Friday night’s Twins-Yankees matchup at Yankee Stadium hit a snag in the third inning, with thunderstorms forcing a delay while the game sat tied 1-1.
Minnesota got on the board first when second baseman Kody Clemens launched a solo homer off Yankees right-hander Gerrit Cole in the opening inning. New York answered right back in the bottom half, as center fielder Trent Grisham matched it with a solo shot off right-hander Mike Paredes.
Cole had been sharp aside from the Clemens homer. Through three innings, the 35-year-old had given up just two hits and no walks while striking out four. Paredes had also settled in after the Grisham blast, allowing only that one hit across two innings with no walks.
If the delay stretches on, both clubs could be pushed into their bullpens earlier than they wanted.
Weather around the stadium has been the story. The tarp went onto the field as thunderstorms moved through the area, and by 7:09 p.m.
CDT it was raining at Yankee Stadium. A severe thunderstorm warning in New York was in effect until 7:30 p.m.
CDT, and Weather.com noted “thunder in the vicinity” at 7:06 p.m. CDT.
The hourly forecast showed a 55% chance of scattered thunderstorms at 8 p.m. CDT, with no rain or thunderstorms expected from 9 p.m.
CDT through the rest of the night.
Updates around the delay suggested the stoppage would be relatively brief. At 7:27 p.m.
CDT, the tarp was coming off the field, and by 7:40 p.m. CDT, the game was set to resume at 7:45 p.m.
CDT.
While the teams waited, attention briefly shifted to St. Paul, where Ryan Jeffers was in the lineup as the designated hitter to begin his rehab assignment.
At 7:00 p.m. CDT, the St.
Paul Saints were leading 1-0 after top prospect Walker Jenkins hit a solo home run, and Jeffers had already singled in his first plate appearance.
In Other News...
Twins Farm Gets One Needed Boost Amid Another Concerning Update
The Twins farm system got a little healthier in one spot and a little thinner in another, a familiar tradeoff at this time of year. Christian Becerra was back on the mound for High-A Cedar Rapids after a stint on the 7-day injured list, while the broader minor league picture also brought a few encouraging signs across the organization, including another strong day from St. Pauls offense and some useful innings from pitchers trying to steady their seasons.
Kaelen Culpeppers addition to the Futures Game roster added a brighter note to the systems midseason outlook, giving Minnesota another prospect to track on a bigger stage. But the update also came with a setback elsewhere in the pipeline, a reminder that depth in the minors can change quickly even when one player is moving back into the mix and another is earning a spotlight. [Read more 🡒]
Twins May Finally Have A Real Opening For Kendry Rojas
Kendry Rojas has given the Twins enough to dream on since arriving from Toronto, even if the picture is still blurry. The left-hander brings real velocity and a slider that can miss bats, but the command has not always matched the stuff, which is why Minnesota has been shuttling him through a hybrid mix of starting and relieving without settling on a firm lane.
Now the Twins have to decide whether the best path for Rojas is to keep stretching him out or narrow the job and let the arsenal play up in shorter bursts. Louis Varland has become the obvious reference point from the same trade, and that kind of bullpen conversion is at least on the table as Minnesota weighs what Rojas can be long term. [Read more 🡒]
Two Unexpected Twins Could Be In Real Deadline Danger
The Twins have spent much of the season in that uneasy middle ground where neither path is fully closed off. At 42-46, they are still close enough to the playoff race to justify staying patient, but not so far ahead that the front office can ignore the possibility of shifting directions if the next few weeks go sideways.
If Minnesota does end up leaning toward a sell-off, two unexpected names could surface in the conversation: Kody Clemens and Ryan Kreidler. Both have been useful this year and bring the kind of defensive flexibility teams like to target at the deadline, which makes them more than simple depth pieces even with years of control still attached. For a club trying to balance the present against its next wave of talent, that kind of value can become hard to overlook. [Read more 🡒]