UH-OH!
If nothing else, the Twins have done a marvelous job this season of setting the tone, even if the tone in question is that sort of ear-splitting, screeching electronic jumble of noise that reminds you of logging onto a DSL connection.
With some trepidation — understandably — about another Chris Paddack start, Twins fans cringed in unison as Saturday afternoon’s setup with the Detroit Tigers began with a leadoff walk to Zach McKinstry, who immediately zoomed to third on a subsequent Carlos Correa throwing error, and scored on a sacrifice fly from Spencer Torkelson.
Walks, poor defense, instant deficits. Once again, 2025 Twins baseball was off to a rip-roaring start.
Another sacrifice fly in the fourth scored a second run for Detroit, after Torkelson singled, Riley Greene walked, and Colt Keith advanced the runners. With Paddack already up over 70 pitches, the Tigers had garnered a 2-0 lead with only two hits on the ledger.
Ultimately, Paddack would wind up getting through five innings on 93 pitches with only the two runs allowed on two hits, in what was his best start of the season by a long shot. But even as Paddack settled in after the early difficulty, fans were left glancing up at the scoreboard and realizing that — with just two baserunners in four innings — the offense had completely disappeared again.
Edouard Julien would reach with a sharp one-out single in the fifth (I still believe) but Harrison Bader would GIDP shortly thereafter, making it five shutout innings for #4 MLB prospect Jackson Jobe.
Jobe would get a boost when Spencer Torkelson doubled the Detroit lead with nobody out in the sixth.
Today’s game would produce the first major-league win for the young Jobe (who improves to 1-0 on his career.) He only recorded two strikeouts, but importantly kept the zone under control and walked just one Twin hitter.
The Twins had no competitive offensive innings after the first — if you still consider that effort competitive — and once again looked completely outclassed on nearly all sides of the ball.
Hey, but Jose Miranda came in and knocked an eighth-inning single. YYYYYYYYYYES! Unfortunately, he was tagged out on the bases after second baseman Colt Keith left his foot off the bag while receiving an attempted fielder’s choice throw; Miranda pulled up short of second, missed the “safe” call from the second-base umpire, and was tagged out for real while already retreating to the dugout.
Carlos Correa added a ninth-inning double (for sympathy reasons), but the heart of the order failed to bring him home. Game over — Detroit shuts out Minnesota with a 4-0 final, with a light chorus of boos rearing its head as Byron Buxton went down looking for the game’s final out.
So, that does it for a potential bounceback weekend, as the Tigers have secured the series win and will go for the sweep tomorrow. The Twins fall to 4-11, and could be tied for last place in the division should the Chicago White Sox pull out a win this afternoon. The series will conclude tomorrow, after which point the New York Mets will roll up onto the premises to really put the hurt on.
Thanks for joining us as always!
STUDS:
I’m not sure when I last covered a completely studless game, so for morale’s sake, let’s say –
SP Chris Paddack (5 IP, 2 H, ER, 2 BB, 5 K)
DUDS:
RP Kody Funderburk (2 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, BB, 3 K, HR)
DH Trevor Larnach (0-for-4, 2 K)
PH/3B Jose Miranda (1-for-1, TOOTBLAN)