The Minnesota Twins are entering a three-game set with the Cleveland Guardians knowing the margin for error keeps shrinking. This weekend is another shot to stay alive in the postseason race, and the odds have been slipping day by day.
Minnesota turns to Taj Bradley for the opener, and the matchup comes with some encouraging history. Bradley is 11-6 this season with a 3.95 ERA, and Cleveland has had a hard time solving him. In 30 1/3 career innings against the Guardians, he has posted a 1.48 ERA.
The Guardians counter with young left-hander Parker Messick, who has been one of the American League’s better arms this season. Messick is 11-9 with a 2.53 ERA, and he’ll be a serious challenge for a Twins offense that struggled through its recent road trip.
First pitch is set for 7:10 p.m. CT at Target Field.
There are a few individual matchups worth watching once the game gets going. José Ramírez has been one of the Cleveland hitters who has handled Bradley well, carrying a career .817 OPS against him. In 10 at-bats, Ramírez is 3-for-10 with two walks, and he remains the kind of at-bat Bradley has to navigate carefully.
On the Minnesota side, Ryan Jeffers has had success against Messick in a small sample. He is 2-for-6 with a home run and two RBIs against the left-hander, and that fits with the kind of damage Jeffers has done against left-handed pitching all season. If he can give the Twins a lift in the middle of the order, it would go a long way.
Josh Bell is the other Twin with strong numbers against Messick. He’s 2-for-6 with a double, and he heads into the homestand after showing a little more pop on the road trip, with home runs against both the White Sox and the Tigers. Minnesota will need that power to carry over if it wants to get the most out of this series.
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Twins Have A Real Pre-Lockout Decision On Two Key Young Pieces
With the possibility of a lockout looming once the current Collective Bargaining Agreement expires on Dec. 1, the Twins have a timely front-office question sitting right in front of them. Any new labor rules could reshape how payroll flexibility works across the league, and Minnesota is among the clubs that may have to think carefully about how it allocates money if a salary floor eventually comes into play.
That is why the period before the freeze could matter so much for a team trying to balance present and future value. The Twins have two young pieces worth watching closely in Taj Bradley and Kaelen Culpepper, and the decision on whether to pursue long-term deals now is about more than just roster planning. It is also about locking in talent before the market, and the rules around it, potentially shift under their feet. [Read more 🡒]
Twins Are Suddenly Watching Kaelen Culpepper For One Injury Concern
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Emmanuel Rodriguez Just Gave The Twins A Different Look
Emmanuel Rodriguez could not have asked for a louder introduction. In his first major-league at-bat, the young outfielder turned on a pitch and homered as part of a four-run third inning, giving the Twins the jolt they needed in a 4-3 win over the Guardians. It was the kind of debut moment that changes the feel of a night, especially with Rodriguezs family in the ballpark to see it unfold.
For Minnesota, the bigger takeaway was how the game kept opening new lanes for a club that has been looking for different ways to win. Rodriguez finished with a hit, a run, an RBI, a home run and an assist, while the bullpen did enough to protect the lead the offense had built. The debut was memorable on its own, but it also hinted at how quickly a new face can alter the look of a lineup when the Twins need one more spark. [Read more 🡒]