Game 74: Twins at Rangers
· Yahoo Sports
First Pitch (CT):7:05 PM
TV: Twins.TV
Radio: TIBN/830 WCCO/102.9 The Wolf /Audacy App
Know Yo’ Foe: Lone Star Ball
It’s the day we’ve all been waiting for. That’s right folks. It’s once again MIKE PAREDES DAY!! I feel like a kid on Christmas Eve.
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Facetious ribbing aside, Paredes has actually been perfectly fine in limited action. A few too many walks for how few batters he strikes out, but that’s never been an issue in the minors so we can chalk that up to a small sample size. It will be nice to get Mick Abel back soon, but Paredes has held his own and kept the Twins in games in his bulk outings, which is more than could be said for a lot of other pitchers currently on Minnesota’s roster.
On the other side, they’ll be facing lefty Mackenzie Gore who has dazzling stuff with the ability to throw a no hitter if he can command while also running the risk of imploding if he can’t. Gore has 3 or more walks in 8 of his 14 starts this year. In those 8 games, he has a 6.27 ERA. In the rest he has a 2.78 ERA. That’s a bigger difference than the one between reigning NL Cy Young Paul Skenes (2.75 ERA, 2.5 fWAR) and and current pitching Least Valuable Player Matt Strahm (5.40 ERA, -1.0 fWAR). Walks will haunt and patience is a virtue.
Meanwhile, the Twins will have one thing in their advantage: the promotion of 26-year-old Kyler Fedko. Fedko broke out in 2025 with 28 home runs, 38 stolen bases, and a 130 wRC+ in 130 games across AA and AAA. He’s kept that going in 2026 with a 138 wRC+ and has crushed lefties to the tune of a 1.262 OPS. Fedko is capable of playing all three outfield spots as well as first base and has enough speed and base running acumen to be a pinch runner late in games. I wouldn’t expect him to become a lineup fixture, but the Twins have been searching for a right-handed bench outfield bat for a half decade and may have stumbled into one on accident.