The Twins went into the All-Star break with another clean win, this one a 4-2 decision over the Angels on Saturday that featured a strong start from Taj Bradley and a timely blast from Ryan Jeffers. Minnesota had already taken the opener and now gets the chance to win its eighth series in the past nine when it returns from the break.
Bradley gave the Twins exactly what they needed. He worked seven innings, allowed six hits and two earned runs, walked two and struck out six on 99 pitches, 66 of them strikes.
His fastball touched 100 mph, and he mixed in cutters well enough to keep Angels hitters from settling in. The only real damage came in the second, when he left a splitter up to Josh Lowe and watched it disappear 405 feet for a 1-0 Los Angeles lead.
Minnesota answered in the third with the kind of inning that has become familiar. Luke Keaschall, Ryan Kreidler and Trevor Larnach each singled to load the bases and tie the game, then Jeffers came through with a breaking ball he golfed down the left-field line for two more runs. Jeffers was later thrown out trying to take third on a wild pitch when the ball caromed off the limestone and ended up right in Logan O’Hoppe’s glove for the relay.
From there, Bradley settled in and leaned more heavily on his four-seam fastball and cutter. The Angels did not have much for him, and he kept finding the edges while working through the lineup. Los Angeles threatened in the sixth when Mike Trout and Nolan Schanuel opened with singles to put runners on the corners with nobody out, but Bradley escaped by getting a pop up from Jorge Soler and then a double play from Jo Adell, with Kody Clemens making a strong turn at second.
The seventh brought a little more trouble. Bradley struck out Oswald Peraza, then hung a cutter to Denzer Guzman, who sent it just over Trevor Larnach’s glove in left for a home run.
Bradley then walked O’Hoppe on four pitches, bringing the tying run to the plate, but he finished the inning by getting Neto to chase 98 mph up and away. It capped a first half that ended with what would be a career-best 3.59 ERA.
Minnesota added insurance in the eighth when Larnach led off and launched a moonshot off Ryan Zeferjahn. It was his seventh homer of the season, and his .830 OPS continues to play well near the top of the lineup.
Andrew Morris handled the late innings after Bradley. He retired the 2-3-4 hitters in order in the eighth, including a cutter that got Soler swinging for his 16th straight scoreless inning.
In the ninth, Morris set down the first two hitters before Wade Meckler drew a long walk and Guzman lined the next pitch back up the middle for a single. Morris then regrouped and got O’Hoppe to fly out to left to finish it.
Kreidler also made his presence felt in the field, turning in three strong plays at shortstop in the fourth and fifth, including a diving catch on a hard liner from Neto to end the fifth. Brooks Lee added his sixth steal in the seventh.
The Twins now head into the break with Joe Ryan set to represent the club in Tuesday’s All-Star Game. Their second half begins in Chicago against the Cubs, who own the first wild card spot in the NL and finished the first half strong. The Cubs can score, with a run total that tops the AL-leading Twins, but their pitching remains a question until the deadline changes things.
In Other News...
Twins Suddenly Have A Tempting Bullpen Reunion Chance
A familiar left-handed arm could soon be back on the market, and that is the sort of bullpen wrinkle the Twins have reason to watch closely. Danny Coulombe has been much better since June after a rougher start to the season, and Minnesotas relief group has been in need of help as the club keeps sorting through pitching options and trying to stabilize the late innings.
Coulombe also fits the kind of move that can make sense for a team looking for efficiency as much as upside. The Twins already know what he can bring, and with the bullpen still searching for dependable left-handed depth, there is at least a plausible reunion path here if Boston makes him available and Minnesota decides the fit is worth pursuing. [Read more 🡒]
Twins Just Made The Kind Of No. 3 Pick Fans Will Debate
The top of the MLB draft brought a little bit of everything, from the White Sox opening things by taking UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky to Tampa Bay going second with Grady Emerson. Chicago even circled back later for another name that will draw plenty of attention in its own right, selecting Landon Thome, the son of Hall of Famer Jim Thome, at 34th overall. For the Twins, though, the real conversation started a pick later, when they stepped in at No. 3 and made a choice that fits the kind of draft night debate that can linger well beyond the commissioners podium.
Minnesotas selection gives the front office a chance to shape the conversation early, especially in a draft where the first few picks already set a strong tone. Fans will immediately sort through how the board fell, what was available, and whether the Twins landed the right player for that spot. The answer to that question will take time, development, and a lot more than one night in Atlanta, which is exactly why this pick should keep people talking. [Read more 🡒]
Twins First Half Brought One Huge Surprise And One Big Letdown
At the All-Star break, the Twins are still very much in the race at 47-49 and just three games out in the American League Central, but the first half has been defined by two very different storylines. One has been a welcome surprise in the bullpen, where Yoendrys Gmez has quickly become a stabilizing force after arriving in May, giving Minnesota a late-inning presence it badly needed.
The bigger question remains Royce Lewis, whose season has been uneven enough to qualify as a letdown for a former No. 1 overall pick. He has shown signs of life in recent games, and that matters because the Twins need more from him if they are going to make a real push in the second half, especially with the standings still close enough to keep postseason hopes alive. [Read more 🡒]