Twins admire effort, but know time for moral victories is running low

MINNEAPOLIS – They were proud of the effort and proud of the fight, but it’s September, and it’s hard to take much solace in moral victories. The Twins rallied from multiple deficits on Wednesday night before falling, 11-6, in 12 innings to the Tigers in a game they appeared to be on the verge of winning on several occasions.

“We got behind and did a good job battling back,” said manager Derek Shelton. “We gave ourselves a bunch of opportunities and unfortunately we weren't able to capitalize on those opportunities. We had a chance to win the game at multiple spots, and unfortunately we weren't able to do that.”

They had the go-ahead/winning run in scoring position with one out in the eighth, with no one out in the 10th and with one out in the 11th, and simply could not push that run across. The comeback was rousing, but with 22 games left in the season, the result matters more.

“If you’re going to lose, that’s the way to do it, I guess,” said Luke Keaschall. “We’re going out there trying to win each game we can. Obviously, the goal is to win. I know it’s September. I know we’re getting to the end of the year and you feel like you have to win games, but I keep saying we just have to focus on each day, try to win each game. If we don’t, we have to show up to the field the next day with the right attitude to win that day. There is still a lot of baseball to be played.”

The loss kept Minnesota 3 1/2 games behind Cleveland for the third American League Wild Card spot and 6 1/2 behind Chicago in the AL Central. Both leaders lost on Wednesday, meaning an opportunity was there to gain ground, but instead the Twins held position.

They begin a six-game road trip to Chicago and Detroit on Friday, followed by a home series against Cleveland the following weekend.

Clemens sore but OK
Kody Clemens was hit hard on his right arm by a pitch in the eighth inning on Wednesday, and though he stayed in the game, he acknowledged that it didn’t feel good.

“I didn't feel anything for like half a second, and then my whole arm just went completely dead and it started hurting,” Clemens said. “So right above the elbow. Just grinding through the rest of the way.”

Canterino rehab
For the first time in four years, Matt Canterino pitched in a competitive game on Wednesday. Canterino, once one of the Twins’ most promising pitching prospects, has missed the past three full seasons due to shoulder issues. On Wednesday, he began a rehabilitation assignment with High-A Cedar Rapids, pitching a scoreless, hitless inning with one walk and one strikeout. Canterino’s last game appearance of any kind came on July 30, 2022, in the Florida Complex League, and his last game for a full-season affiliate was June 2 of that year with Double-A Wichita.

Rotation shift
The Twins announced their rotation for the weekend series in Chicago, and there’s a bit of shuffling. Following Thursday’s off-day, Zebby Matthews (Friday) and Taj Bradley (Saturday) will each stay on their respective regular fifth day rather than getting an extra day of rest. Meanwhile Bailey Ober will not pitch until Sunday, giving him seven days of rest between starts. Since Ober returned from a June injured-list stint, this will be the seventh time in nine starts that he has received extra rest, and the fourth time he’s gotten more than five days.

Keaschall HBP
Keaschall reached base on a hit-by-pitch in each of his first two plate appearances on Wednesday, giving him 19 for the season, which leads the team and ranks fifth in the Major Leagues this year. That total ties Chuck Knoblauch in 1996 for the second-highest single-season total in Twins history, behind only Willi Castro's 21 in 2024.