Twins Takeaways: Emmanuel Rodriguez Impresses, but Twins’ Collapse Continues

The Minnesota Twins lost the series to the New York Yankees, dropping the middle game 8-1. The offense was silenced by Max Fried and the Yankees' pitching staff once again, as the Twins' pitching staff couldn't hold the Yankees off the scoreboard.

With the loss, the Twins dropped to 70-81 for the season. They are a season-worst 11 games under .500. Recording a .500 record is becoming more and more of a challenge with each loss.

Bailey Ober Outing

Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Bailey Ober. Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The good: Bailey Ober pitched into the sixth inning and threw 101 pitches. That is the most pitches Ober has thrown since April 19 against the Reds. He pitched one out into the sixth inning and pitched himself out of a lot of traffic and multiple jams.

The bad: Two batters in, the Twins were down 2-0. Ben Rice wore Ober down in a long eight-pitch at-bat. The next batter, Cody Bellinger, crushed a two-run home run. Ober, as mentioned, allowed nine hits, two walks, and three runs and was able to work around a lot of trouble. New York was threatening seemingly all night, but Ober worked a solid outing. He still took the loss.

Bailey Ober (MIN) allowed nine hits and three earned runs in 5.1 innings pic.twitter.com/iqbslkxEuw
— Pitcher List Stats (@PitcherListPLV) September 16, 2026

Twins' Offense

Minnesota Twins center fielder Emmanuel Rodriguez. Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Twins' offense got silenced by Max Fried and Ryan Yarbrough in this one. The one run the Twins scored came with two outs in the second inning on an RBI single by Emmanuel Rodriguez, who continues to impress in his small sample size. Rodriguez had by far the best at-bats of anyone in the Minnesota lineup Tuesday, which is saying a lot considering he's played four games.

#Yankees 2, #MNTwins 1

Emmanuel Rodriguez continues to be productive as the Twins make the Yankees pay for their defense. pic.twitter.com/K72zs5lRfM
— Matthew Nethercott (@MattNethercott_) September 16, 2026

The Twins recorded a lot of infield hits in this one, putting pressure on the Yankees' defense, which is the reason they scored the first run. The issue is that the Twins couldn't drive more in and keep this a game. Take the seventh inning, when Kody Clemens led the inning off with a triple. He was stranded at third base. The Twins need to be better in those situations.

Shelton Ejected

Umpire John Tumpane & Minnesota Twins manager Derek Shelton. Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Tempers were high at Target Field in the eighth inning. With the Twins down 7-1, outfielder Emmanuel Rodriguez hit a deep fly ball down the right-field line. First-base umpire Edwin Jimenez initially called the ball fair. The umpires gathered first and overturned the call themselves before Shelton came out of the dugout. While Shelton was arguing, the play went to video review, and it quickly came back as a foul ball.

And here is the full ejection: https://t.co/pvuQBGtNNG pic.twitter.com/oUML4KbjaF
— Matthew Nethercott (@MattNethercott_) September 16, 2026

Shelton was fired up, and it might have been less about the play. It might have been more about the Twins falling apart in the race and things spiraling. Occasionally a manager gets ejected for argument's sake, and this feels like that kind of situation.

What’s Next?

The Twins will look to salvage the series against the Yankees in a day game before going on a West Coast road trip. For the Twins, it will be RHP Zebby Matthews getting the start. This season, Matthews is 9-10 with a 4.98 ERA. For the Yankees, it will be LHP Carlos Rodón, who is 6-3 with a 2.94 ERA. First pitch on Wednesday will be at 12:40 P.M. CT on TwinsTV.

Add us as a preferred source on Google