The Twins left Wrigley Field with a reminder of how thin their margin has become.
Sunday’s 10-1 loss to the Chicago Cubs was the kind of game that exposed everything at once: a bullpen that has been underwhelming, a starting rotation stretched by injuries, and a defense that has been in flux and has been one of the worst in the league. Minnesota has now gone five of its last nine games without scoring more than three runs, and this one unraveled fast.
Zebby Matthews, one of the Twins’ four healthy starters, took the brunt of it. He was charged with 10 runs, eight earned, over three innings, and the defense behind him made the outing look even rougher.
The loss also ended a strong stretch for Minnesota. The Twins dropped two of three to the Cubs in a series between two of the hottest teams over the past month, snapping a run of five straight series wins. It was the first time they had lost a series since being swept by the Los Angeles Dodgers from June 22-24.
Now the focus shifts to Cleveland, where the Twins have four games coming up against a Guardians team sitting ahead of them in the American League Central standings. Royce Lewis, who drove in Minnesota’s only run with a sacrifice fly in the eighth inning, put it plainly: “On this specific road trip, I feel like Cleveland is the bigger fish,” said Royce Lewis, who drove in the Twins’ lone run with a sacrifice fly in the eighth inning. “Every time you play a division opponent, it’s a big deal.”
There could also be help on the way. Byron Buxton, the Twins’ All-Star center fielder, is on the injured list with a right hip strain and could be activated as early as Monday in Cleveland.
Buxton has already been swinging since last Tuesday, working with former Twins hitting coach David Popkins before the All-Star Game, and he increased his defensive work Saturday with outfield coach Grady Sizemore.
In Other News...
Byron Buxton's Return Forces Twins Into A Telling Roster Decision
Byron Buxton is back on the active roster, and for a Twins club trying to keep itself in the postseason picture, the timing could hardly be better. Minnesota reinstated its center fielder from the 10-day injured list and sent infielder Tristan Gray to Triple-A St. Paul, a straightforward transaction on paper that still says plenty about where the team stands as it tries to stay in the race.
Buxton had been sidelined with a right hip strain, and his return gives the Twins the kind of impact presence they have missed in the middle of a stretch that has little margin for error. With the club still chasing ground in both the division and the Wild Card hunt, every healthy regular matters, and Buxtons activation at least gives Minnesota a little more certainty as the trade deadline approaches. [Read more 🡒]
Twins Make Another Pitching Change As Roster Pressure Keeps Building
The Twins latest roster shuffle came on the heels of a rough night in Cleveland, where the opener of the series slipped away and the pitching staff once again had to absorb the fallout. Minnesota responded by lining up Kendry Rojas to start the next game, another sign that the club is still searching for the right combination as it tries to steady a rotation and a bullpen that have both been asked to do a lot.
Byron Buxton also rejoined the active roster Monday night, giving the Twins a needed boost in the middle of all the turnover. At the same time, Woo-Suk Go was sent to Triple-A after another difficult relief outing, a move that underscores how quickly roles can change when a team is under pressure and every inning seems to carry extra weight. [Read more 🡒]
Twins Trade Deadline Pressure Is Starting To Feel Very Real
The Twins are heading toward the Aug. 3 trade deadline with the kind of record that makes every front-office decision feel a little more fragile, even as general manager Jeremy Zoll says the club is planning to buy. Minnesota has stayed in the market for pitching help, and the need is obvious enough: the rotation has been thinned by injuries, and the organization is trying to keep itself in position for a run while the rest of the league starts to sort out its own deadline plans.
Byron Buxtons return is also part of the backdrop, with the Twins hoping to get him back during the Cleveland series, perhaps as soon as today. But the bigger question hanging over the week is whether Minnesota can stay close enough to justify acting like a buyer, because the deadline can turn quickly on a club hovering around .500 and still searching for the kind of arm that would make the rest of the summer look a lot different. [Read more 🡒]