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Twins Takeaways: Minnesota's Biggest Problem Strikes Again in Crushing Loss to Yankees

Minnesota's bullpen squandered a late lead as Aaron Judge and the Yankees exploded in the eighth inning to clinch a postseason berth.
Matthew Nethercott|
Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Dean Kremer. Credit: Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images
Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Dean Kremer. Credit: Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

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Minnesota TwinsNew York Yankees

The Minnesota Twins lost the series opener against the Yankees by a score of 8-3. With the win for New York, they will be popping champagne in the Twins clubhouse as they clinch a postseason spot. How fitting based on the recent history between these two teams. On the season, the Twins fell to 70-80.

Dean Kremer pitched about as well as he has in weeks after the trade, which was encouraging to see. The Twins' offense took advantage of three Yankees errors on the night, but the bullpens' failures told the true story.

Dean Kremer's Outing

Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images
Minnesota Twins manager Derek Shelton (8) and pitcher Dean Kremer. Credit: Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Dean Kremer has been struggling as of late. He did not carry those struggles into his start against the Yankees. He shut down the Yankees offense over 5 2/3 innings of work, giving up just two hits, one run, and one walk, and struck out five. The one run came off a solo home run off the bat of Yankees shortstop Jose Caballero.

Kremer's stuff on the day was average to below average. The good news is he faced a Yankees lineup that gave him a ton of quick and easy outs, with Aaron Judge not at 100% in terms of his swing, until late in the game.

Today should serve as a good starting point for Kremer to finish the season on a high note. The Yankees are a good team and do have some names in their lineup, and he shut them down. If the can continue that down the stretch, it could be to his benefit going into 2027.

Twins' Offense

Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images
Minnesota Twins third baseman Brooks Lee. Credit: Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Twins' offense was shut down by Will Warren. They had chances to break through after some walks and hits, but prior to the sixth inning, they could not. Then, the Yankees gave the Twins two golden opportunities to come through with a big hit with some questionable infield defense. That is just what they did.

Emmanuel Rodriguez has impressed in the short sample he's had at the MLB level and came through in a big spot. With some help from the Yankees' outfield defense, Rodriguez lined an RBI triple into the gap that Spencer Jones had some trouble with, allowing Josh Bell to score all the way from first base.

The Twins would go on to score one more run, a solo home run off the bat of Bell in the eighth inning. Credit can be given to the Twins' offense for putting traffic on base in the eighth and ninth innings, just daring the Yankees to go deeper into their bullpen, but they did not and it worked.

A Bullpen Collapse

Minnesota Twins pitcher Andrew Morris.
Minnesota Twins pitcher Andrew Morris. Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Twins held a 2-1 lead in the top of the eighth inning against the Yankees when Derek Shelton called on Andrew Morris to bridge the gap to either AJ Minter or Yoandrys Gomez in the ninth inning.

Morris recorded one out and surrendered three runs after giving up a leadoff double and an infield single before an RBI single up the middle by Caballero. Shelton then called upon AJ Minter to get out of the mess and keep the game tied. He could not. After a double steal by the Yankees, Minter allowed a soft two-run single to Ben Rice, an infield single to Cody Bellinger, and a back-breaking three-run home run off the bat of Judge, his first since returning from the IL. Minter was then pulled.

Tommy Nance came on, and the only damage was a solo home run off the bat of Austin Wells in the ninth. That was another factor in New York's decision to not go deeper into their bullpen because they got insurance.

The Twins a few weeks ago were seriously in the conversation to see October baseball. Their bullpen is as big a reason as any that they've fallen almost completely out of the race. They took a late lead against a good team and lit it on fire.

What’s Next?

The Twins will look to avoid their fourth straight series loss on Tuesday against the Yankees. For the Twins, it will be RHP Bailey Ober who is 7-5 with a 4.28 on the season. For the Twins, it will be LHP Max Fried, who is 4-4 with a 2.73 ERA on the season. First pitch Tuesday will be at 6:40 P.M. CT on TwinsTV.

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Matthew Nethercott
MATTHEW NETHERCOTT

Matthew is a writer covering the Twins for On SI. He has experience covering rumors and transactions, as well as editing, for Last Word on Sports, as well as covering MLB labor negotiations and other rumors for DiamondCentric. Matthew is close to completing a bachelor's degree in communications with a minor in sports studies from Manhattanville University.

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