Minnesota Twins

In the 12th round of the 2000 MLB draft, the Minnesota Twins selected Jason Kubel out of Highland High School, CA. After tearing his way through the Twins minor league system and earning a berth at the 2004 Futures Game, Kubel got a September ’04 call-up to The Show and acquitted himself nicely (.300 BA in 67 PA). Unfortunately, while playing in the Arizona Fall League later that same year, catastrophe struck. This precipitated a five-year stretch (2007-2011) in which an average Jason Kubel season looked something like this: 20 HR, 80 RBI, .273 BA, .806 OPS, 116 OPS+.

The Minnesota Twins (31-32) will try to stop a five-game losing streak when visiting the Toronto Blue Jays (36-28) at 7:07 PM ET on Friday. The probable pitchers are Yusei Kikuchi (6-2) for the Blue Jays and Sonny Gray (4-1) for the Twins. Bet Now: Get the latest odds for this matchup and pitcher props on BetMGM. New depositors can use bonus code “GNPLAY” for special offers! Twins vs. Blue Jays Pitcher Matchup Info Date: Friday, June 9, 2023 Time: 7:07 PM ET TV: SNET Location: Toronto, Ontario Venue: Rogers Centre Live Stream: Watch this game on Fubo! Probable Pitchers: Kikuchi – TOR (6-2, 4.40 ERA) vs Gray – MIN (4-1, 2.15 ERA) Watch live MLB games on all your devices! Sign up now for a free

It was a busy day in a hazy New York City, though it was a lighter day across the AL. That said, the Yankees’ most direct competitors, the AL East rival Orioles, Rays, and Blue Jays, were all in action, and they all played some mostly compelling games. Let’s go over what you may have missed from Thursday. Tampa Bay Rays (46-19) 4, Minnesota Twins (31-32) 2 Don’t look now, but the Rays are hot again. For the second straight game, Tampa did just enough to get by the Twins, this time securing a sweep of Minnesota and their sixth straight victory. Yonny Chirinos was very solid starting for the Rays, with the only blemish on his line over 5.2 innings a fourth-inning solo shot from Carlos Correa. He

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — When Michael A. Taylor crossed the plate Wednesday night with the tying run, he believed he had changed the game with his speed. “The dugout was great. To tie the game up right there in the ninth inning was big,” the Twins center fielder said. “It felt like we had the game.” Trouble was, they had only tied the game, and their turn at bat ended before they could change …

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Twins’ second-hardest-hit ball on Thursday was a Jorge Polanco’s line-drive missile straight up the middle in the first inning, at 107.8 mph too hot for anyone in the infield to field. And what happened next sort of epitomized the Twins’ luck in June. The all-but-certain base hit glanced off pitcher Yonny Chirinos’ glove as it zipped past, then deflected off …

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The ball looked ticketed for the outfield, a screamer up the middle that would have put a pair of runners on base with just one out in the first inning, setting the Twins up well for some potential early offense. But with the way things have been going for the Twins these days, it wasn’t to be. “Even the hard outs, if you start feeling sorry for yourself, this game will …

Minnesota starter Bailey Ober retired all nine batters he faced through three innings against the MLB-best Tampa Bay Rays on Thursday. Before the inning was done, the 6-foot-9 right-hander had lost his perfect game and the lead as the Rays went on to beat the slumping Twins 4-2 for a three-game sweep. Randy Arozarena walked with two outs in the fourth.

ST. PETERSBURG, FLA. — Kyle Garlick knew what Rocco Baldelli was going to say before the manager even opened his mouth. “I had lunch with Trevor Larnach on Monday, the off day. As soon as I saw he was here, I kind of assumed I was the one getting sent down,” Garlick said. “I usually can see the moves coming.” Well, not all of them. Garlick, who had arrived at Tropicana Field around 1 p.m. …

Detroit Tigers game Wednesday in Philadelphia postponed due to dreadful air quality from wildfires in Canada. The game will be played Thursday.

The 2019 Bomba Squad Twins are remembered for a lot of things, not the least of which are their MLB-record 307 home runs and a 101-win regular season. Within a lineup of steady mashers, three former heralded prospects turned everyday players — all of them who had been with the organization for a decade — took a major step forward that season: Miguel Sanó shook off a terrible 2018 season in …

ST. PETERSBURG, FLA. — First pitch was less than an hour away on Tuesday, and the Twins still hadn’t posted a lineup for their series opener with the Rays. The reason for the delay was simple: They desperately hoped Byron Buxton would demonstrate that he could play despite some badly bruised left ribs, the damage done by a 97-mph Tanner Bibee fastball last Thursday. Alas, the Twins’ designated …

ST. PETERSBURG, FLA. — The Rays have hit more home runs than any team in the majors this year, and the Twins have struck out more often than anyone. So Tuesday night’s game was like a showcase for the two wildly different first-place teams. Not exactly a mystery who won, is it? Luke Raley smashed a Louie Varland changeup 450 feet to straightaway center, Jose Siri clobbered a slider seven feet …

Luis Arraez is hovering around a .400 batting average and the Miami Marlins are looking like contenders.

Boos were heard Sunday after Max Kepler struck out in the seventh inning against Cleveland righthander Trevor Stephan and again when he grounded out in the ninth against closer Emmanuel Clase. The way things have been going for the Twins offense this season, several other players could be targets for fan disappointment. For Kepler, it’s an indictment of what he’s become as a hitter. …

Retired New York Giants OT Kareem McKenzie recently earned his Ph.D. in Counseling and Supervision from Kean University.

When Joe Ryan turned his head to watch the flight of Josh Naylor’s soaring fly ball to right field in the seventh inning, it was the only time he didn’t look in complete control Sunday. Ryan, locked in a pitcher’s duel with Cleveland’s Triston McKenzie for most of the afternoon at Target Field, faced the minimum number of batters until he issued a seven-pitch walk to José Ramírez with two outs …

The Twins’ 2-1 loss to Cleveland on Sunday evoked three baseball memories. No. 1: In the 1960s, Don Drysdale, at an event at the White House, was told that Dodgers teammate Sandy Koufax had pitched a shutout. “Oh yeah?” Drysdale asked. “Who won?” No. 2: In 1995, Twins manager Tom Kelly occasionally batted light-hitting backup catcher Matt Merullo in the cleanup spot. No. 3: In April 2022, …