MINNEAPOLIS - The Twins had the kind of night that can almost fool you into thinking momentum is enough.
They kept climbing out of holes. They kept giving themselves chances.
They kept putting the tying or go-ahead run in position, only to come up empty when it mattered most. By the end, the effort was there and the fight was there, but the result was not: a 11-6 loss to the Tigers in 12 innings on Wednesday night.
“We got behind and did a good job battling back,” said manager Derek Shelton. “We gave ourselves a bunch of opportunities and unfortunately we weren't able to capitalize on those opportunities. We had a chance to win the game at multiple spots, and unfortunately we weren't able to do that.”
That was the story all night. Minnesota had the go-ahead or winning run in scoring position with one out in the eighth, then with no one out in the 10th, then again with one out in the 11th.
Each time, the big hit never came. The comeback had some bite to it, but with 22 games left, that part only goes so far.
“If you’re going to lose, that’s the way to do it, I guess,” said Luke Keaschall. “We’re going out there trying to win each game we can.
Obviously, the goal is to win. I know it’s September.
I know we’re getting to the end of the year and you feel like you have to win games, but I keep saying we just have to focus on each day, try to win each game. If we don’t, we have to show up to the field the next day with the right attitude to win that day.
There is still a lot of baseball to be played.”
The loss left Minnesota 3 1/2 games behind Cleveland for the third American League Wild Card spot and 6 1/2 back of Chicago in the AL Central. Both teams ahead of them lost Wednesday, which opened the door for the Twins to gain ground. Instead, they stayed where they were.
Next comes a crucial stretch on the road. The Twins open a six-game trip Friday in Chicago and Detroit, then return home for a series against Cleveland the following weekend.
There was one more jolt in the game beyond the final score. Kody Clemens took a pitch hard off his right arm in the eighth inning and felt it immediately.
“I didn't feel anything for like half a second, and then my whole arm just went completely dead and it started hurting,” Clemens said. “So right above the elbow. Just grinding through the rest of the way.”
There was also a notable development on the mound. Matt Canterino finally took part in a competitive game again, starting a rehab assignment Wednesday with High-A Cedar Rapids. The right-hander, once viewed as one of the Twins’ top pitching prospects, pitched a scoreless, hitless inning with one walk and one strikeout.
It was his first game appearance of any kind since July 30, 2022, in the Florida Complex League. His last outing for a full-season affiliate came June 2 of that year with Double-A Wichita. Canterino has spent the past three full seasons sidelined by shoulder problems.
The Twins also revealed their rotation plans for the weekend series in Chicago, and there is some movement. After Thursday’s off-day, Zebby Matthews will start Friday and Taj Bradley will go Saturday, both on their usual fifth day rather than getting extra rest.
Bailey Ober, meanwhile, will wait until Sunday, giving him seven days between starts. Since returning from a June stint on the injured list, Ober has gotten extra rest in seven of nine starts, including four times with more than five days between outings.
In Other News...
Former Twins Infielder Finds Another Opportunity After Brief St. Paul Run
Orlando Arcias stint in the Twins organization was short, but it gave him a path back into the conversation after a rough start to 2025. He opened the season in Triple-A St. Paul after losing the backup shortstop job to Tristan Gray, then got to Minnesota in May before the roster squeeze caught up with him in June. Even so, Arcia played well enough in Triple-A to keep drawing attention.
Now he has landed another minor-league deal, this time with the Cincinnati Reds, and will report to their Triple-A affiliate. The fit makes some sense on paper, especially with Cincinnati looking for middle-infield depth after the injury to shortstop Elly De La Cruz, and it gives Arcia another chance to work his way back toward the majors after a brief stop in St. Paul. [Read more 🡒]
Former Twins Starter Gets Another Shot After Quick Toronto Exit
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For Minnesota, it is another reminder of how quickly the pitching picture can change for a young arm. Woods Richardson never got much time to settle in with Toronto before being waived, and Seattle now offers a fresh landing spot as he looks to rebuild momentum and show he can still factor at the highest level. [Read more 🡒]
Twins Fans Have Every Right To Demand Accountability For This Collapse
The Twins entered September in a spot that feels a long way from where they were when the summer still offered hope, and the frustration around this stretch is easy to understand. A club that looked like it had enough traction to stay in the race instead stumbled through August, went 10-17, and now finds itself hanging around a crowded Wild Card chase with little room left to absorb another bad week.
Jeremy Zoll and Derek Shelton are part of the conversation because every collapse has layers, but this one also reflects the roster limits, the injuries, and the uneven production that have dragged the season off course. Ownership sits in the middle of it too, because when a team with this kind of midseason position slips into survival mode, fans are left asking not just what happened on the field, but who is accountable for building a club that could end up here. [Read more 🡒]