First Pitch: 6:10 pm CDT
TV: Twins.TV
Radio: TIBN / WCCO 830 / The Wolf 102.9 FM / Audacy
KNOW THINE ENEMY: AZ Snake Pit
I may have taken a week off, but the curse continues! I still haven’t covered a Saturday victory since before the All-Star Break, which means that the Twins (in their infinite generosity) will send out Joe Ryan this evening to try to stop the bleeding. I have three chances left in this godforsaken 2025 season to write a recap which will include the phrase “no duds; Twins win” (and
would also likely include the postscript that Joe Pohlad and his family remain Duds Emeritus).
The Diamondbacks are on the outside looking into the ‘25 playoff picture, and Minnesota’s comeback victory last night did little to help. The D-Backs are also a sub-.500 team, but at 73-75, they are just three games back of the 76-win New York Mets for the final Wild Card, and while they have two additional teams between them — the San Francisco Giants and the Cincinnati Reds, both with winning records — their playoff chances are not remotely out of the question with over two weeks left in the season.
Game 148 for the Twins. Man, what a bummer this season of baseball has been. And yet again, it’s zipped on by — at least for me, and I assume for anyone else who is older this year than they were last year.
Joe Ryan will likely only make two starts after tonight, and they may be his final starts as a Twin. He’s due a chunky raise in arbitration, he’s sniffing free agency, he’s having a baby, and he’s getting married. With essentially his entire professional career ahead of him, and major life events on the immediate horizon, the timing seems ripe for a scenery change, especially if this winter brings a move to a coastal contender that could improve his chances of a big deal somewhere in the region of California.
I don’t see Joe extending with the Twins, and I don’t see the Twins offering him market value. Even if they ponied up the cash, my gut is that there are enough teams in more-favorable geographic locations that would find mutual interest with Ryan and his ever-sneaky fastball. So, as a doomed season winds to a close, it’s unfortunate that it also finds itself laden with the pall of “enjoy it while it lasts” for some of the team’s biggest contributors of the 2020s, a decade of baseball which is somehow already halfway through.
Tonight’s opponent for Joe and the Twins is right-hander Ryne Nelson, one of the more solid young starters for Arizona, and owner of an 0-2 career record against YOUR Minnesota Twins. He’ll try to give Arizona’s offense a little room to work, so that whatever happened to last night’s bullpen has less of a chance to, you know, happen again.
The lineup announcements these days are always fun little grab bags of intrigue, but today’s looks almost like a major-league lineup. The “A” infield is here, one of the offense’s shining beacons of hope if something clicks for these guys in 2026. The corner outfield is still in “tryout” mode, and Jhonny Pereda will get the catching done. (Make a mental note for the Sporcle quiz every time this guy is behind the dish.)
GO TWINS GO!
