4/29/26

(Minneapolis, MN) With their first road series win in the books, the Seattle Mariners would wrap up their Midwest road trip with a three-game series at the Minnesota Twins. A team that got off to a fairly surprising start, the Twins have since come crashing down to reality due in large part to a bad bullpen and failing to hit with runners in scoring position. They would need to be better in this series as it was expected to be tight games decided by bullpens.

Seattle was coming into the series having watched their bullpen excel in St. Louis and would hope for that to continue in the Twin Cities. The offense has also begun to turn things around as the team is hitting much more consistently as well as doing damage when they have runners on. Cal Raleigh, Julio Rodríguez, and Josh Naylor have gotten things going in the middle of the order while guys like Cole Young, Luke Raley, and Dominic Canzone continue to provide the pop at the bottom of the order.

Twins 11, Mariners 4 (Game One, April 27th)

Things got started with a veteran vs. rookie matchup on the mound on a very rainy Monday night. Luis Castillo was in search of his first win of the season as he took the ball in the opener for Seattle while Connor Prielipp was looking for his first career win in just his second MLB start.

The weather was nasty but it seemed to only really affect one team as the Twins were hot early. After Castillo had a 1-2-3 1st, Minnesota got the first baserunner of the game in the 2nd on a leadoff single by Josh Bell. Castillo got the next two batters but a rally ensued as Luke Keaschall doubled for the fourth time this season, driving in Bell and giving the Twins a 1-0 lead.

Seattle got their first baserunner in the 3rd on a walk by Mitch Garver but it didn’t amount to anything. In the home half of the inning, the Twins added on to their lead for their rookie. Trevor Larnach hit his first triple of 2026 with one out to give the Twins an easy scoring opportunity. They cashed in as following a Josh Bell walk, Ryan Jeffers singled home Larnach to make it 2-0. Kody Clemens would then come to the plate and like a few times before, dealt a big blow to the M’s. Clemens got to a fastball up and in and got it out to right field for his third home run of the season. The three-run blast opened things early as the Twins had a 5-0 lead.

A single by Tristan Gray and a two-run shot by Byron Buxton made it 7-0 in the 4th but then the Mariners showed some fight. Back-to-back walks to Randy Arozarena and J.P. Crawford had two on with nobody out and Mitch Garver got the M’s on the board with an RBI single. With still nobody out, Cole Young ran his RBI streak to four games in a row as he hit a sacrifice fly to score Crawford and make it 7-2 as there started to be some momentum for the M’s as the Twins had to go to their shaky bullpen.

The Mariners also went to the bullpen and Cole Wilcox came in for the 6th and was in a bit of hot water with runners on the corners but with two outs. He couldn’t fully escape it as Trevor Larnach drove in a run with a single to make it 8-2 but the M’s got that run back plus one in the 8th. With Andrew Morris pitching his third inning in relief, Rob Refsnyder would single with one out for Cal Raleigh. The Big Dumper’s power surge continued as he launched his seventh home run of the season into the cold air to give the M’s a chance, trailing 8-4.

Alex Hoppe made his big league debut out of the Mariners bullpen and showed some really positive signs but the Twins would get to him enough to put this one away. Walks to Brooks Lee and Trevor Larnach really hurt the rookie as Ryan Jeffers came up with a two-out RBI single to make it 9-4. Kody Clemens added two more RBI to give him five on the game with a two-run single to really open this one up. Taylor Rogers faced the minimum in the 9th thanks to a line drive double play off the bat of Cole Young to end this one. Nasty weather and a nasty result was not how the M’s wanted to start this series as they dropped the opener to the Twins, 11-4.

Notable Performances

Mariners

Twins

• Kody Clemens- 2-5, HR, 5 RBI, R
• Ryan Jeffers- 2-4, 2 RBI, 2 R, BB, SB
• Connor Prielipp (W, 1-0)- 5 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 5 SO

Mariners 7, Twins 1 (Game Two, April 28th)

While it was still cold for game two, the conditions were much better on Tuesday night for a fantastic pitching matchup between the two Opening Day starters for these teams. Logan Gilbert would look to shake off a short outing against the Athletics his last time out while Joe Ryan would bring his elite heater at the M’s, the team he made his first Opening Day start against.

Both teams missed scoring opportunities early as the Twins left Austin Martin at second base in the 1st while singles by Cole Young and J.P. Crawford were left stranded at second and third in the 3rd. Minnesota threatened again in the 3rd as Royce Lewis and Byron Buxton both singled and after Buxton swiped second they had runners at second and third with two outs. Logan Gilbert would be able to just focus on the batter and got Austin Martin to groundout to Crawford at short to keep this a pitchers duel as it was scoreless heading into the 4th.

Josh Naylor was picked off in the 4th while Leo Rivas won a foot race with Kody Clemens to third to help Gilbert escape more trouble in the inning to keep it scoreless. Leading off the bottom of the 5th, Byron Buxton would finally wake up the runs column on the scoreboard as he did big damage for the second consecutive day. A first pitch fastball at the top of the zone by Gilbert was cranked out to left field for a solo shot and Buxton’s seventh home run of the season. The first mistake had been made as Minnesota grabbed a 1-0 lead.

Logan Gilbert would be done after the 5th inning but Seattle’s bullpen would not inherit a deficit as the bats got to Joe Ryan in the 6th. With nobody on and two outs thanks to a great catch by Trevor Larnach to take extra bases away from J.P. Crawford, Julio Rodríguez would extend the inning with his fourth double of the season down into the left field corner. Josh Naylor then came to the plate and slapped a base hit the other way to score J-Rod and tie the game at 1-1.

Eduard Bazardo gave up the only hit the Mariners bullpen would allow on Tuesday but still put up a zero to keep it tied. In the 7th, Seattle chased Joe Ryan after Randy Arozarena doubled for the 9th time this season to start the inning. Kody Funderbunk came in as the Twins hoped the lefty could work his way out of it but Luke Raley had a productive at bat with a grounder to second to move Arozarena to third with one out. Cole Young would then join Ken Griffey Jr., Alex Rodriguez, and Ruppert Jones as the only Mariners under the age of 23 to drive in a run in five straight games as he slapped a base hit to left to bring home Arozarena. Young’s red hot road trip continued as Seattle had the lead, 2-1.

After a 1-2-3 inning by Gabe Speier in the bottom of the 7th, Seattle opened this one up. J.P. Crawford drew a walk in the 8th before J-Rod doubled for the second time in the game to put two on and bring Josh Naylor to the plate. Naylor would get a cutter at the very top of the zone from Cole Sands and he was all over it, sending his bat high into the hair for a bat flip of the year nominee. The ball traveled 390-feet for a three-run shot and Naylor’s fourth home run of the season as the Mariners had some breathing room with a 5-1 lead.

Matt Brash rolled through the 8th with a couple of strikeouts and Seattle played add-on in the 9th as well. Luis García made his Twins debut but it didn’t go well as Cole Young singled before Leo Rivas was hit by a pitch to put two on. García then retired Crawford and Raleigh but Julio continued his hot night with his third double of the game and sixth of the season. This one plated Young and Rivas and made it 7-1 and allowed Dan Wilson to sit down Andrés Muñoz and bring in Cooper Criswell for the 9th. Criswell continued his really good run with a 1-2-3 inning as he got Byron Buxton to strikeout swinging to end it. Seattle scored seven unanswered runs to force a rubber game on Wednesday with a 7-1 win over the Twins.

Notable Performances

Mariners

Twins

• Byron Buxton- 2-5, HR, RBI, R, SB
• Joe Ryan (L, 2-3)- 6 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 6 SO
• Trevor Larnach- 1-4, 2B

Mariners 5, Twins 3 (Game Three, April 29th)

A 5-1 road trip was in sight for the Seattle Mariners as they met the Minnesota Twins on Wednesday morning to decide the series. George Kirby would get the ball for the M’s as he would look to end the road trip just how he started, with a quality start. It was anticipated to be another pitchers duel as Taj Bradley would get the ball for the Twins looking to continue his breakout start to 2026.

Each team had a baserunner in the 1st but neither made it past first base. George Kirby stranded a single by Kody Clemens in the 2nd and that opened the door for the Mariners to strike first. With nobody on and two outs, J.P. Crawford came to the plate for the second time and this result was much better than his first. Crawford went down below the zone and golfed a curveball high and deep to right field that had just enough to get out for his second home run of the year. The trident was late to the party in the dugout but Crawford celebrated nonetheless, giving the Mariners a 1-0 lead.

Kirby continued to work with runners on as the Twins recorded a hit in eight of the nine innings in this one. However, he continued to strand those runners until the bottom of the 4th. Ryan Jeffers and Luke Keaschall both had singles around a Kody Clemens walk to load the bases with just one out. Kirby needed a groundball, which he has gotten a lot of this season. He settled for a strikeout of Matt Wallner for the second out to bring Brooks Lee to the plate. It’s not always about how hard you hit it but where you hit it as Lee dunked a soft line drive into right field for a base hit. Jeffers and Clemens would score and Minnesota was on the board and in the lead 2-1.

Eduard Bazardo escaped George Kirby’s jam int he 6th to keep it 2-1. Taj Bradley ended up going a full seven innings and threw a career-high 114 pitches but would not keep the score 2-1. Dominic Canzone reached with two outs in the 7th with a hustle double to bring Cole Young to the plate. Young made it a perfect road trip as he drove in a run for the sixth consecutive game, hitting his fourth double of the year to bring in Canzone. Back-to-back two-out doubles evened this one up and got George Kirby off the hook with the score 2-2.

We stayed tied into the bottom of the 8th where bad news came for the Mariners. Matt Brash entered the game but left after throwing just two pitches with side tightness. Gabe Speier had to come in but it wasn’t a clean inning as he rushed to get warmed up. A single by Ryan Jeffers started the inning before James Outman pinch ran for him and stole his fourth base of the season. Speier would strikeout the dangerous Kody Clemens followed by a strikeout of Luke Keaschall. With two outs, Victor Caratini pinch hit for Matt Wallner and it was the right move by Twins manager Derek Shelton. Caratini sent a grounder that just got off the glove of a lunging Crawford and into left field. Outman would score and the pinch hit two-out single put the Twins in front 3-2 going into the 9th.

Minnesota does not have a true closer and instead goes with a closer by committee approach. Eric Orze was the man for the job on Wednesday but the young right-hander struggled mightily, walking the first batter he faced to put Randy Arozarena on. Orze battled back to strikeout Luke Raley but a single by Dominic Canzone followed and put runners on the corners. Canzone was lifted for Leo Rivas who would steal second to takeaway the double play opportunity. With the infield drawn in, Cole Young stayed red hot as he shot a seeing-eye grounder back into center field for a base hit. Arozarena and Rivas both scored as the Mariners took a 9th inning lead, 4-3. After Will Wilson walked, the Twins brought in Taylor Rogers but he didn’t have his best stuff either, giving up an infield single to J.P. Crawford to load the bases. Cal Raleigh just missed breaking this one wide open as Byron Buxton crashed into the wall to make the catch but a run still came home as Seattle had a 5-3 lead going into the bottom of the 9th.

Andrés Muñoz was as fresh as possible after not pitching since Saturday and it showed as he was great in this one. Muñoz got Austin Martin to hit a weak pop fly to short before striking out Josh Bell for two outs on ten pitches. He needed just five more as he got James Outman to chase a 2-2 slider below the zone for strike three and his sixth save of the year. Seattle had completed a terrific 5-1 road trip as they took the finale and rubber game in Minnesota in comeback fashion, 5-3.

Notable Performances

Mariners

Twins

• Taj Bradley (ND)- 7 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 7 SO
• Brooks Lee- 2-4, 2 RBI
• Kody Clemens- 2-3, 2B, R, BB

What’s Next

A terrific road trip ends the month of April for the Seattle Mariners (16-16) who return home and open up May at .500. It almost erases the bumpy start to the season as Seattle is now in second place in the AL West, a game behind the Athletics. It could be just half of a game by the time Seattle takes the field next as the A’s play their rubber game against Kansas City on Thursday afternoon. Texas sits in third, 1 1/2 back after losing two of three to the Yankees. The Angels have cooled off as well, five back as they were swept by the Chicago White Sox to run their losing streak to six games. Houston remains in last place at five back as they will play a doubleheader in Baltimore on Thursday.

Things get tougher for the Mariners on this six-game homestand as they begin a three-game series with another playoff hopeful on Friday as the Kansas City Royals come to town. The Royals (12-18) have not played well so far in 2026 and sit in last place in the AL Central. They seem to be turning things around after a sweep of the Angels and a chance to take the series in Sacramento on Thursday before traveling to Seattle. The Royals pitching hasn’t been great as their 4.51 team ERA is ranked 24th in baseball. They have hit the ball well but are struggling to hit with runners on. They are batting .224 with runners in scoring position which is the third worst in baseball.

We of course could talk about Bobby Witt Jr. but we will save the easy route for later. Instead, we will talk about the Royals dangerous catching tandem. Of course veteran Salvador Perez is very well known for both his defense and offense and nothing has changed this season. Perez is slugging just .353 but has five homers and 11 RBI. The new face is rookie Carter Jensen who made headlines for missing a game due to sleeping in earlier this season. That is about the only negative you can find as he is raking with an .854 OPS, hitting six homers and driving in 16 runs. They have the exact same numbers as the Mariners in caught stealing, combining to nab 10 out of 27 would-be base stealers. Salvador Perez is also thriving with the new ABS system as he has won 19 of his 25 challenges this season. Nobody has been better than Perez behind the plate in terms of challenges, which just adds to his sure-fire Hall of Fame resume.

• Game 1, Friday 6:45pm (Apple TV)- Cole Ragans (1-4, 5.00 ERA) vs. Bryan Woo (1-2, 3.86 ERA)
• Game 2, Saturday 6:40pm- Seth Lugo (1-1, 2.63 ERA) vs. Emerson Hancock (2-1, 2.86 ERA)
• Game 3, Sunday 1:10pm- Kris Bubic (2-1, 3.74 ERA) vs. Luis Castillo (0-2, 6.35 ERA)

elisportsnetwork.com