Game 70, from Houston.

First Pitch: 3:10 pm CDT

TV: Twins.TV / ~ / Radio: TIBN, WCCO 830, The Wolf 102.9 FM

Every day in June I look at the AL Central standings and marvel that the Twins remain in second place.

Now, granted — they are 9.5 games back, and if it wasn’t already true during May’s hot streak, it’s doubly true in June that Minnesota’s biggest competition in 2025 will be Cleveland, Kansas City, and the other Wild Card contenders of the American League. The notion that this Twins club will suddenly surge into battle with the Detroit Tigers — who own the best record in baseball, not just the division — seems a little far-fetched.

Still, the beat goes on, and it’s games like today — with their de facto #1 on the mound — that the Twins need to make sure they pick up, to safeguard against a rough stretch getting even worse.

It’s difficult to say much more about this afternoon’s contest when the latest Minnesotan tragedy has cast yet another pall on the spirit of the state and the country. The Twins released the below statement regarding this morning’s political assassination, and will likely recognize the events on tonight’s telecast.

These being articles published on a public forum under my own name, I don’t feel particularly motivated to contribute much more digital ink to the topic of baseball this weekend, at least not with the alarm bells — already loud enough — ringing again today.