The Twins fell 5-2 to the Orioles at the Lee Health Sports Complex on Wednesday, with Pablo López allowing two runs and striking out five, and his bullpen getting mixed results including on the health front.
Topa invokes a sinking feeling
Except for a couple of minor ankle sprains to some big-name minor leaguers, the Twins had been doing OK with injuries in Spring Training. Until the past few days, anyway, when three pitchers have gone down.
Right-hander Justin Topa delivered only seven pitches afternoon before leaving his Grapefruit League appearance because of shoulder tightness. Topa, who was limited to three late appearances with the Twins in 2024 after coming over in the cursed Jorge Polanco trade, allowed a solo home run and got one out at Fort Myers.
Topa's last pitch was a sweeping slider about 2.0 mph slower than one he threw earlier in the inning, reporter Bobby Nightengale said. His velocity compared fine on previous pitches.
Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said in the Minnesota Star Tribune that the team won't be jumping to any conclusions, adding that Topa, who turns 34 years old this week, would be evaluated again Thursday.
"It doesn't appear to be anything overly serious the way he's describing it and talking about it, but he did feel something that he didn't like," Baldelli told reporters.
The Twins have more depth in the bullpen than anywhere else on the 40-man roster, but they've also lost right-hander Matt Canterino and prospect Marco Raya within the past week.
For different reasons, none of the respective pitchers appeared to have strong odds of making the Opening Day roster, but that doesn't mean the Twins couldn't have used them sometime soon — Topa and Canterino in particular.
Topa was one of the most valuable relievers in the league with the Mariners in 2023, making 75 appearances. But he probably needed more time anyway at Triple-A (he has a minor-league option) before being able to help the big-league team. This injury doesn't take him out of the picture, it's just another setback that should lower everyone's expectations.
Canterino has great stuff but has been dealing with injuries for years. He is seeking a second opinion on a shoulder strain after being shut down from throwing.
Raya has a left quad strain and has been on track to return to action in the middle of March.
Ankle injuries to top prospects Walker Jenkins and Emmanuel Rodríguez are not considered serious, but both players were hoping to get through this season without injuries after sustaining them in '24.
Big league Stew
Right-hander Brock Stewart showed great signs in his first game action since undergoing arthroscopic shoulder surgery in August. Stewart threw 22 pitches overall in two-thirds of an inning, averaging 96.5 mph on 14 four-seam fastballs, just 1/2 mph slower than his average speed in 2024. He also threw four change-ups, along with four cutters that averaged 93.4 mph. At that speed, the cutter should be a tough pitch to hit if it's well spotted.
He had one strikeout, of lefty hitting slugger Colton Cowser.
"Brock was the highlight of the day," Baldelli said. “The stuff looked like vintage Brock Stewart. I think he was pumped to be back out there on the mound."
Royce on a roll
Royce Lewis had two hits, including a double and an RBI single to knock in Carlos Correa, who earlier picked up his first hit of Spring Training. (He won't go 0-for-whatever.) Even better for Lewis, he started a 5-4-3 double play, with Edouard Julien and Ty France finishing.
Lewis is 4-for-12 in six games, which doesn't count the home run against the Rays that was washed out by rain.
Pablo almost cruising
López didn't have his best results in his second spring outing, but they were better than his first. Notably, he didn't allow a lot of hard contact, giving up just one base hit that was over 95 mph. The hardest-hit ball was a 319-foot fly ball to Jackson Holliday, which came off the bat at 99.1 mph. His four-seamer averaged 95.5 mph, a half-mph better than his 2024 average.
He also made some progress with his changeup, hanging fewer of them than in his first outing.
Awesome Martin defense
Austin Martin continues to draw praise for his outfield defense, which slipped for reasons unknown in 2024. He made two strong diving catches, getting a great jump to rob Jackson Holliday leading off the game, with Baldelli emphasizing how difficult the outfield played Wednesday because of gusting winds.
Martin has been doing best to make the team in a platoon/reserve role, but it might be tough to find him a spot in the outfield with the arrival of Harrison Bader and how the bench is constructed generally.