Pitching, defense keep Twins within striking distance until late rally seals win

PHOENIX – A day after the Twins' offense could seemingly do no wrong, it took them some time to find when things would finally go right.

But the floodgates finally came open in the seventh when four singles – all hit 97 mph off the bat or harder – found the outfield grass, kicking off a Minnesota merry-go-round that saw them push three runs across. Combined with the starting stylings of right-hander Mike Paredes and a shutdown effort from the bullpen, the Twins claimed a 4-2 victory over the D-backs on Sunday at Chase Field, capping the road trip with a 5-1 record.

The Twins hadn’t won a game in which they faced a pitcher making their Major League debut since April 1, 2025, when they toppled Shane Smith and the White Sox. They weren’t on a great trajectory through five innings on Father’s Day after being in the proverbial blender facing D-backs debuting right-hander Jose Cabrera. But once the bullpen door swung open, so did the Twins’ chances.

That the deficit the Twins had to overcome was just two runs can largely be credited to Paredes, who was making his fifth appearance (third start) as a bulk pitcher at the big league level. The 25-year-old looked more like a traditional starter this go-round, tossing 75 pitches in an outing for the first time since Aug. 6, 2022, when he was with Single-A Fort Myers. In total, he worked a career-high five frames with just two runs allowed.

“The thing with Michael, we know with how he was kind of programmed throughout the Minor Leagues that it's not going to be extended into six and seven innings,” said manager Derek Shelton. “I think the fact that he got us through the fifth -- and got out of that jam in the fifth -- was a huge statement. He just continues to get better.”

It’s been a meteoric rise for Paredes, who, as of four months ago hadn’t pitched above Double-A and wasn’t even a part of Major League camp. He was never ranked among the Twins’ Top 30 prospects, and as an 18th-round selection in the 2021 Draft, he wasn’t going to have ample opportunities to prove himself as a starter. So he’s had to carve his own unique path.

“Whatever needs to be done,” said Paredes of his mentality. “If I needed to go out there for the sixth, that's what I'm going to go do.

“It's all about adapting. … I’m just trying to be prepared for anything that comes my way, whether that is that bullpen role, that four-day role or the starting role. Just being ready for whenever my name's called.”

Including his last eight appearances for Triple-A St. Paul, Paredes has now allowed two earned runs or fewer in 12 of his past 13 outings.

No one would confuse Paredes for a strikeout artist (11 in 20 innings). But he’s been able to find success by staying off the opposition’s barrel. In a limited sample size entering the day, just one of the 44 balls put in play against him qualified as a barrel. At 2.3 percent, that’s far below the league average mark (7.6 percent).

Even when balls were squared up on Sunday, the Twins’ defense came up clutch. A full-extension snag from shortstop Ryan Kreidler and a catch from left fielder Trevor Larnach in the first kept a goose egg on the scoreboard. And a sprawling stop and recovery from second baseman Luke Keaschall in the fourth helped keep things from spiraling on Paredes, with 11 of the 19 balls in play registering as hard-hit (95 mph or above).

“When you have guys out there making plays for you, all it does is boost that confidence for you, and it makes it even easier to throw the ball in the zone because you know that you've got guys behind you who are gonna make plays,” said Paredes. “Kreidler’s been awesome. Larnach obviously had some awesome ones as well, but even Keaschall was out there laying out. I got to give it to him -- he's been an animal just with the effort in general. Seeing that, it definitely boosts confidence and makes you a lot more comfortable on the mound.”

“It was fun, man, just to watch everybody slide around and make plays to keep them from even getting the extra 90 feet,” said Byron Buxton, who drew the start at designated hitter. “When you play solid baseball, things tend to turn your way a little bit more.”