Twins Takeaways: Connor Prielipp’s Rough Fifth Sinks Twins in Loss to Padres

Minnesota’s offense offered little support as Prielipp unraveled late in a 6-2 loss to open the series in San Diego.

Aug 21, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Connor Prielipp (61) throws a pitch during the sixth inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: David Frerker-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Minnesota Twins lost the series opener to the San Diego Padres 6-2 to fall to 63-66 on the season. The Padres' offense did not get much going in the game, and starter Connor Prielipp struggled through his six innings of work.

Connor Prielipp’s Outing

Aug 21, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Connor Prielipp (61) throws a pitch during the first inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: David Frerker-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Prielipp had another rocky outing tonight against the Padres. It was almost a solid effort with the game tied at two going into the bottom of the fifth inning with the only scoring coming on a home run off the bat of former Twin Ty France. Prielipp proceeded to concede four runs in the fifth inning on four singles, a walk, and a sac fly. Prielipp was left in the game to complete six innings. His season ERA in the outing rose to 5.57.

“I think it came down to the walk of Crownenworth.” Twins' manager Derek Sheltion said postgame to Twins.tv what went wrong with Prielipp’s outing in the fifth."...He had a swinging bunt that he gave up to Hayes, got the next half, and then four pitch walk, and then we got back to the top, and just watching from the side, we just left balls in the middle plate, base hit to right, base hit to left, and you know, just singles, and they run the bases really well, but he just got too much in the ball to play.”

Prielipp was able to pitch the sixth inning, retiring the side in order, which Shelton called "really important" given the fact that this is the start of a six-game road trip and the excessive use of the bullpen on the homestand.

Twins Offense Sputtered against Padres Pitching

Aug 21, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; Minnesota Twins second baseman Kody Clemens (2) celebrates after hitting a two-run tripple during the fourth inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: David Frerker-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It took until the fourth inning for the Twins to record a baserunner against Padres starter Randy Vásquez. The offense tied the game up on an RBI triple off the bat of Kody Clemens, who continues to heat up. Outside of that, the Twins never put together another substantial rally in the game.

Kody Clemens with a two-run triple to tie the game at two. pic.twitter.com/imaUupHFt4

— Matthew Nethercott (@MattNethercott_) August 22, 2026

To be frank, Vásquez is not a great pitcher, and he shut down the Twins all night. The Padres have been the hottest team in the second half and are seemingly destined for October. These are the kinds of teams the Twins will be playing if they qualify for the postseason, so it’s not an encouraging sign that the offense was shut down in the manner it was.

“He [Vásquez] mixes and matches,” Shelton said postgame. “He keeps the ball off the barrel, and he gets a lot of pop-ups, and that's exactly what happened today. And you know, because of that, we didn't get much going offensively. So I think you got to give him credit because he kept us off the barrel”

The dominance over the Twins lineup from Padres pitching did not stop with Vásquez, as their offense also struggled against the Padres bullpen, including closer Mason Miller, like the rest of the league. 

The Twins managed to record baserunners in just one inning in the game.

Questionable Managing

Aug 21, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; Minnesota Twins manager Derek Shelton (8) watches play during the eighth inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: David Frerker-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Shelton made one big questionable managing decision that could have cost them the game—leaving Prielipp in the game too long. There have been long-term concerns with the number of innings Prielipp has thrown this season. It felt like when San Diego went up 4-2 in the fifth inning with only one out, it would have been a good time to pull the plug on Prielipp’s outing and try to keep the game closer.

If the Twins make the playoffs, they can’t afford to be short on starters due to workload concerns, and it seems like tonight’s outing and the way it was going would have been the perfect candidate to cut short and save some innings for when it matters.

“It's [Prielipp’s workload] something that we are closely monitoring, as we've talked about.” Shelton said of Prielipp’s workload concern postgame. “I can't say that it is or is not a factor, but he is in a little bit of uncharted territory, and it's just something we're going to have to be aware of as we move forward.”

What’s Next?

The Twins will continue their three-game set against the Padres, looking to bounce back Saturday. In the second game, the Twins will send out RHP Dean Kremer, who is 2-4 with a 5.40 ERA and 53 strikeouts this season. For the Padres it will be RHP Casey Mize, who is 5-7 with a 3.18 ERA and 95 strikeouts. First pitch will be at 8:40 PM CT on TwinsTV.