Designated hitter Nelson Cruz, who hit 76 home runs for the Twins over two-plus seasons, is gone after he was dealt Thursday to the contending Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for two Triple-A pitchers who aren’t expected to stay in the minors for long. The trade is not surprising — Cruz was signed with the... Continue Reading »

Max Kepler got things started with his 12th home run of the season, and the Twins tacked on six more runs from there to beat the Chicago White Sox 7-2 and split the four-game series on Wednesday. Although Kepler homered and singled and scored two runs, the night belonged to Jorge Polanco, who singled, doubled... Continue Reading »

The Twins headed into the break with a 7-2 record against the Detroit Tigers. Unfortunately, they emerged from it at 7-5 after they were swept by the Tigers on Saturday and Sunday. This is not a good sign. The Twins, other than all-stars Nelson Cruz and Taylor Rogers, essentially had the week off to rejuvenate... Continue Reading »

The Twins made it three wins in a row against the Detroit Tigers on Saturday, the first three of eight straight games between the two teams. They fell behind by four runs early, then rallied to take the lead after three big innings. Alex Kirilloff hit a two-run home run, Jorge Polanco smashed a three-run... Continue Reading »

I don’t have the numbers at my fingertips to know whether the Twins are better with or without third baseman Josh Donaldson, but I do know they have certainly looked like a better team the past two days. Pitching and hitting were in sync to win 6-2 over the Kansas City Royals on Sunday, and... Continue Reading »

The Twins lost to the Cleveland Indians on Thursday, mustering all of six hits in the 4-1 loss at Target Field. After the 10-7 loss on Tuesday to the Reds, it amounted to two straight losses and a feeling that the Twins really aren’t ready for prime time. But they won 8-7 on Friday and... Continue Reading »

The Twins are a win away from tying their longest winning streak of the season at four games. How did they get here? A Game 3 win over the Seattle Mariners and two wins so far against the Texas Rangers in Arlington. They go for the sweep on Sunday. It’s refreshing to see another team’s... Continue Reading »

Is it any wonder the Twins are losing when so many of their players are hurt? Here’s the injured list: Caleb Thielbar, Max Kepler, Mitch Garver, Byron Buxton, Rob Refsnyder, Kenta Maeda, Luis Arraez and Devin Smeltzer. And when you have that many injured players you call up rookie prospects to fill those holes, and... Continue Reading »

The Twins remained winless in extra-inning games on Tuesday after the bullpen collapsed late to give the Texas Rangers the 6-3 win. The club beat the Rangers on Monday, 6-5, but both games were very similar. Here’s why: starting pitching did not go deep into the game, which meant manager Rocco Baldelli had to go... Continue Reading »