Twins takeaways: Swept in Atlanta, Luke Keaschall’s debut, Pablo López is close

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Swept in Atlanta by an injury-depleted, last-place Braves team that entered the series without back-to-back wins this season, the Minnesota Twins have sunk to 7-15, including 5-14 when not playing the lowly Chicago White Sox.

Luke Keaschall did his part and then some after being called up Friday for his major-league debut, going 4-for-12 with two doubles and a stolen base in his first three games, but the rest of the lineup batted .163 during the series as the Twins scored a total of nine runs in three losses to the Braves.

Chris Paddack’s best start of the season and some rare early offense staked the Twins to a 4-1 lead through seven innings of the opening game, only for Griffin Jax and Cole Sands to combine to allow five runs in an eighth-inning implosion for a 6-4 loss.

In the second game, Keaschall (RBI double), Byron Buxton (three hits) and Carlos Correa (solo homer) helped put the Twins ahead 3-2 in the top of the sixth inning, but they were trailing by the bottom of the inning and the bats failed to get anything going late in a 4-3 loss.

The Kid!!! pic.twitter.com/AfBLxJyjyq

— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) April 19, 2025

There was no lead for the Twins to blow in Sunday’s loss. Joe Ryan gave up three homers and six runs, and the lineup wasted a bases-loaded, one-out comeback opportunity in consecutive innings, converting them into just a lone run that scored on a wild pitch. Atlanta won 6-2.

Three more frustrating losses added to a pile the Twins have been building since the start of last year’s collapse. And it still hasn’t ended eight months later. This season’s 7-15 record and their 19-42 record since mid-August are second worst in the American League, ahead of only the White Sox.

Following an off day Monday, the Twins will return to Target Field for a six-game homestand against the White Sox and Los Angeles Angels, two losing teams without realistic playoff aspirations. If the Twins are even capable of getting on a roll and waking up from this nightmare, this is the time.

And if not, questions about manager Rocco Baldelli’s job status are going to grow louder and Target Field’s empty seats will leave no mystery regarding fans’ displeasure with the state of the franchise, on and off the field.

There are still 140 games to play this season, but right now that sounds a lot more like a threat of future suffering than reason for patience or optimism.

Brock Stewart is back, Pablo López is close

It won’t help the struggling, banged-up lineup, but the Twins’ pitching staff is on the verge of being at full strength for the first time this season.

Brock Stewart returned from the injured list Saturday after completing a brief rehab assignment for a spring training hamstring injury, averaging 95.8 mph with his fastball and topping out at 97.4 in a three-batter outing against the Braves. It was his first regular-season game since July.

“It was very encouraging watching his pitches,” Baldelli told reporters in Atlanta. “I thought he looked good physically and threw the ball very well. He looks like Brock Stewart.”

Stewart tweaked his left hamstring in mid-March while recovering from August shoulder surgery, and his lengthy injury history means the Twins will be very cautious with his workload. When healthy, the 33-year-old right-hander has proved to be a quality late-inning, high-leverage option.

Between various IL stints, Stewart has a 2.25 ERA with 60 strikeouts in 44 innings for the Twins since 2023. And with Jax presumably in line for a break from high-leverage action after posting an 11.25 ERA in his first nine appearances, Stewart could be asked to handle key spots right away.

Make it 6 up, 6 down for Pablo. He goes 1-2-3 in the 2nd inning with a fly out, strikeout & pop out. 12 pitches, 9 strikes in the 2nd inning. Thrown 8 of his 9 sweepers for strikes pic.twitter.com/9uuWoorFK6

— St. Paul Saints (@StPaulSaints) April 19, 2025

Opening Day starter Pablo López appears ready to rejoin the rotation after looking healthy in Saturday’s rehab start with Triple-A St. Paul. López, who strained his right hamstring on April 8, allowed one run in 4 2/3 innings for the Saints, striking out four, walking none and topping out at 96 mph.

López is eligible to return Thursday after spending the minimum 15 days on the IL, and the Twins could slot him back into the rotation that night versus the White Sox. That would be on normal rest following the rehab outing, and López threw seven innings of one-run ball against the White Sox on April 2.

David Festa has looked good in two fill-in starts and Zebby Matthews has been dominant in three Triple-A starts, so López’s return will put pressure on Paddack and Simeon Woods Richardson to hold off higher-upside competition for the fourth and fifth spots in the Twins’ rotation.

The Opener

Saturday’s game, in which reliever Justin Topa drew the start and Woods Richardson came on in relief to essentially make a typical start by throwing 4 1/3 innings, was the Twins’ first usage of the “opener” strategy in 2025 and just the eighth time they’ve used it in Baldelli’s seven seasons.

Despite losing Saturday, the Twins are 6-2 when deploying an opener, which is not to be confused with a standard bullpen game. That’s an impressive record in any context, but especially in this case because the opener strategy is generally reserved for a team’s least reliable starters.

In theory, by having a reliever begin the game and face the opposing team’s best hitters in the first inning, it makes life easier on the starter — or “bulk” pitcher, technically — because their third time through the lineup will avoid those same top bats as long as possible. It’s picking where a starter starts.

It’s never going to be popular among fans, and Baldelli has said it can sometimes be more trouble than it’s worth, but the logic involved in turning to an opener is backed by data and it’s tough to argue with the Twins’ results in an admittedly small sample.

They’ve gone 6-2 in opener games featuring Devin Smeltzer (three times), Louis Varland, a pre-bullpen conversion Jax, Woods Richardson, Festa and Paddack as the bulk pitchers, which is far better than the same eight games would have been expected to go with them as traditional starters.

(Photo of Luke Keaschall: Dale Zanine / Imagn Images)

This news was originally published on this post .

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