The Twins get one more crack at the Royals on Thursday night, and they’ll need it. Minnesota enters the finale of the season series carrying a lot more urgency than Kansas City, with the first pitch set for 7:40 p.m. ET on ESPN and the playoff picture still crowded around them.
That urgency only sharpened after Wednesday’s 2-1 Royals win. The Twins are now four games back in the AL Central and one game out of an AL Wild Card spot, which keeps them squarely in the hunt but leaves little margin for error.
They also made their intentions clear before Monday’s Trade Deadline, when general manager Jeremy Zoll said the club would be buyers. Minnesota followed through by adding starter Dean Kremer and relievers Jeff Hoffman and A.J.
Minter.
All three were on display Wednesday. Kremer gave the Twins five innings and allowed one run.
Hoffman turned in a scoreless relief inning. Minter, though, gave up the go-ahead homer to Kansas City’s Michael Massey in the seventh.
The season series has tilted the wrong way for Minnesota more often than not. The Twins are just 4-8 against the Royals this year, including a 1-4 mark at Kauffman Stadium. They dropped two of three there from March 30-April 2, then lost three of four at Target Field from June 4-7 before finally swinging momentum their way on July 30, when Kody Clemens’ grand slam capped one of those ninth-inning comeback wins and delivered a big series victory.
Thursday’s matchup also brings a familiar opposing arm. The Royals are starting right-hander Michael Wacha, who owns a 3.51 ERA and is 6-2 in 11 career starts against the Twins. Minnesota’s Josh Bell has seen Wacha plenty, going 7-for-29 with two homers in 32 career plate appearances, while Clemens has handled him well too, going 3-for-7 with a double, a homer and two walks.
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Culpeppers arrival also comes at a time when the schedule is making the decision feel a little more urgent. Minnesota is heading into a key series, and the matchup dynamics could give the rookie an immediate chance to settle in, especially with two left-handed starters waiting in Milwaukee this weekend. For a team trying to steady the middle of the diamond while staying in the race, the timing of his debut may matter almost as much as the talent itself. [Read more 🡒]
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Twins Made A Trade Choice Fans Will Debate Into October
The Twins spent deadline season leaning into the parts of the roster that had been giving them the most trouble, and that meant putting pitching ahead of another obvious need. Instead of taking a shot on Jo Adell, whose success against left-handed pitchers would have offered a different kind of lineup balance, Minnesota turned its attention to the bullpen and rotation by adding A.J. Minter, Dean Kremer and Jeff Hoffman.
It was a choice that said plenty about how the front office viewed the clubs path forward. The Twins are banking on run prevention to carry them deeper, even if it leaves some questions about whether the lineup got enough help against left-handed pitching. If October ends up exposing the gap, this is the kind of deadline decision fans will keep coming back to. [Read more 🡒]