The Twins found their spark in the middle of the game and never let it fade, rolling past the Tigers 11-1 on Monday night behind big nights from Ryan Jeffers and Kody Clemens.
The swing point came in the fifth inning, when Luke Keaschall was already on second base and Clemens stepped in with one out. Facing Jackson Jobe, Clemens put together a grind-it-out at-bat that lasted 12 pitches and ended with a walk. He got there after falling behind 1-2, then kept extending the plate appearance by working through nine more pitches and seeing a heavy dose of Jobe’s fastball along with all three of his offspeed offerings.
That set the stage for Jeffers, who had gone the first 30 days of August without a home run. He watched a slider miss the zone, fouled off a fastball inside, and then jumped on a 97.3 mph four-seamer above the strike zone. The result was a three-run blast to left-center, a Statcast-projected 420 feet that pushed Minnesota’s lead from two runs to five and took the air out of the game.
Minnesota didn’t stop there. The Twins kept tacking on runs later in the night, a welcome change after a recent stretch in which they had struggled to score in the late innings.
Jeffers added another homer in the seventh, giving him his second of the night and of the month. Clemens also chipped in with a sacrifice fly and a solo home run.
The offensive outburst gave Taj Bradley plenty of breathing room, and he delivered his sharpest outing in more than a month. Bradley worked seven innings, allowed one run and four hits, and struck out nine while looking like the version of himself that had flashed ace-level stuff for much of the early season.
In Other News...
Twins Move On From Kyler Fedko In Painful Roster Twist
September roster moves brought a tough break for Kyler Fedko, whose name had been one of the more interesting ones to watch as the Twins navigated the final stretch of roster expansion. Minnesota designated the outfielder for assignment while officially adding infielder Ben Ross to the 40-man roster, and the club also recalled right-hander Garrett Acton from Triple-A as part of its September call-ups.
Fedkos situation is complicated by the severe knee injury that altered his path, and the injury waiver rules now push him toward release. From there, the door is not necessarily closed, since he could potentially re-sign with Minnesota or land elsewhere, but for now the Twins have had to make the kind of roster decision that cuts deeper than most. [Read more 🡒]
Twins September Call-Ups Raise A Bigger Question About This Playoff Push
The Twins are using Septembers roster expansion to add a little more depth where the stretch run tends to get thin. Right-hander Garrett Acton, recently activated from the injured list after arriving from the Miami Marlins, gives the bullpen another arm, while utilityman Ben Ross arrives with the kind of minor league track record that can help a contender squeeze value out of matchups, especially against left-handed pitching.
For a club still hanging around the postseason race, the moves fit the moment: protect the pitching staff, widen the bench and give the lineup a few more ways to tilt an inning. What makes the call-ups more interesting is what they suggest about how the Twins want to navigate the final weeks, with bullpen depth and platoon flexibility taking on a little extra weight as the games get bigger. [Read more 🡒]
Twins Triple-A Lineup Is Suddenly Chasing An Even Bigger Record
The power surge in St. Paul has turned the Twins Triple-A affiliate into one of the loudest lineups in the minors. The Saints already had enough thump to make a statement, but their latest pair of long balls pushed them past the International League single-season home run record, with Kalai Rosario providing the tie and Cody Morissette delivering the one that moved them into new territory.
What makes the chase even more interesting from a Minnesota perspective is that this has become more than a one-player feat. The Saints now have 12 players with at least 10 home runs, a spread-out attack that has kept the lineup dangerous all season and left them within reach of the all-time minor league single-season home run mark held by El Paso. For a Twins organization that values depth and internal options, this kind of production is hard to ignore. [Read more 🡒]