the Rockies has been challenging. With a 2-9 record, a 7.11 ERA, and allowing an alarming 13.4 hits per nine innings over 17 games, Lorenzen is looking to turn things around.
The Twins, fresh off tying the New York Yankees for the most team runs in the American League with 404, are riding high on the performance of Royce Lewis. Since his return, Lewis has been on fire, boasting a .296/.346/.521 slash line, with four doubles, four homers, nine RBIs, and four steals.
Despite sitting at 39-44, they’re just 4.5 games back and a game and a half out of a Wild Card spot. The 32-50 Rockies present a prime opportunity for Minnesota to capitalize and potentially sweep, especially after facing the formidable Los Angeles Dodgers.
To keep their playoff hopes alive, the Twins will need to maintain their offensive momentum and keep the pressure on.
In Other News...
Twins Lose One Of Their Few Bullpen Answers At Worst Time
Anthony Banda had become one of the more dependable arms the Twins could lean on out of the bullpen, which is what made his exit in Colorado sting even before the club had to sort out the roster move. Minnesota is already piecing together relief innings from a group that has been too inconsistent for comfort, so losing one of the few pitchers who had provided real stability only narrows the margin for error.
Cody Laweryson was summoned from Triple-A St. Paul to take Bandas spot, giving the Twins another look at a depth option as they try to navigate a bullpen that has been under pressure for weeks. With a tough stretch ahead, the bigger question is how Minnesota covers the innings Banda had been handling and whether the current relief mix can hold up long enough for help to emerge. [Read more 🡒]
Former Twins Arm Chris Paddack Gets Another Shot With A Contender
Chris Paddacks season has already turned into a tour of attrition, and the latest stop is another reminder of how quickly a veteran arm can become a depth solution in July. After time with the Marlins, Tigers and Reds, the former Twins right-hander is now working toward his next opportunity after Cincinnati moved on, leaving him looking for a way back into a rotation and a chance to stabilize a career that has been interrupted by injuries and uneven results.
The appeal for his new club is straightforward: there is a need for innings, and Paddack still has enough track record to be considered for a starting role. Injuries and recovery timelines have thinned the pitching staff, so the door is open for him to step into meaningful starts if the contract gets finalized and the fit holds up. [Read more 🡒]
The Next Five Weeks Could Define This Twins Season
Midway through a season that has felt equal parts promising and precarious, the Twins have put themselves within striking distance of the final American League Wild Card spot while still leaving plenty of doubt about whether they belong in the race for the long haul. Their offense and starting pitching have given them enough of a foundation to stay relevant, but a 39-45 record and a spot 2.5 games back also make the margin for error awfully thin as the calendar turns toward August.
With the trade deadline set for Aug. 3, the next five weeks are shaping up as a test of conviction as much as performance. Minnesota has to decide whether this is a team worth reinforcing for a push or one that needs to consider a different path, especially with the bullpen still unstable, injuries clouding the pitching staff and the club not yet looking fully settled enough to call itself a true contender. [Read more 🡒]