Twins Takeaways: Twins Swept by Padres After Another Late Bullpen Collapse

Bailey Ober kept Minnesota in the game, but the bullpen unraveled for the second straight day in a costly 8-1 loss.

Aug 23, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; Minnesota Twins relief pitcher Kody Funderburk (57) delivers during the sixth inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Minnesota Twins lost the final game of the three-game series by a score of 8-1 to get swept in a three-game series.

It was the first time the Padres had ever swept the Twins in a series in MLB history. The Twins handed back all the wild card ground they made up against the Braves and now sit two games back of the final wild card spot.

Bailey Ober’s Outing

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

The outing for Bailey Ober was a good one. The only damage was on a third inning solo home run off the bat of Fernando Tatis Jr., who punished Twins pitching in the three-game series. In the outing, Ober allowed four hits and three walks and struck out three. He kept the Twins in the game the whole time, which has been the M.O. this season.

"I don't know if I've ever managed when they have not been hot and he has not been hot," Twins manager Derek Shelton said of Tatis Jr. postgame to Twins.TV. "I think he shows you when he's healthy why he's one of the best players in the game because there's not much he can't do."

Outside Prielipp on Friday night, Twins starting pitching in the series was solid. It makes the dream of October even more fun thinking about what the Twins' rotation could look like after Joe Ryan in a series. The next step for the entire rotation is going deeper into games to limit the amount of exposure the bullpen has in any given game or series.

Twins Offense

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

The Twins recorded three hits against Walker Buehler on the day, the first on a leadoff single by Luke Keashall, who continues to be productive out of the leadoff spot. The second hit did not come until the top of the fifth inning on a Brooks Lee solo home run to tie the game at one. It was Lee’s 20th home run of the season.

Brook Lee with a solo shot to tie the game at 1 pic.twitter.com/CsSg61hcvx

— Matthew Nethercott (@MattNethercott_) August 23, 2026

Their approach against Buehler was good, putting a lot of balls in play. Unfortunately for them, a lot of balls were caught or plays were made on them. In the start, Buehler registered an average exit velocity of 87.1, which is excellent. There were only five hard-hit balls against Beuhler on the day. Suppressing hard contact was the key to his success and the key to the Twins offense never getting much started on the day.

"They throw strikes," Shelton said of the Padres' pitching staff holding down the Twins offense postgame on Twins.TV. "I mean, if you look up at the board, they do not walk people. They go after people. They have power stuff, especially in their bullpen. And you know, I think the consistency of our bats wasn't probably as as good as they've been over the the last probably two or three weeks."

The Twins for the third straight game, got nothing going against the Padres' bullpen. The only baserunner was a single off the bat of 

Another Bullpen Implosion 

Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Jeff Hoffman. Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

For the second time in less than 24 hours the Padres bullpen suffered a major meltdown. Sunday’s meltdown was not due to a big error, though Cullpepper did have one in the sixth inning. It was due to lack of command from the tandem of Kody Funderburk and Jeff Hoffman. A Luis Rengifo two-run double and a Tatis Jr. single after three walks in the inning to the bottom of the Padres' order gave the Padres a four-run lead.

"Yeah, I mean, we went air, walk, walk. I mean, we picked a guy off, but you know, three walks in a row, and then you know what the Padres do — they're a good team." Shelton said postgame to Twins.TV. "I mean, it was a well-placed ground ball, but it was a ground ball that ended up going for a double, and you have to give them credit... We've got when we've played well, we have not given up free passes, and you know, I think that's probably the the frustrating thing about today's game."

San Diego would add two more runs on a Jackson Merrill solo home run off Travis Adams and an RBI double off the bat of Xander Bogarts after the staff’s seventh walk was issued of the day. The Twins' pitching walked eight Padres on the day, falling one short of their season high.

Before the series in San Diego, it seemed that the Twins' bullpen was finding its groove. They lost it against the Padres. Two of the three losses were due to lack of execution from the bullpen, whether pieces here since the start of the year or midseason imports at the deadline. If the Twins go into a postseason series with the bullpen being largely ineffective and performing the way they did this weekend against another postseason team, it makes the way the Twins win games more complicated against the top teams in the game.

What’s Next?

The Twins will head up the coast and continue their West Coast road trip in West Sacramento, taking on the Athletics. In the series opener, the Twins will be sending out RHP Zebby Matthews, who is 7-8 with a 5.12 ERA this season. For the Athletics, it will be LHP Jeffrey Springs, who is 3-1 on the season with a  6.02 ERA. First pitch Monday will be at 8:40 PM CT on TwinsTV.