The Twins keep finding reasons to pay attention in Anaheim, and it starts with the kids. Walker Jenkins has been working through the first real groove of his big-league career, while Emmanuel Rodriguez has flashed on both sides of the ball. In a season that has drifted back toward the preseason expectations, those two have become part of the late-season pull.
Joe Ryan is back on the mound too, giving a look at what the right-hander might be in 2027. That matters in a different way, but it matters all the same.
Across the diamond, 27-year-old Reid Detmers enters the night with 199 strikeouts. Central timezone viewers may be hoping this one doesn’t go to extras, though a certain corner of Angels fans might not mind. After all, Joe Mauer has a more recent walk-off hit than Mike Trout does.
Minnesota’s record is officially in the losing column, but there is still something on the line in the final stretch. Every win helps build a more respectable finish, and the Twins are only a game behind the Detroit Tigers, leaving third place within reach.
There’s also the bigger picture. The Twins are the next American League team on the chopping block, tied with the Seattle Mariners as the closest clubs to outright elimination.
Seattle, though, still has a path to the AL West. A wild final week could technically bring the Mariners level with a division-leading pair of teams that still do not have winning records.
In Other News...
Connor Prielipp Just Gave The Twins A New Pitching Question
Connor Prielipp gave the Twins another reminder that their pitching depth has real potential, turning in seven scoreless innings while allowing only two hits and piling up eight strikeouts. It fit neatly into a night when Walker Jenkins added a home run and Minnesota got help from multiple players and the bullpen in a win over the Angels, the kind of balanced effort that tends to stand out in a long season.
Joe Ryan is set to take the ball next against Reid Detmers as the series continues, but Prielipps outing adds a fresh wrinkle to the conversation around the Twins arms. When a performance like that comes from a young pitcher, it does more than help in the moment, it leaves the staff with another question to sort through as the schedule keeps moving. [Read more 🡒]
Twins Suddenly Face A Bigger Derek Shelton Question Than Expected
The Twins went into the trade deadline looking to bolster their pitching depth and make a real push toward a playoff berth, but the stretch run has instead been another reminder of how quickly a promising season can tilt the other way. Injuries have chipped away at the roster, the young core has shown flashes, and the September slide has left Minnesota searching for answers as much as results.
Derek Shelton is now part of that conversation in a way the Twins probably did not expect when they brought him in for his first season in Minnesota. The former Pirates manager arrived with a long track record but still no winning record in seven years as a big league skipper, and the way this team has stumbled since the deadline has only sharpened the focus on whether he can be the one to steady it when the pressure rises. [Read more 🡒]
Twins Prospects Are Giving Minnesota A Reason To Dream Again
For a club looking for a clearer path back into contention, the Twins next wave is starting to look like more than a distant idea. Shortstop Marek Houston has been one of the most encouraging names in the system, handling Double-A with the kind of all-around production that can change the tone around a farm system, while catcher Khadim Diaw and outfielder Hendry Mendez have also kept their stock moving in the right direction.
None of that guarantees an immediate impact, but it does give Minnesota something it has needed more of lately: believable upside. Houston, Diaw and Mendez are the kind of prospects who could spend the start of 2027 at Triple-A and still leave open the possibility of reaching the majors soon after, which is enough to make a rebuilding stretch feel a little less empty for Twins fans watching from afar. [Read more 🡒]