MINNEAPOLIS — A year ago they were one of baseball’s best teams against right-handed pitchers. This year, the Minnesota Twins are struggling.
The Twins’ challenge of improving from a slow start against righties became only more challenging when they swapped out the slumping Alex Kirilloff for the right-handed-hitting Austin Martin before Thursday night’s 6-2 victory over the Oakland Athletics.
Advertisement
Suddenly, a team that produced the fifth-highest OPS in the majors against righties in 2023 is without three of the bats that helped it reach that mark. Kirilloff joins Matt Wallner and Edouard Julien at Triple-A St. Paul.
Despite those absences, the Twins banged out 10 hits against Oakland righties in support of a sharp seven innings from Joe Ryan. Carlos Correa homered, and he and Byron Buxton finished with three hits each.
“You have to lean on other guys,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. “Guys have to step into these spots. Last year is last year, and this year is this year. All kinds of guys are having different types of seasons year over year. You want to say that you’re going to get all of your good left-handed hitters in the organization in a great spot and they are going to go out there and lead the way against right-handed pitching, but that’s not always going to be the reality of it.”
Last season, Kirilloff, Wallner and Julien raked against righties, the lowest OPS among them registering at .858. But none of their dominance carried into this season. The highest among the group belongs to Julien, who carried a .672 OPS against righties before he was demoted to St. Paul on June 2. Kirilloff had only a .663 OPS versus righties, and Wallner sat at .531.
Though four right-handed hitters carried an OPS of .800 or better — Royce Lewis (1.284), Correa (.856), Ryan Jeffers (.822) and Jose Miranda (.814) — into Thursday’s contest, it’s easy to see why the Twins have slipped as much as they have.
Last season, Twins hitters produced a .762 OPS against right-handed pitching. Entering the opener of a four-game series against Oakland, the Twins had a .701 OPS this season.
“Sophomore regression is real,” Twins assistant hitting coach Derek Shomon said. “Pitching is tough. The league-wide OPS is .698. A year ago to the day, it was .727. It is hard. These pitchers are getting better every year. Objectively, they are. Stuff is up. Velo is up. … It absolutely sucks, especially when some of those guys last year had .800, .840 and .880 OPSs. The hope is you learn from it.”
Advertisement
Following a slow start, Wallner is starting to emerge from his offensive slumber. He’s carrying a .762 OPS at Triple A, including 1.071 in 44 June plate appearances. Meanwhile, Julien has a .504 OPS in his first 36 Triple-A plate appearances.
Neither could match Martin, who has been an on-base machine at St. Paul since returning from his second stint in the majors. Since May 21, Martin carried a .273/.449/.346 slash line with 18 walks in 78 plate appearances at Triple A. He thinks some of the confidence gained from spending more than a month in the majors is carrying over.
“My experience up here was pretty much just showing me that I belong and that I’m more than capable of helping this team win,” Martin said. “It kind of brings a little bit of confidence going down, just knowing you’re where you feel like you’re capable of performing and playing at the highest level. … That experience I gained brought me a lot of confidence going down and even more confidence coming back up.”
Ladies and gents, it's Carlos Correa 👋#MLB pic.twitter.com/IvBHCkz7Ih
— Bally Sports North (@BallySportsNOR) June 14, 2024
With limited lefties in the lineup, the Twins simply need more production from their right-handed hitters against their right-handed counterparts. They produced it in bushels against Oakland on Thursday, banging out 10 hits and scoring four runs against starter Luis Medina and reliever Vinny Nittoli over six innings. Correa’s two-run homer in the seventh inning was off southpaw Sean Newcomb. Correa is 16-for-29 with a 1.283 OPS over the past seven games, including going 8-for-10 in his past two.
“We’ll miss them, but at the same time, I think all of us can hit righties and lefties,” said Lewis, who went 1-for-3 against Oakland’s right-handers. “I like righties better than lefties. I’m working on reverse (splits). It doesn’t matter to me the analytics. I think it’s all off. It’s just about you having a good approach, staying short to the ball like we have been doing. Pass the baton. Single, single, single, homer. That’s fun for me and the whole team. I think it gets the boys going.”
Advertisement
The Twins will need similar efforts to Thursday’s to rejuvenate their stats. Before the game, Baldelli identified Lewis’ return as one reason the Twins can improve against righties and get closer to the success they’ve had against lefties this season. Entering Thursday, Twins hitters carried a .741 OPS against southpaws, good for ninth among 30 teams.
“We have a lot of guys that are actually having really good at-bats, but it’s going to have to be a group effort here to go out here, manufacture and score runs,” Baldelli said.
Ryan sharp in victory
Ryan looks like the Twins’ top contender to become an All-Star.
With one month left before the Midsummer Classic, Ryan boasts one of the team’s best resumes for playing in the exhibition game. He bolstered his numbers Thursday by working around an early two-run homer he surrendered to Tyler Soderstrom, recovering to deliver an outstanding performance and providing much-needed length.
Ryan limited Oakland to two earned runs and three hits with one walk against five strikeouts. He’s tied for 12th in the majors with 90 strikeouts and is ninth in innings pitched (86).
“We’re very happy to get used to this,” Baldelli said. “He’s been consistently very good, and he’s had a lot of outings like this. He was pretty dominant today. … They happened to hit a homer. Besides that, he was on top of his game. He held them at bay.”
If the Twins are restricted to one All-Star bid, Ryan’s top competition likely is restricted to Jeffers and Correa. Jeffers has slowed down after a rip-roaring start; his .804 OPS ranks fifth among all American League catchers.
Meanwhile, Correa is facing a loaded field. Through Thursday night, Correa’s .844 OPS ranks fourth among AL shortstops, behind Gunnar Henderson, Bobby Witt Jr. and Corey Seager.
Though Griffin Jax also faces a crowded field, with 12 holds, five saves, 41 strikeouts and a 2.15 ERA in 29 1/3 innings, he could also find his way into the All-Star Game.
(Photo of Carlos Correa: David Berding / Getty Images)