‘Looking at ourselves': Twins fall to .500 with fifth loss in a row

New York Times

4 hours ago

CINCINNATI — In the aftermath of its 13-game winning streak ending in mid-May, Rocco Baldelli described his team's play as pristine. The Minnesota Twins manager noted the two weeks that comprised a streak that ended May 18 as one of the best stretches he's experienced in 26 seasons in pro baseball.
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A month later, the Twins are experiencing the flip side of the coin.
Whereas they couldn't be stopped in May, making all the correct defensive plays, executing big pitches or delivering hits in the clutch, now precision eludes the Twins on a nightly basis.
Tuesday night, Twins pitchers walked too many hitters. A passed ball proved costly. And twice, the Twins couldn't escape the long inning, surrendering the lead in both instances.
All of their mistakes resulted in a 6-5 loss to the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ballpark, the Twins' fifth consecutive defeat and one that drops them to .500. The defeat also marked the seventh consecutive loss in a game decided by one run for the Twins, who June 4 were a season-best seven games over .500.
'It's a very winnable game for us, and we know it,' Baldelli said. 'Probably a few things we could have done during the game to help ourselves and help our cause. Truthfully, it's a game where we can focus more looking at ourselves and the fundamentals of the game.'
Twice in the late innings, the Twins were in position to come back and steal an improbable victory, only to fail. Pinch runner DaShawn Keirsey Jr. was thrown out stealing second base in the eighth inning as part of a strike-'em-out-throw-'em-out double play. Then, Christian Vázquez struck out to strand the tying and go-ahead runs in the ninth.
QB1 for a reason@Tyler_Step22 pic.twitter.com/JV29gA4nD1
— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) June 18, 2025
But Tuesday's game was lost in the sixth inning. And the fourth.
With the Twins ahead by a run in the sixth inning after a gifted four-spot in the top half, Baldelli turned to stalwart reliever Brock Stewart to protect the lead. In his previous 15 outings, Stewart struck out 19 batters, walked only two and yielded a lone run and six hits.
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Stewart was well on his way to a clean inning Tuesday, too.
Then he yielded three consecutive two-out hits, the last a two-run double by TJ Friedl, to put the Reds back in front by a run. Before he exited, Stewart walked two more batters and needed a bases-loaded escape from Justin Topa to keep the Twins within a run.
Two innings earlier, starter David Festa languished through a similarly long inning. After he allowed no hits through three innings, Festa's evening unraveled in a span of 40 pitches in the fourth.
He started the inning by sandwiching two walks around Elly De La Cruz reaching on a fielder's choice and stealing second base.
Cognizant of the speed of De La Cruz, Festa closely watched the runner, and the inning dragged. Reds hitters took advantage by working deep counts, and it eventually caught up to Festa.
Will Benson, who earlier was robbed of a homer by Byron Buxton, doubled on a full-count pitch with two outs to bring in two runs and give Cincinnati a 2-1 lead.
Festa worked quickly to Spencer Steer, but catcher Ryan Jeffers dropped strike three, and the passed ball haunted the Twins almost immediately. Steer stole second base, and Jake Fraley followed with a two-run single to make it a 4-1 game.
'The thing I can maybe take out of that is that I walked two guys,' Festa said. 'I can't put the leadoff guy on. I can't lose (Tyler) Stephenson there. Almost got out of the inning. … That type of stuff, it's totally self-inflicted, and that's what bothers me the most.'
The Twins were still in the contest after a pair of Reds fielding gaffes led to a four-run rally in the sixth inning, including Harrison Bader's home run off Fraley's glove in right.
One swing for the lead 😤 pic.twitter.com/kO9gQZJcOP
— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) June 18, 2025
But even so, the Twins haven't played the same the past month. Rather than finding solutions in big moments, they're discovering ways to come up short.
Three of their seven consecutive one-run losses occurred in extras as the Twins couldn't force across a key run to pressure their opponents. Three have been the results of walk-offs as a previously unflappable bullpen is struggling, particularly the past two weeks, with the offense unable to put games away early.
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And then there was Tuesday's ugh-fest, one which included eight walks, the passed ball, the late caught stealing and only four at-bats with runners in scoring position after a weekend sweep in Houston when the team went hitless in 15 at-bats with runners in scoring position.
Undoubtedly, the Twins are feeling the pressure of the weight of injuries to Pablo López, Zebby Matthews and Royce Lewis. Yet even with those absences, the Twins continue to find themselves on the cusp of victory only to fritter it away.
'When you're going good, you never feel like you're out of a game,' Jeffers said. 'You could be down two runs in the eighth and feel like you can always come back. I think you have to keep your head down and continue to try not to do too much to force a win. Once you start doing that, then you start playing hero ball and start trying to do it yourself. … There is a lot that goes into winning 13 in a row, and it's not a single solo effort most times. I think finding a way to have that collective one through nine, and just trust we can be down and we can still win ballgames.'
Jeffers wore a wrap after exiting Tuesday's game with a right-hand contusion but said he expects to play Wednesday. The catcher was pinch hit for in the fifth inning and underwent X-rays, which were negative after his throwing hand was hit by a fouled-off pitch in the bottom of the fourth inning.
'It swelled up pretty bad,' Jeffers said. 'But no break. Grip strength is fine, so we should be good to go (Wednesday) in whatever capacity Rocco wants me in.'
(Photo of David Festa: Jason Mowry / Getty Images)