The Buck Truck is cruising – unfortunately, no one else is on it.
Byron Buxton hit six homers this past week, yet the Twins only managed to win one out of six games, losing series to the Reds and the Brewers. Brooks Lee’s hitting streak ended at 19 games, which is certainly an impressive feat for the 2nd-year player. However, the pitching staff completely fell apart this week as both starters and relievers failed to keep games close and hold leads, even while the offense had a decent week. Now, the test gets even harder as the Twins get to face the Mariners and 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 realizes that the more things change, the more they stay the same, especially regarding the Twins’ anemic offense.
Elsewhere in Twins Territory:
- John Ke and Ben Jones, in the new episode of Twins Talk, face the reality that this Twins team…might not be very good.
- CJ Baumgartner at Zone Coverage begs the question: What happened to Kody Clemens?
- Aaron Gleeman at The Athletic looks at how the Twins’ farm system is doing. ($)
- Patrick Reusse at the Star Tribune gives his thoughts on what the Twins should do before the trade deadline. ($)
In the World of Baseball:
- Detroit maintains its status atop the AL with a 49-30 record, now 3.0 games clear of the 2nd-place Yankees, and the Twins’ next opponent, the Seattle Mariners, are tied with the Guardians for the last wild-card spot. The National League standings flipped quite a bit, with the Dodgers back on top, holding a slight lead over the Phillies and the Cubs.
- Last time the Mariners faced the Twins, Cal “Big Dumper” Raleigh had his way with Twins pitching. Daniel Kramer at MLB.com reviews Raleigh’s historic season so far.
- Jeff Passan at ESPN documents the breakdown in the relationship between the Red Sox and Rafael Devers over the course of this season.
- All-Star Ballots are out now – vote for your favorite Twins!