Twins takeaways: Royce Lewis homers twice after meeting with Rocco Baldelli

New York Times

21-07-2025

DENVER — A few hours after he exited a one-on-one meeting with his manager, Royce Lewis looked an awful lot like Royce Lewis.
Other than the third baseman noting that encouragement was offered, neither Lewis nor Twins manager Rocco Baldelli divulged any details about their Sunday morning chat. But once the game began, Lewis' bat did all the talking and the Twins were left smiling.
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Lewis homered twice, both no-doubters, in support of a dominant Joe Ryan, and the Twins avoided a series sweep with a 7-1 victory over the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Not only did Lewis snap a five-plus-week homerless drought, he also had the first multi-homer regular-season game of his career.
If he can find a way to sustain it, Sunday's output could be a critical moment for both the Twins and Lewis, who has looked like a budding star in the past, including when he belted two home runs in a playoff victory over Toronto in October 2023, and again early in the summer of 2024.
'Since spring training, he's been encouraging me to keep working hard,' Lewis said of Baldelli. 'He says, 'You're too talented and as long as you get yourself some consistent playing time and at-bats, good things will come.' Just keep encouraging me to have fun and keep working hard like I have been on both sides of the ball. That's just another example today. … What we say pregame is always kept between us, but it was definitely encouraging thoughts.'
The meeting almost certainly surrounded comments Lewis made during a 15-minute media session prior to Saturday's game. The majority of commentary was focused on the player's dissatisfaction with his own performance and how when he recently reviewed video of his at-bats, Lewis couldn't recognize himself at the plate.
But after he was pinch hit for in a key spot late Friday and out of the lineup on Saturday, Lewis also suggested that he was sitting because of a 0-for-3 performance, and how the team was more concerned with good results instead of a good process.
'I've become more results-oriented because of how we run things here,' Lewis said. '(They're) quick to pull the trigger on you. … I'm trying to do my best to get some balls to fall and when that doesn't happen, you're just like SOL.'
Before Sunday's game, Twins bench coach Jayce Tingler sent Lewis to Baldelli's office, where they engaged in a lengthy chat. Though Lewis popped out in his first at-bat, he launched a 451-foot homer to dead center in the second, his first round-tripper since June 13.
Royce gave that ball a ride!!! pic.twitter.com/m3aaXCGVU2
— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) July 20, 2025
Two at-bats later, Lewis belted another solo shot, this one traveling 411 feet to left. Though it was only one game, the performance had to be encouraging for Baldelli and the Twins, who are beyond desperate to receive any semblance of above-average offensive output from Lewis and Carlos Correa, both of whom had subpar first-half showings.
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For the Twins to have any chance to reach the postseason, one of Correa or Lewis — or both — needs to find consistency at the plate. Lewis entered Sunday with a 61 weighted Runs Created plus, which ranked 295th out of 311 players with at least 150 plate appearances. Correa, who went 1-for-3 with two walks, giving him five free passes in the series, carried a 97 wRC+ into Sunday's game, tied for 182nd.
Following the game, Baldelli was clearly excited to see Lewis, who Saturday said 'That's not Royce — I want it to be Royce,' look more like himself.
'It was beautiful,' Baldelli said. 'He impacted the ball well. He stayed through the ball well. Watching the swings from the side and especially from the back side, which we don't always get a chance to see, he had his legs under him really good and he was whistling the bat. He hit those balls really well. … His swings were just great. He whacked it good, he felt good and I think you see the energy. He felt like himself in a lot of ways today. I don't think he could've looked much better.'
Lewis reiterated Sunday that he doesn't care how he looks as long as he gets results. But the smile on his face told the story; Lewis looked relieved.
He was in such a good mood, Lewis passed along jokes made by Christian Vázquez — who batted ninth with Lewis hitting eighth — and Tingler.
Royce had his first multi homer game of the season and met up with Audra postgame! pic.twitter.com/vQIW75Ba73
— Twins.TV (@twinstv) July 20, 2025
'Every time I hit in front of (Vázquez), I get good pitches to hit,' Lewis said. 'He's not wrong. … Jayce joked with me, 'I'm going to have to tell you to go see Rocco tomorrow, too.' We'll make it happen, I'm sure.'
Here are several other Twins takeaways from a rough weekend in Denver, which ended on an encouraging note.
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Making his first start since delivering a dominant inning in the All-Star Game on Tuesday, Ryan was outstanding in the series finale.
The first-time All-Star oozed confidence as he dominated the Rockies. Working with a lively fastball, Ryan generated 18 swings and misses during an 88-pitch outing. He struck out 11 and allowed a run and five hits in seven innings before turning it over to the bullpen.
Aside from a Mickey Moniak solo homer, Ryan was hardly touched in a park known for being overly generous to hitters. He worked quickly and efficiently, which allowed the Twins' offense to keep up the pressure.
But more than anything he gained from the All-Star Game, Ryan said it was lessons learned from his prior Coors Field experience in 2023 that paid bigger dividends. Ryan went into his Sept. 29, 2023, outing needing nine strikeouts for 200. He finished three shy after an outing in which he surrendered six runs and eight hits in five innings.
'We had already clinched the playoffs,' Ryan said. 'In my meeting before the game, I said, 'I don't care if I give up 12 runs, let's get 10 punches and get over 200.' I gave up like (six) runs and only got like six strikeouts. I was thinking, don't do that.'
Ryan loved his All-Star experience. Most of his time was spent talking to Texas pitcher Jacob deGrom. He also spent plenty of time with Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal, noting he hoped to learn 'Scoobs's' routine.
Byron Buxton was out of the lineup Sunday, but only because Baldelli wanted to give him a breather. After running all over a large outfield in Denver the previous two games, which was preceded by a long week in Atlanta for the All-Star Game, Baldelli thought Buxton would benefit from a rest.
Buxton flew to Atlanta last Sunday from Minneapolis and participated in Monday's Home Run Derby, lasting two rounds. He also got two at-bats in Tuesday's exhibition, doubling and scoring as part of the American League's game-tying, ninth-inning rally.
After the game, Buxton's family made the 3 1/2-hour trek to Baxley, Ga., arriving home at 4 a.m. The following day, Buxton presented new pink jerseys to his Under-11 baseball team. He flew from Georgia on Thursday and joined the Twins in Denver, homering in Friday's game and making an amazing catch in Saturday's contest.
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'After the last couple of days and the amount of running that he's done and everything he's been asked to do, plus obviously the week that he just had over the All-Star break, it's been a lot on him,' Baldelli said. 'He was going to get a day off likely this week at some point and we chose (Sunday).'
With Ryan Jeffers' wife due to give birth any day now, the Twins added Mickey Gasper to the team's taxi squad as a potential replacement. Though the couple isn't planning to induce labor until July 28, Jeffers is ready to fly home at a moment's notice.
'We're about to be on the other side of the country, the farthest flight we could be the whole year,' Jeffers said with a laugh. 'I'm sleeping terrible. I'm not really thinking about it, but I'm consciously waiting for something.'
(Top photo of Royce Lewis celebrating with DaShawn Keirsey Jr. after his eighth-inning home run on Sunday: Isaiah J. Downing / Imagn Images)