Game Highlights: Twins vs Rays 4/4/26

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Minneapolis: 

By Troy Geary

Geary Sports & Entertainment Network

On the third-coldest game in Target Field history at a balmy 38 degrees at game time, the Tampa Rays won 7-1 in game two of the best-of three series.

Twins starter Mick Abel, seemed to have control and footing issues on this cold night, allowing 4 runs on 6 hits in 4 innings of work. Tampa scored 3 runs in the 2nd inning. Rays Left Fielder Chandler Simpson led off with an infield single and advanced to second on a throwing error by Third Baseman Royce Lewis, who threw wildly to get the speedy Simpson. Shortshop, Ben Williamson then walked. After a fly out, Second Baseman Richie Palacios was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Abel then hit Designated Hitter Yandy Diaz to score the Rays first run, before First Baseman Jonathan Aranda gave the Rays a 3-0 lead with a 2-run double.

The Twins got on the board in the second inning as Right Fielder Matt Wallner singled to lead off the inning, followed by a walk by Catcher Ryan Jeffers. Brooks Lee came thru with  a 2 out single to score Wallner to make it 3-1. 

Rays added a run in the third inning, and 2 in the fifth to make it 6-1. Twins bats went cold and couldn’t muster anything off on Rays starter Steven Matz , who went 6 innings, giving up a lone run, while striking out 8.

Rays tacked on an insurance run in the eighth inning to make it 7-1.

Twins look to bounce back and win the series in the rubber game Sunday at 1pm. Starters for Sundays game are Nick Martinez for the Rays and Simeon Woods Richardson for the Twins. 

Twins news:

CF Byron Buxton was presented the Silver Slugger Award for his tremendous 2025 season.

Baby it’s cold outside! Game-time temperature was 38 degrees, which ties for the 3rd coldest game at Target Field!

Minnesota Twins Lineup 4-4-26       

1. Austin Martin .273-0-2 LF    

2. Luke Keaschall .250-0-3 2B 

3. Josh Bell .261-2-7 1B

4. Matt Wallner .143-2-2 RF

5. Ryan Jeffers .235-0-0 DH

6. Victor Caratini .278-0-1 C

7. Royce Lewis .190-2-5 3B

8. Brooks Lee .154-0-1 SS

9. James Outman 000-0-0 CF

Starting Pitcher: Mick Abel 0-1, 13.50 ERA

Minneapolis: 

By Troy Geary

Geary Sports & Entertainment Network 

Twins starter Simeon Woods Richardson pitched 6.2 innings giving up only one run, but the Twins fall 4-1 in extra innings. Woods Richardson has looked comfortable early on this season and if the Twins are going to have success, he will need to be a big part of it.

Matt Wallner gave the Twins a 1-0 lead in the second inning on a 409 ft Homerun to Right Field, his 3rd of the year.  Tampa answered in the fourth inning when Third Baseman Junior Caminero tied it up with a solo homerun to the bleachers in left field, his 1st of the year.

Both teams held each other scoreless, and the game went to extra innings. Twins Reliever Justin Topa came on in the 10th inning and immediately gave up a 2 run Homerun to Second Baseman Richie Palacios to make it 3-1. Topa exited, and in came Taylor Rodgers, who walked Cedric Mullins with the bases loaded to make it 4-1.  The Twins failed to score in the bottom of the 10th, to fall to 3-6 on the season.

Next up: Twins start a 4-game series Monday vs the Detroit Tigers.

Probable Starting Pitchers: Minnesota Joe Ryan 0-1 4.82 ERA vs Casey Mize 0-1 1.50 ERA.

Minneapolis: 

By Troy Geary 

Geary Sports & Entertainment Network

The Minnesota Twins to begin the season have struggled mightily with scoring runs with runners in scoring position. Having been 2-17 in the Rays series they looked to turn that around vs the Tigers. In the 3rd inning they did just that. Byron Buxton led off the inning with a double, followed by a single from Trevor Larnach. Luke Keaschall walked to load the bases. After a flyout by Josh Bell, Victor Caratini got the Twins on the board with a sacrifice fly to make it 1-0. Back-to-back singles by Matt Wallner and Royce Lewis made it 3-0.

 But the Tigers answered right back in the top of the 4th inning. Kevin McGonigle led off with a single, then stole second. Gleyber Torres then walked, before Colt Keith hit a 2 run double to make it 3-2. Zac McKinstry then singled to tie it up at 3-3.

The Twins retook the lead in the bottom of the 4th, as Trevor Larnach singled, and then Luke Keaschall hit his first home run of the season to make it 5-3.

Twins starter Joe Ryan went 5 innings, giving up 3 hits and 3 runs, while striking out 7. Tigers starter Casey Mize struggled with command of his splitter, and allowed 7 hits, giving up 5 runs with 4 strikeouts in 4.1 innings of work.

Both teams turned it over to the bullpen where things settled down from there, as both teams held each other scoreless thru 7.

The Twins added a few insurance runs in the 8th, as Tigers reliever Brant Huerter walked three straight Twins batters before Victor Caratini came thru with a 2 run single to make it 7-3.

Twins reliever Cody Laweryson came in the 8th and pitched 2 innings of scoreless relieve to record his 1st save and the Twins win their 4th victory of the season.

Twins continue their series with the Tigers Tuesday, as Twins go with Taj Bradley, 1-0, 0.87 ERA vs Tarik Skubal, 1-1, 0.69 ERA for the Tigers.

Tigers

1. Kevin McGonigle — SS

2. Gleyber Torres — 2B

3. Colt Keith — 3B

4. Riley Greene — DH

5. Spencer Torkelson — 1B

6. Zach McKinstry — RF

7. Matt Vierling — LF

8. Parker Meadows — CF

9. Jake Rogers — C

**Starting Pitcher:** Casey Mize — RHP

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Twins

1. Byron Buxton — DH

2. Trevor Larnach — LF

3. Luke Keaschall — 2B

4. Josh Bell — 1B

5. Victor Caratini — C

6. Matt Wallner — RF

7. Royce Lewis — 3B

8. James Outman — CF

9. Brooks Lee — SS

**Starting Pitcher:** Joe Ryan — RHP

Twins News and Notes
The Twins went 5-8 in 2025 vs the Tigers.

Happy Birthday Bert Blyleven! Hall of Famer Bert Blyleven turns 75 today! 

Minneapolis:

By Troy Geary

Geary Sports & Entertainment Network

The Twins on Tuesday faced back-to-back CY Young winner Tarik Skubal, so runs were at a premium. They countered with Taj Bradley, who has started out strong this season, going 1-0 in two starts with a 0.87 ERA.

Skubal who has one of the game's best changeups, had it going early, striking out 4 Twins batters in the first 2 innings. Bradley wasn't about to be outdone and matched Skubal with 4 strikeouts of his own, and both teams were held scoreless heading into the 3rd inning.

The game remained a pitcher's duel until the 5th, when the Twins broke through. Tarik Skubal gave up back-to-back walks to Byron Buxton and Austin Martin. Luke Keaschall then hit an RBI single to make it 1-0. Ryan Jeffers then hit a 2 run double to make it 3-0. After a strikeout by Victor Caratini, Josh Bell made it 4-0 with an RBI double to left. Tigers Manager AJ Hinch went to the bullpen and that was it for Tarik Skubal.

Tigers got a RBI single from Kevin McGonigle in the 7th to make it 4-1. But Twins starter Taj Bradley was in control all night, giving up 1 run while scattering 6 hits over 6.1 innings, allowing no walks while striking out 10 batters. 

Twins trio of relievers, Taylor Rodgers, Cole Sands, and Eric Orze came in and held the Tigers scorless the rest of the 7th and 8th inning respectively.

Tigers started the 9th with a leadoff double by Javy Baez, and Kevin McGonigle got his 2nd RBI of the game with a double of his own. Justin Topa then came on and retired the Tigers for his first save of the season and the Twins hang on to win 4-2.

The Twins go for the series win tomorrow as Bailey Ober 0-0, 6.75 ERA takes the mound vs Framber Valdez, 1-0, 0.75 ERA for the Tigers. First pitch is at 6:40pm.

Detroit Tigers Lineup

1. Colt Keith — DH

2. Kevin McGonigle — 3B

3. Gleyber Torres — 2B

4. Riley Greene — LF

5. Dillon Dingler — C

6. Zach McKinstry — RF

7. Spencer Torkelson — 1B

8. Parker Meadows — CF

9. Javier Báez — SS

Pitcher: Tarik Skubal — LHP

Minnesota Twins Lineup

1. Byron Buxton — CF

2. Austin Martin — LF

3. Luke Keaschall — 2B

4. Ryan Jeffers — C

5. Victor Caratini — 1B

6. Josh Bell — DH

7. Matt Wallner — RF

8. Royce Lewis — 3B

9. Brooks Lee — SS

Pitcher: Taj Bradley — RHP

Twins News and Notes: 

Luke Keaschall has made nine outs on balls hit 100mph+, tied with Bobby Witt Jr. for the most in baseball.

Today marks day seven of a stretch of 15-straight days with a game for Minnesota. Their next day of is April 16th.

Minneapolis:

By Troy Geary

Geary Sports & Entertainment Network

The Detroit Tigers may have one of the best rotations in baseball after adding Framber Valdez this offseason. Pair him with Casey Mize and back-to-back Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal, and the Tigers look built for a deep postseason run.

But don’t tell that to the Minnesota Twins.

Minnesota continued its early-season success against Detroit’s top arms, jumping on Valdez early and holding on late for an 8-6 win—its third straight victory over the Tigers.

The Twins wasted no time getting started, erupting for six runs in the first inning on four hits. Byron Buxton led off with a first-pitch single, and Austin Martin was hit by a pitch. Luke Keaschall then reached on an infield play when Detroit shortstop Kevin McGonigle couldn’t get Martin at second, allowing Buxton to score for a 1-0 lead.

A wild pitch moved the runners into scoring position before Ryan Jeffers drove in a run with a groundout. After a walk by Victor Caratini, Josh Bell delivered an RBI single to make it 3-0. Matt Wallner followed with a two-run double down the right field line, and Royce Lewis capped the inning with an RBI single, giving Minnesota a commanding 6-0 lead after one.

The offense stayed aggressive in the fourth. Buxton reached again and came around to score on Keaschall’s RBI single, extending the lead to 7-0.

Making that cushion hold was Bailey Ober, who turned in his sharpest outing of the young season. After early struggles with command and velocity, Ober cruised through five innings before allowing two runs in the sixth. He finished with 5.2 innings pitched, giving up two runs on five hits while striking out two.

Minnesota added one more run in the sixth in unusual fashion. Buxton doubled to lead off the inning, and Martin followed with a single. During a rundown on a stolen base attempt, Buxton raced home from third to make it 8-2.

The Tigers didn’t go quietly. Detroit chipped away late, including a four-run stretch against reliever Anthony Banda that cut the lead to 8-6.

The Twins bullpen settled in from there. Cole Sands stopped the momentum in the seventh, and Cody Laweryson followed with a scoreless eighth.

With the closer role still unsettled early in the season, manager Derek Shelton turned to Kody Funderburk in the ninth. Funderburk delivered, tossing a scoreless inning to earn his first save of the season and secure the 8-6 win.

With the victory, the Twins improve to 6-6 on the season and will look to complete the sweep Thursday afternoon.

Minnesota sends Mick Abel (0-2, 11.05 ERA) to the mound, while Detroit counters with Jack Flaherty 0-1, 7.56 ERA. Game time is 12:40pm.

Detroit Tigers

1. Colt Keith — 1B

2. Kevin McGonigle — 3B

3. Gleyber Torres — DH

4. Kerry Carpenter — RF

5. Riley Greene — LF

6. Dillon Dingler — C

7. Matt Vierling — CF

8. Zach McKinstry — 2B

9. Javier Báez — SS

Pitcher: Framber Valdez — LHP

Minnesota Twins

1. Byron Buxton — CF

2. Austin Martin — LF

3. Luke Keaschall — 2B

4. Ryan Jeffers — C

5. Victor Caratini — 1B

6. Josh Bell — DH

7. Matt Wallner — RF

8. Royce Lewis — 3B

9. Brooks Lee — SS

Pitcher: Bailey Ober — RHP

Team News and Notes:

Minnesota is facing its sixth lefty starter in its last nine games.

Over his last seven games, Josh Bell is hitting .318 (7-22) with two doubles, two home runs, five walks, seven RBI, and seven runs scored.

Twins enter today having used the ABS challenge system 38 times, the most in baseball.

Minneapolis

By Troy Geary

Geary Sports & Entertainment Network

Cincinnati Reds starter Brandon Williamson had a homecoming of sorts Friday night. The Trimont, Minnesota native, just a couple hours from the Twin Cities, pitched in front of family and friends at Target Field and made the most of it.

Williamson, originally drafted by Seattle in the second round in 2019 out of TCU, was traded to Cincinnati in 2022 in the deal for Eugenio Suárez. After a solid rookie season in 2023 (5-5, 4.46 ERA), he missed all of 2025 with an elbow injury. On Friday, he looked comfortable, holding the Minnesota Twins to just one run over 5.1 innings while striking out two.

Twins starter Joe Ryan was sharp early, cruising through the first three innings. But in the fourth, Suárez came through with a two-run double to give the Reds a 2-0 lead.

Minnesota answered in the fifth. Williamson issued walks to Brooks Lee, Ryan Kreidler, and Byron Buxton to load the bases, and Austin Martin brought a run home with a sacrifice fly to cut it to 2-1.

Ryan settled back in and finished strong, going six innings while allowing two runs (one earned) and striking out six.

Both bullpens held things down in the seventh and eighth, keeping it a one-run game. But the Twins couldn’t get anything going in the ninth, as former Twin Emilio Pagán closed it out for his sixth save of the season.

The Twins will look to bounce back Saturday as Taj Bradley (3-0, 1.25 ERA) takes the mound against Andrew Abbott (0-2, 5.85 ERA). First pitch is set for 1:10 PM.

Cincinnati Reds 

1. TJ Friedl – CF

2. Matt McLain – 2B

3. Elly De La Cruz – SS

4. Sal Stewart – 1B

5. Eugenio Suárez – 3B

6. Nathaniel Lowe – DH

7. Spencer Steer – LF

8. Will Benson – RF

9. Tyler Stephenson – C

Pitcher: Brandon Williamson – LHP

Minnesota Twins 

1. Byron Buxton – CF

2. Austin Martin – LF

3. Luke Keaschall – 2B

4. Ryan Jeffers – DH

5. Josh Bell – 1B

6. Victor Caratini – C

7. Matt Wallner – RF

8. Brooks Lee – SS

9. Ryan Kreidler – 3B

Pitcher: Joe Ryan – RHP

Team News and Notes:

The Twins have gone 7-3 at home this season so far.

Twins have scored 103 runs on the season over 29 games for a average of 5.42 runs-per-game, 4th best in the Majors.