A well-deserved nomination
The Twins faced the two Floridian teams this week, dropping the series to the Marlins and winning a series against the Rays, finishing out the week at an even 3-3. Byron Buxton was named as the Twins’ lone representative to the All-Star Game for his second appearance. The AL Central is now a shell of its former self, as the Twins, with their 43-47 record, sit in 2nd, 13.5 games behind the Tigers.
The Past Week on Twinkie Town:
- Need to vent about the Twins? Or provide some reasons to calm down? Check out our Game Threads and join the conversation!
- In case you forgot what happened this past weekend, our Game Recaps are back as well!
- Zach Koenig takes us back to Game 6 of the 1965 World Series.
Elsewhere in Twins Territory:
- La Velle E. Neal III at the Star Tribune looks at a new wrinkle that Joe Ryan added to his pitching arsenal on Sunday’s start.
- Lou Hennessey at Zone Coverage evaluates what needs to change for the Twins to have a 2024 Tigers-esque comeback.
- Matthew Leach at MLB.com looks at how Travis Adams might be a sign of how the Twins may develop pitchers in the future.
In the World of Baseball:
- Final rosters for the All-Star Game were announced yesterday. Clayton Kershaw was named to the NL team as a “Legend Pick”.
- Speaking of Kersh, he joined the 3,000-strikeout club last week, striking out Vinny Capra.
- The Tigers continue their winning ways, with a 57-34 record, 1.5 games ahead of the Astros. The Twins are still barely in the Wild Card race, as they are 5.0 games behind the Mariners.
- Despite getting swept at home by the Astros, the Dodgers are still atop the National League with a 56-35 record, and are clear of the Twins’ next opponents, the Chicago Cubs, by 1.5 games.
- In advance of the trade deadline, Jesse Rogers at ESPN shares a few fun trade anecdotes from GMs around the league.
- The Washington Nationals are the next team to make some major personnel changes, firing president of baseball operations Mike Rizzo and manager Dave Martinez. Rizzo and Martinez were a part of the Nationals’ World Series-winning team in 2019, but since that point, the team has been in rebuild mode, especially after dealing Juan Soto to the Padres.