May 30, 2023

Here comes the rooster: Lewis, Jeffers rally Twins to 7-5 win

Infielder Royce Lewis, the Twins’ No. 1 overall pick in the 2017 amateur draft, a player who has twice battled back from serious knee injuries, returned to the lineup on Monday and didn’t disappoint, hitting a three-run home run to start the scoring and a game-tying single to send the game to the 10th inning.

The Hahn/Cock sculpture, Walker Art Center, downtown Minneapolis.

And then in the 10th inning, catcher Ryan Jeffers hit an absolute laser into the left field seats at Minute Maid Park to take the lead and ultimately beat the Houston Astros 7-5 in Game 1 of the three-game series.

In his return, Lewis went 2-for-5 at the plate, scored a run and drove in four more. Jeffers had three hits on Monday, scored and a run and drove in those two important runs in extra innings.

Although Jeffers won the game, the day belonged to Lewis, who returned to the field precisely a year after he last played for the Twins and injured his knee.

“I was actually on the mound when [Lewis’ second ACL tear] happened last year,” pitcher Sonny Gray told MLB.com. “I’m getting chills … to be back on the mound, too, while he comes back and for him to come out and just be Royce, it was a welcome sight. We got on the airplane yesterday, and he was there, smiling, just being Royce.”

Joe Ryan gets the ball Tuesday.

Extra innings …

-Lewis also had a hand in one of three double plays turned by the Twins in Monday’s win.

-Gray made a quality start, but did not figure in the decision. He exited the game with two men on, then reliever Brock Stewart allowed two hits, including a grand slam, that gave Houston a 5-4 lead in the seventh inning. Both pitchers shared in the damage, each charged with two runs.

-The win went to closer Jhoan Duran, who struck out three over two innings. Listening to the game, it sounds like both Jovani Moran and Griffin Jax got up and started to get loose in the bullpen, but Twins manager Rocco Baldelli stuck with Duran. It was the right call.

-I’m not a real fan of the Twins’ road uniforms this season, but anything is better than what the Houston Astros were wearing on Monday.

The “Space City” blue and orange uniforms, with the orange and yellow socks (I think), should be blasted deep into outer space. The best uniforms in the game? The Twins’ home white duds that say “Twin Cities” across the front of the jersey. Now that’s a good look.

May 29, 2023

Twins lose 4th straight series, now face Houston (ugh)

The Minnesota Twins lost their fourth straight series on Sunday, a 3-0 defeat to Jose Berrios and the Toronto Blue Jays. What does it all mean? It means the Twins are essentially a .500 ball club, which is … which is … which is … well, what is it exactly? The Twins aren’t terrible, of... Continue Reading »

May 28, 2023

Youth movement gets Twins win that bullpen nearly blows

The kids were alright on Saturday as Eddie Julien, Matt Wallner and Alex Kirilloff accounted for nine of the Twins’ 14 hits, helping to power the club to a 9-7 win over the Toronto Blue Jays. One veteran, Willi Castro, did get into the act with a two home run day, but it was the... Continue Reading »

May 27, 2023

Twins hitters walk 9 times and still can’t score

The Toronto Blue Jays were in a giving mood in Game 1 of their series at Target Field on Friday, issuing nine base on balls to Twins hitters. Unfortunately, the Twins, continuing a recent theme, could not capitalize on all those base runners and lost 3-1. They went 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position and... Continue Reading »

May 24, 2023

The Twins appear to be in serious trouble, folks

The Twins lost their third straight series on Tuesday to the San Francisco Giants after a very promising 3-0 lead turned into a 4-3 disaster. The Twins are now a game over .500 (yet they still lead the incredibly weak AL Central) and 4-6 in their last 10 games. They are struggling to hit, to... Continue Reading »

May 22, 2023

Twins drop another series as team can’t score, bullpen doesn’t help

The Twins wrapped up their West Coast road trip with a losing record after they dropped both series to the Dodgers and Angels, including Sunday’s 4-2 loss to the Halos. And once again a familiar pattern reared its head for the Twins: Great starting pitching, terrible situational hitting (the Twins again could not score with... Continue Reading »

May 20, 2023

Seesaw game finally results in 5-4 Twins loss to Halos

The Twins looked tired Friday night after their hard-fought series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, and for five innings it really showed as they remained hitless and struck out 12 times as a team. That allowed the Los Angeles Angels to take a 3-0 lead that suddenly evaporated, courtesy of a pinch-hit RBI double from... Continue Reading »

May 18, 2023

Twins drop series to Dodgers after bullpen collapses in 5-run 7th

The Twins fought hard against the Dodgers, losing a nailbiter 9-8 in extra innings and beating Clayton Kershaw for a 5-1 win, but finally they could not take the series after the Twins’ 3-2 lead in the top of the seventh inning Wednesday unraveled in the worst possible way for a 7-3 loss. A lot... Continue Reading »

May 15, 2023

Twins rout Cubs again. Is the great winning streak about to begin?

The Twins kept their feet on the gas pedal in Saturday’s 11-1 win over the Chicago Cubs, then they stomped on it Sunday, scoring 16 runs on 18 hits, including 10 extra-base hits, to run away from the lovable losers by a margin of 16-3. Last week, after the Twins lost consecutive series to the... Continue Reading »

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Hi, I’m Rolf Boone, Twins fan.

I became a fan of the Minnesota Twins after a friendly wager in the early 1980s. I survived Ron Davis, the meltdown in Cleveland, Phil Bradley at the Kingdome and then marveled at a rising generation of stars and two World Series wins in 1987 and 1991. Brad Radke made the 1990s bearable, while Kirby Puckett’s eye injury, exit from the game and eventual death made it almost too much to bear. The new century ushered in more talent — Joe Mauer, Johan Santana, Joe Nathan, Torii Hunter, Justin Morneau — and consecutive seasons of playoff baseball, followed by consecutive seasons of losing baseball. A winning season returned in 2015. So here we are. Go Twins.