The Twins lost 6-5 to the Mariners on June 25 after a ninth-inning collapse. Despite a Ryan Jeffers-led comeback, Julio Rodríguez's sac fly sealed the loss.
StatPro MLB Beat Reporter
Just when you thought it was safe to believe again, the floor fell out from under the Minnesota Twins. In a game that stretched past midnight, the Twins clawed their way back from a five-run hole only to lose 6-5 to the Seattle Mariners on a ninth-inning sacrifice fly. It was a familiar, painful script for a team now mired in a season-worst losing streak, leaving fans at Target Field with that all-too-common feeling of 'what if?'
The Twins have now lost five straight and 15 of their last 18 games.
The game was a rollercoaster of emotions. After a disastrous five-run third inning from starter Chris Paddack, things looked bleak. But the bats, which have been so inconsistent, suddenly roared to life. A home run from Kody Clemens ignited the comeback, and a clutch two-out, two-run double by Ryan Jeffers in the fourth miraculously tied the game at 5-5. For a few innings, there was hope. That hope evaporated in the ninth when flamethrower Jhoan Duran struggled with his control, hitting two batters to set the table for Seattle. Julio Rodríguez's subsequent sacrifice fly was all it took to seal Minnesota's fate.
The loss drops the Twins to 37-41 on the season, sinking them further to fourth place in the AL Central. The recent trend is alarming. Losing 15 of their last 18 games has turned a promising start into a desperate scramble for stability. The front office remains quiet, with no roster moves announced to shake things up, meaning the solution must come from within the current clubhouse. For a team that has shown flashes of offensive firepower, the inability to translate that into wins is becoming the defining story of their mid-season collapse.
If the Twins are going to snap this losing streak, the pressure now falls squarely on the shoulders of their ace. Joe Ryan (7-3, 3.06 ERA) is set to take the mound against Seattle's George Kirby (1-3, 6.16 ERA). On paper, it's a favorable matchup for Minnesota. Ryan has been the team's most reliable arm, and they need a deep, dominant outing from him to reset the bullpen and, more importantly, the team's psyche. It's a classic 'stopper' situation, a chance for your best player to put the team on his back and change the momentum with a single performance.
It's another tough morning for Twins Territory, with a loss that felt symbolic of this entire brutal stretch. The team shows fight, only to have it snatched away at the last moment. All eyes now turn to Joe Ryan. He's not just pitching for a win; he's pitching to change the narrative and stop the bleeding. A strong performance tonight isn't just a hope, it's a necessity. Let's see if the ace can deliver.
