Remember when the Twins were the hottest team in baseball and seemed in prime position to be an American League Wild Card team?
Now, Minnesota holds a 37-41 record and is 3 ½ games back for the third AL Wild Card spot. The Twins are 10-20 in their last 30 games, tied for the worst record in MLB during that timeframe with the Athletics, Colorado Rockies and Chicago White Sox.
Why have the Twins become one of the worst teams in baseball after appearing to be a playoff contender?
Pablo López’s injury and inconsistent pitching
It feels like the Twins’ recent streak of poor play started when it was announced that Pablo López would be missing 8-12 weeks with a Grade 2 teres major strain. Before getting hurt, López was Minnesota’s best starting pitcher, posting a 2.82 ERA with 61 strikeouts over 60 2/3 innings in 11 starts.
Despite López’s injury initially seeming like a huge blow, it felt that the rotation had a chance to continue dominating, as at the time, Joe Ryan, Bailey Ober and Chris Paddack were all pitching at an elite level. However, Ober and Paddack have struggled since. Additionally, Zebby Matthews landed on the injured list with a right shoulder strain, and David Festa and Simeon Woods Richardson have struggled to maintain consistency on the mound.
The Twins have a 6.81 ERA this month, which is 24th in MLB. Additionally, Minnesota ranks 25th in the league with a 4.66 FIP in June.
Royce Lewis’ injury
Lewis has struggled this season, hitting .202/.282/.303 with two home runs and nine RBIs in 110 plate appearances. However, he posted a .429/.500/.619 slash line over his last 21 at-bats before landing on the injured list with a hamstring strain. Minnesota would most likely be in a better spot right now if Lewis were healthy.
Carlos Correa’s struggles
Correa has been okay in June, posting a 102 wRC+. Still, as the highest-paid player on the Twins, Correa needs to be hitting at an elite level, which he is not. Overall, Correa is slashing .261/.305/.392 with six home runs and 24 RBIs in 262 plate appearances while being worth 0.2 bWAR.
At the end of the day, the Twins’ offense has been good in June. Minnesota has a 116 wRC+ this month, which is fifth-best in MLB. So, even with Lewis’ injury and Correa’s struggles, the main issue with the team has been its pitching.