Why Twins Must Make a Rotation Change and Need More From Byron Buxton

The Twins cannot continue trotting Simeon Woods Richardson out to the mound every fifth day.

May 6, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Simeon Woods Richardson (24) pitches against the Washington Nationals during the first inning at Nationals Park. | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

The Twins still haven't won a series since the Boston Red Sox were at Target Field from April 13-15. They won the first game in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday night but then were blown out by the Nationals on Wednesday and lost 7-5 in the rubber game on Thursday afternoon, falling to 0-5-1 in their last six series. They're 5-15 overall since an 11-7 start to the season.

On Thursday, the Twins took an early 2-0 lead on a Brooks Lee single but gave both of those runs back one inning later. They went up 3-2 in the fifth, only to give up three runs in the bottom half of the inning. And they scratched back to tie the game in the top of the seventh, then immediately allowed two runs in the bottom half of that inning. Washington catcher Keibert Ruiz dominated with two run-scoring doubles off of Simeon Woods Richardson and the go-ahead home run off of John Klein.

Here are three takeaways from Thursday's game.

The Twins cannot keep starting SWR

Coming into this game, Woods Richardson's 6.49 ERA ranked 116th out of 125 pitchers who have thrown at least 30 innings this season. After giving up 5 earned runs to the Nationals in 4.1 innings, his ERA is up to 6.92.

The Twins simply cannot keep sending Woods Richardson to the mound every fifth day if they have any plans to be competitive this season. They're now 1-7 in games that he starts. He has 19 strikeouts, 16 walks, and a 1.72 WHIP. He's not missing bats, he's walking guys, and he's getting crushed on mistake pitches in the heart of the zone. He isn't doing anything well, as you can see when looking at either his box score stats or his Statcast sliders (or simply watching him pitch).

No, the Twins don't have a great replacement option right now, with David Festa hurt and Mick Abel suffering a recent setback in his attempt to return from the IL. Zebby Matthews has a 5.13 ERA with Triple-A St. Paul, and Andrew Morris has a 5.17 ERA pitching out of the Twins' bullpen. But Minnesota has to do something. There's a good chance either Matthews or Morris would give the Twins a better chance to win games moving forward than Woods Richardson does.

The Twins need more from Buxton

This may seem unfair to say, given the barrage of home runs he's hit over the past few weeks, but the Twins need more from Byron Buxton. The bar is higher for star players, and if the Twins are going to be competitive, he can't be a guy who hits solo home runs and does little else at the plate.

Buxton was 0 for 2 with runners in scoring position on Thursday. He grounded out to short with a runner on second and no outs in the fifth inning, failing to move Tristan Gray to third base. And in the sixth, with the bases loaded and two outs and the Twins down a run, he struck out swinging.

Byron Buxton | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Outside of the homers, that's been the story of Buxton's season. He's now a stunning 1 for 25 with runners in scoring position and 0 for 8 with the bases loaded in 2026, giving him a negative Win Probability Added despite his 11 homers, .812 OPS, and good defense in center field.

Buxton has been an all-or-nothing hitter this year. Since he rarely draws walks, his OBP is just .298. His chase and whiff rates are both very poor. Buxton is having a strong season in some ways, but the Twins need him to have better at-bats and make better swing decisions on a more consistent basis if they're going to turn it around.

The little things are killing this team

It's no secret that the bullpen is a massive issue for this Twins team. John Klein and Taylor Rogers combined to allow the two decisive runs in the seventh inning on Thursday, as close games in the late innings continue to go poorly for Minnesota.

Another issue is that the Twins, across the board, struggle to execute the little things. They regularly shoot themselves in the foot with unforced errors on the bases and in the field. They also have had a hard time driving in runners on third base with fewer than two outs.

All of that was on display on Thursday. Gray flew into a double play to shallow center with a chance to add onto a 2-0 lead in the second. In the third, Austin Martin ran through a stop sign and got stuck between third and home on the first of three Ryan Jeffers extra-base hits on the day.

The tying run scored in the bottom of the third after Luke Keaschall threw home without a real chance at a play, allowing a runner to go to third base with no outs. Martin bounced into a double play with runners on the corners and one out and the Twins up 3-2 in the fifth.

The list goes on. The Nats scored three runs on just one hit in the bottom of the fifth, including a harmless pop up that dropped between Keaschall and Matt Wallner in shallow right field due to a miscommunication. It was a fielder's choice with an out at second, but a run wouldn't have scored if Wallner had called it all the way like he should've.

The Twins defense...brutal. pic.twitter.com/HixJ5OWYro

— Ted (@tlschwerz) May 7, 2026

The Twins have a handful of hitters and starting pitchers who are having great seasons. But their bullpen stinks and they aren't executing the crucial little details of baseball well. Those are the main reasons why they've lost 15 of their last 20 games.