Latest news with #MinnesotaTwins'
Time of India
4 days ago
- Sport
- Time of India
What Carlos Correa's 10th-inning homer meant for Minnesota Twins' stunning win over Seattle Mariners
What Carlos Correa's 10th-inning homer meant for Minnesota Twins' stunning win over Seattle Mariners (Image Source: Getty Images) Carlos Correa was the hero for the Twins, hitting a crucial two-run home run in the tenth inning that turned the game into an impressive 12-6 comeback victory over the Seattle Mariners on Friday. The clutch hit from the Minnesota Twins' All-Star shortstop not only saved the game but also proved their determination, which has guided them all season. It was Carlos Correa's heroics that gave the Minnesota Twins the win, after they rallied in the final frame to score 6 runs and take the lead from the previously comfortable Seattle Mariners. Carlos Correa's clutch performance shifts momentum for Minnesota Twins Things became clear when Carlos Correa was up against Seattle Mariners pitcher Casey Legumina with people on base. The veteran player swung quickly and hit the first-pitch sinker over the left-field fence to give his team the lead. Correa now has seven home runs for the season, and three of them have come when runners are on base. View this post on Instagram A post shared by ColorsTV (@colorstv) In the tenth, Willi Castro hit a two-run homer off Andres Munoz, which ended the Seattle Mariners closer's perfect earned run streak he had in 2025. After that, Trevor Larnach had an RBI single to tie the game and set the stage for Carlos Correa's win. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Switch to UnionBank Rewards Card UnionBank Credit Card Apply Now Undo Buxton was activated from the concussion list only to steal second and be in place to cross home plate after Larnach's important hit. Seattle Mariners' Cal Raleigh makes history despite team's defeat Even though the Mariners lost, catcher Cal Raleigh made history with a strong personal performance. The power-hitting catcher hit two home runs, one of which was a two-run shot and the other a three-run shot. By doing this, Raleigh became the very first Major League Baseball catcher to hit 20 home runs before June 1st, joining the group of Alex Rodriguez and Ken Griffey Jr. from the Seattle Mariners. For the Seattle Mariners, losing the game was particularly tough since they had a three-run lead going into the late innings. Manager Scott Servais is likely to consider why he used closer Andres Munoz in a situation that wasn't a save, since the move led to the reliever failing for the first time in his career. Fans can watch the next chapter of this series on Saturday night when the Minnesota Twins play the Seattle Mariners; Bailey Ober will pitch for Minnesota against Bryce Miller, who has returned from injury. Also Read: Los Angeles Dodgers vs New York Yankees: Predicted lineup, how to watch, start time, and more This victory continues the Minnesota Twins' impressive road form and positions them favorably in the competitive American League Central division race, while the Seattle Mariners will look to bounce back from this crushing defeat in their pursuit of October baseball.
New York Times
6 days ago
- General
- New York Times
Royce Lewis' prolonged struggles have left a huge hole in the middle of Twins' lineup
Fairly or not, Royce Lewis became one of the faces of the Minnesota Twins' stretch-run collapse last season, falling into his first extended slump as the team finished in a six-week funk to vanish from the playoff picture. In mid-August, the Twins had a 70-53 record, with postseason odds well above 90 percent, and Lewis was doing his usual thing, batting .275 with 15 homers and a .970 OPS in 45 games between injured list stints. They looked like a playoff team and he looked like an oft-injured 25-year-old star. Advertisement But the Twins went 12-27 down the stretch, and Lewis hit .182 with one homer and a .474 OPS despite being healthy enough to play 37 of those final 39 games. For the first time in his career, there were questions about Lewis' on-field production rather than strictly his ability to stay on the field. Lewis began to answer those questions during spring training by reporting to camp healthy and hitting .346 in 12 games, only to suffer a moderate left hamstring strain about two weeks before Opening Day. He missed the rest of spring training and the first 35 games of the season, returning on May 6. Royce Lewis pulled up running to first base and exited the game with what looks like a leg injury. — Aaron Gleeman (@AaronGleeman) March 16, 2025 And unfortunately for the Twins, Lewis has picked up where he left off in the second half of last season, batting .138 with one homer and a .415 OPS in 19 games. He's currently in a 0-for-24 slump, and that's come three weeks after ending an 0-for-36 slump that stretched back to last September. 'I'm at a point where the hope is gone,' Lewis told reporters Wednesday in Florida after multiple hard-hit outs against the Tampa Bay Rays. 'I just do my job as best as I can. If I keep hitting the ball hard, they say it's going to find a hole, but I haven't seen it yet.' Because of Lewis' many injuries — including back-to-back season-ending torn right ACLs in 2021 and 2022, and IL stints for his quadriceps, adductor, oblique and both hamstrings since then — Wednesday was the 171st game of his big-league career spread across parts of four seasons with the Twins. Lewis' career numbers are still very good. He's hit .254 with 34 homers for a .781 OPS that's 15 percent better than league average. But separating his overall production into before and after the middle of last August shows a shocking drop-off in performance for a 25-year-old. Advertisement Lewis hit .297 with 32 homers and a .950 OPS in 110 career games through Aug. 12 of last season. Lewis has hit .175 with two homers and a .470 OPS in 61 games since then. JACKSON CHOURIO BRINGS IT BACK 🤯 — MLB (@MLB) May 18, 2025 His hideous .138 batting average this season does include notably bad luck. Lewis was robbed of a homer in Milwaukee last week, and he's had several other well-struck balls find gloves for outs. However, even his .225 expected batting average is discouraging. Of late, he's been tinkering with his stance. 'Feels like a Wiffle ball game right now truly,' Lewis said, 'because you know how the Wiffle ball stays up? That's what my ball feels like. I'm hitting it. It feels good and it's just staying up a little bit. Hopefully, I can produce for the team soon.' Almost every time Lewis has a good game, or even a good swing that turns into a bad-luck out, manager Rocco Baldelli will express optimism that he's turning things around and about to get into a prolonged groove. Lewis and various teammates will often do the same. It's understandable. Lewis was so great in his first 110 games and created such a reputation for coming back from injury adversity to make an immediate impact at the plate that his returning to that star form probably seems inevitable to anyone in the Twins' clubhouse. They've seen what he can do. But in the meantime, Lewis has been one of the worst hitters in baseball for 61 games spanning two seasons, and it's difficult to make a compelling case that he's trending in the right direction. If anything, a deeper look at Lewis' underlying metrics and batted-ball data reveals cause for further concern. When a previously productive hitter goes through an extended slump, it can often be traced to an increase in strikeouts, but that's not the case for Lewis. In fact, his strikeout rate has been remarkably stable — 21.4 percent in his first 110 games versus 21.2 percent in his past 61 games. Advertisement Lewis has made the same amount of contact, but the quality of that contact has deteriorated, leading to his batting average on balls in play plummeting from .315 to .218. Similarly, his isolated power — slugging percentage minus batting average — has nosedived from a stout .292 to a punchless .070. royce lewis is now 0-for-20 in his last 21 plate appearances looks like he's trying to change things up with an upright open stance — parker hageman (@HagemanParker) May 28, 2025 Lewis stopped hitting the ball as hard, basically. His average exit velocity has declined by almost 3 mph, from 89.6 to 86.9, and his hard-hit rate has fallen from 42 percent to 33 percent. Lewis has also sapped his power by pulling fewer balls in play (39 percent versus 47 percent) and hitting more on the ground (38 percent versus 34 percent). And though his strikeouts haven't risen, he's been swinging at worse pitches, which naturally leads to worse contact. Lewis' swing rate on pitches in the strike zone has remained stable, hovering around 70 percent, but his swing rate on out-of-zone pitches has jumped from 28 percent to 34 percent. Lewis has simply become a far less dangerous hitter, which isn't supposed to happen to a 25-year-old with great production through 110 career games. He's swinging at worse pitches and making worse contact, both in terms of how hard he's hitting the ball and where he's hitting the ball. Opposing pitchers have predictably taken notice and are attacking Lewis like a less dangerous hitter, throwing him more pitches in the strike zone (52.1 percent versus 49.9 percent) and more fastballs (55.4 percent versus 51.6 percent). They're no longer as scared of him, so they go right after him. Whether it's as straightforward as his swing mechanics being out of whack due to the constant starts and stops, or as complex as years of leg and core injuries taking a lasting physical toll, Lewis hasn't hit like himself in a long time. And a struggling Twins lineup desperately needs the old Royce back.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
New Twins OF Carson McCusker accidentally launches bat into left field during rainy matchup with Guardians
The rain got the best of Carson McCusker on Monday night. McCusker stepped up to the plate in the second inning of the Minnesota Twins' matchup with the Cleveland Guardians as decent rain was falling at Target Field in Minneapolis. But when the right fielder went to swing at a pitch, well, McCusker completely lost control of the bat. It wasn't just a little bit, either. McCusker sent his bat absolutely flying. The bat made it all the way into left field, where it calmly came to rest as everyone slowly realized what had happened. As Guardians players went to retrieve it, McCusker and the home plate umpire just stood there laughing. Carson McCusker nearly hit a home run with the bat… literally.#MNTwins — Talkin' Twins (@TalkinTwins) May 20, 2025 Whoops. To make the situation even better, McCusker had just been called up to the Twins from their Triple-A affiliate on Saturday. Monday was just his second game in the big leagues. But, to McCusker's credit, that very likely would've been a single had he actually made contact with the ball instead of trying to cut corners with his bat. Eventually, McCusker struck out looking. The game was tied 1-1 at the time, but Willi Castro hit an RBI double later in the inning to put the Twins up by a run. By the end of the third inning, however, officials decided they had had enough and sent the game into a rain delay. The game was called off for the day and will resume on Tuesday at 5:10 p.m. CT, with Game 2 of the series to follow. The Twins entered Monday's contest with a 26-21 record. They have won 13 of their last 14, too, after their impressive win streak came to an end on Sunday when the Milwaukee Brewers beat them, 5-2. The Guardians, on the other hand, came into Monday's game on a four-game losing skid. While McCusker is hoping to get the hang of things with his new club, Monday's bat incident was an incredible way for him to kick off his time with the Twins.
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Twins' 13-game win streak ends as Jackson Chourio's big catch preserves 5-2 victory for Brewers
Minnesota Twins' Ty France is hit by a pitch during the first inning of a baseball game against the Milwaukee Brewers, Sunday, May 18, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps) Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Freddy Peralta throws to the Minnesota Twins during the first inning of a baseball game, Sunday, May 18, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps) Milwaukee Brewers' Isaac Collins watches his two-RBI single against the Minnesota Twins during the third inning of a baseball game, Sunday, May 18, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps) Milwaukee Brewers' Sal Frelick reacts after his RBI single against the Minnesota Twins during the third inning of a baseball game, Sunday, May 18, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps) Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Jackson Chourio (11) catches a ball hit by Minnesota Twins' Royce Lewis during the eighth inning of a baseball game, Sunday, May 18, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps) Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Jackson Chourio (11) catches a ball hit by Minnesota Twins' Royce Lewis during the eighth inning of a baseball game, Sunday, May 18, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps) Minnesota Twins' Ty France is hit by a pitch during the first inning of a baseball game against the Milwaukee Brewers, Sunday, May 18, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps) Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Freddy Peralta throws to the Minnesota Twins during the first inning of a baseball game, Sunday, May 18, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps) Milwaukee Brewers' Isaac Collins watches his two-RBI single against the Minnesota Twins during the third inning of a baseball game, Sunday, May 18, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps) Milwaukee Brewers' Sal Frelick reacts after his RBI single against the Minnesota Twins during the third inning of a baseball game, Sunday, May 18, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps) Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Jackson Chourio (11) catches a ball hit by Minnesota Twins' Royce Lewis during the eighth inning of a baseball game, Sunday, May 18, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps) MILWAUKEE (AP) — Jackson Chourio robbed Royce Lewis of a potential tying homer in the eighth inning, and the Milwaukee Brewers ended the Minnesota Twins' 13-game winning streak with a 5-2 victory on Sunday. Isaac Collins and Sal Frelick each drove in two runs to help the Brewers end the second-longest win streak in Twins history. The Twins won 15 straight in 1991, a season that ended with a World Series title. Advertisement Minnesota trailed 4-2 when Lewis, who already had hit his first homer of the season in the fourth inning, sent a long drive to left-center against Nick Mears with a runner on second. Chourio timed his jump perfectly and reached his gloved hand over the wall to make the catch. Rhys Hoskins had a sacrifice fly in the bottom half, and Trevor Megill worked the ninth for his sixth save. Frelick singled home Christian Yelich in the second. That snapped Minnesota's string of 34 straight shutout innings, a Twins record. Milwaukee extended the lead to 4-0 in the third. Collins hit a bases-loaded, two-out single and Frelick added an RBI single. Advertisement Twins starter Zebby Matthews (0-1) came up from the minors and gave up four runs and five hits in three innings. Milwaukee's Freddy Peralta (5-3) allowed one run over five innings. Key moment After cutting Milwaukee's lead to 4-1 in the fourth, the Twins loaded the bases with two outs. Peralta ended the threat by retiring Ryan Jeffers on a fly to right. Key stat The Brewers have never gone scoreless in a three-game series, though they've been shut out in the first two games of each of their last two. They won 9-5 at Cleveland after falling 5-0 and 2-0 Up next The Twins start a three-game home series against Cleveland. Monday's scheduled starters are Twins right-hander Bailey Ober (4-1, 3.72 ERA) and Guardians lefty Logan Allen (2-2, 3.70). Advertisement The Brewers begin a three-game home series against Baltimore. Monday's pitchers are Brewers right-hander Quinn Priester (1-2, 4.59) and Orioles right-hander Dean Kremer (3-5, 5.36). ___ AP MLB:
New York Times
14-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Three under-the-radar Twins prospects off to stock-raising starts, led by ‘McCrusher'
Six weeks into the minor-league season seems like a good time to highlight some notable early performances in the Minnesota Twins' farm system. With a focus on Twins prospects who weren't included in my preseason top-10 list, here are three less-heralded hitters off to stock-raising starts, including a Triple-A slugger putting up big numbers in St. Paul, a Double-A line-drive machine and a High-A speedster showing why he was a first-round pick. Advertisement Current assignment: Triple-A St. Paul Twins preseason prospect ranking: 38th It's easy to see why the Twins might be skeptical about McCusker. First and foremost, they signed him out of an independent league in mid-2023, after he went undrafted out of college, so he was not expected to become a legit prospect. Sometimes initial expectations are tough to shake. Beyond that, McCusker turns 27 next week, which is elderly for a prospect, and he's a high-strikeout hitter whose massive 6-foot-8 frame creates swing holes for pitchers to exploit. There are valid reasons to be dubious about his chances of becoming a long-term MLB regular, let alone a star. It's unlikely. But as McCusker destroys Triple-A pitching, it's becoming harder to justify not giving him a chance to prove he at least belongs in the big leagues. And for a Twins lineup that has struggled against left-handed pitching, his right-handed power could get his foot in the door in a platoon role. McCusker has hit .333/.400/.658 with 10 homers in 33 games for Triple-A St. Paul, out-producing the International League average by 328 points of OPS. He's crushed lefties (1.066 OPS) and righties (1.055 OPS), with eye-popping batted-ball data to match and potent opposite-field power. Among every Triple-A hitter to see at least 500 pitches tracked via Statcast this season, McCusker ranks in the top three for average exit velocity, hard-hit rate and expected slugging percentage. He's responsible for the Saints' three hardest-hit balls of the season and eight of their top 17. McCrusher. 6'8, 250. This one is the 5th hardest hit ball in franchise history at an even 115.0 mph. An absolute missile by @carson_mccusker a.k.a. McCrusher clubs his 10th homer of the season. This solo shot makes it 2-0. His 10 HR's are tied for the most in the Minors — St. Paul Saints (@StPaulSaints) May 11, 2025 McCusker has also struck out in 39 of 131 plate appearances, a high but not necessarily red-flag-raising 29.7 percent rate. Matt Wallner (29.0), Brent Rooker (30.0) and Trevor Larnach (28.6) had similar Triple-A strikeout rates for the Saints. It comes with the power-hitting territory. Since joining the organization two years ago, McCusker has hit .286 with 43 homers and an .881 OPS in 202 games. During that period, the Twins' only minor leaguers with a higher OPS over at least 500 plate appearances are Wallner (.908), Luke Keaschall (.886) and Emmanuel Rodriguez (.885). Advertisement If the Twins' lineup continues to be the weakest aspect of the team, leaving a hulking right-handed slugger in the minors would be every bit as much of an active decision as calling him up would be. McCusker has done enough to warrant an opportunity, and his skills could help fill a useful, needed role. Current assignment: Double-A Wichita Twins preseason prospect ranking: 16th Olivar's consistently strong low-minors production led me to rank him as the No. 16 prospect in the Twins' farm system going into 2024 and 2025, deeming him underrated each time. Now that he's doing it against Double-A pitchers, perhaps the 23-year-old can shed the underrated label soon. Olivar has avoided lots of hype because he signed for just $20,000 out of Venezuela in 2019 as an unheralded international prospect and lacks big-time power potential, which can be difficult to evaluate for a bat-first player without an obvious long-term home defensively. But at some point, the bat does enough talking, and Olivar is proving his low-minors success was no fluke by hitting .324/.386/.480 in 25 games at Double-A Wichita. He's shown some pop with four homers and has just 16 strikeouts in 114 plate appearances, one of the farm system's lowest rates. Olivar has always controlled the strike zone well, drawing plenty of walks and keeping his strikeouts in check while batting .290 with a .395 on-base percentage over five seasons. He struggled following a late Double-A promotion last year but looks comfortable there now. Olly, The Tie Swatter! Ricardo Olivar ties the game on a two-run double into the left field corner. B9SPR 6, WCH 6 — Wichita Wind Surge (@WindSurgeICT) April 23, 2025 Figuring out where Olivar fits defensively could be tricky. He's worked hard to become somewhat serviceable at catcher, but likely lacks the arm strength and overall tools to stick there. He also plays left field, but is merely passable there. And his 5-foot-10 frame isn't ideal at first base. Olivar's uncertain defensive future is part of the reason he was left unprotected from the Rule 5 draft and went unpicked in December, but he has the offensive ability to hit his way into the Twins' plans … somewhere. Unlocking at least 10-15 homers from his contact-oriented right-handed swing will be key. Advertisement I'm higher than most on Olivar's potential to become a quality regular, but even if that doesn't pan out, he should be able to carve out a niche as a line-driving-hitting platoon corner outfielder/first baseman/third catcher. And his bat carrying him to the majors is looking more and more plausible. Current assignment: High-A Cedar Rapids Twins preseason prospect ranking: 15th DeBarge had a mediocre 26-game pro debut last season after being drafted by the Twins with the supplemental first-round pick they received for losing Sonny Gray in free agency, casting some doubt on the flukiness of his 2024 college breakout at Louisiana Lafayette. Previously known as a speedy contact hitter, DeBarge smacked 21 homers in 62 college games last season and did so with just 30 strikeouts, boosting his draft stock dramatically. But then he batted just .235/.322/.343 with one homer and 28 strikeouts in 115 plate appearances at Low-A Fort Myers. Pushed aggressively to High-A Cedar Rapids to start this season, DeBarge has looked much more like the 2024 college star, hitting .282/.416/.473 with four homers and more walks (25) than strikeouts (21) in 28 games. He's also running wild, going 17-for-17 stealing bases. KYLE DEBARGE GAME.#CRKernels | #CRWIS — Cedar Rapids Kernels (@CRKernels) April 23, 2025 There aren't many 5-foot-9 sluggers, so DeBarge's power potential will be in question until proven otherwise, but he's shown an encouraging all-around skill set in his first full season, out-producing the Midwest League average by 194 points of OPS as a 21-year-old who rarely whiffs. DeBarge was a full-time college shortstop, but he's seen most of his action this season at second base, along with some shortstop, center field and left field reps. He profiles as an above-average defensive second baseman and has just enough shortstop chops to possibly bounce around in a utility role. Advertisement DeBarge's strike-zone control and speed are standout skills, but the power development could determine if he's an impact regular or more of a quality role player. He's expected back in the lineup this week after a recent hit-by-pitch to the hand and should move quickly through the Twins' system. (Photo of Carson McCusker: Nick Cammett / Diamond Images via Getty Images)
