The Minnesota Twins have had an up-and-down 2025 season so far. After a 13-20 start, they reeled off a 13-game win streak in May, elevating themselves into a playoff spot and looking like a team on the move. With their 9-8 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday, their record stands at 37-40 after losing 13 of their past 16 to knock them out of a projected playoff berth. And it has been a free fall of epic proportions.
Their pitching staff, which has looked sharp, has fallen apart after injuries to Pablo Lopez and Zebby Matthews. The one-man show of Byron Buxton is holding together their hitting, which has struggled all season. And just as alarming, their defense over the past few games has resembled the Keystone Kops, with bobbled ground balls and missed fly balls. Is there any hope for manager Rocco Baldelli and the downward-sliding Minnesota Twins?
Twins’ Paltry Offensive Production
The Twins offense has been disappointing all season. As a team, they rank 19th in runs scored and on-base percentage (OBP), 17th in RBI, 21st in batting average, and 16th in slugging percentage. Even more telling stats are their 20th rank with runners in scoring position, 22nd when the game is close or in a later inning, and 18th when the count is 3-0. Individual statistics show similar trends. No one is more emblematic of these struggles than superstar Carlos Correa, who ranks seventh on the team in runs driven and 11th in OBP and slugging percentage.
The sad truth is that Correa left his best baseball behind him in Houston. Due to injuries and slow starts, he has fallen from the ranks of the top shortstops in the league. Trevor Larnach, who had such a promising start, is batting .240 with three RBI in the last two weeks. Matt Wallner has found the going tough since coming off the injured list, as he sports a .140 average and only three runs driven in since his return.
And unfortunately, the clock has struck midnight for journeyman Kody Clemens, who has only notched two hits in the past 15 days. Buxton has been the saving grace for the Twins as he has hit 17 home runs, driven in 47 runs, scored 46 times, and is a perfect 13-0 in stolen base attempts. Injuries to Wallner and Willi Castro, as well as multiple stints on the injured list for Royce Lewis, have not helped their cause.
Pitching Tanks
The Twins’ pitching, which has been the team’s strength all season, has fallen on hard times. Since Lopez and Matthews went on the injured list, the remainder of the staff has been getting shelled. In that period, the Minnesota pitchers have given up 128 runs (118 earned) in 147 innings. Reliable third starter Bailey Ober has been roughed up due to a loss of velocity on his fastball. David Festa and Simeon Woods Richardson have been hit hard in recent appearances. Even reliable Joe Ryan has found the going tough lately.
Once again, the Twins attempted to open the game with a reliever, but the results were uneven. Danny Coulombe started Sunday’s game against the Brewers, shutting down the first two batters, but surrendered a run on two hits before Milwaukee unloaded on Festa. And the bullpen has contributed to the downturn. An example of this was Friday night when the Brewers teed off on Minnesota relievers Justin Topa and Joey Wentz and infielder Jonah Bride for 14 runs over the last three innings.
In Closing
And what has to infuriate Baldelli most of all is the wretched play of some of his top defenders. Over the weekend, slick-fielding infielder Brooks Lee bobbled back to background balls. Correa misplayed two Texas League pop-ups. Jeffers air-mailed a throw into centerfield, trying to prevent a stolen base. And Gold Glove outfielder Harrison Bader misplayed a line drive hit right at him.
In the last few days, rumors have circulated that the Twins might be sellers at the trade deadline, with Ryan and closer Jhoan Duran most mentioned as possible trade candidates. For now, Baldelli has to find a way to halt Minnesota’s season from spinning out of control.
