The Twins look to win three consecutive series for the first time this season, and all three would be against division leaders. Manager Rocco Baldelli joins “Inside Twins” to talk about the nice ball his squad has been playing.

On the heels of the closing ceremonies in Tokyo, Twins Today is joined by former gold medalist Jessica Mendoza. Jessica received a firsthand scouting report on Twins new pitching prospect Joe Ryan.

8/8/21: Inside Twins

Now that some of the dust has settled President of Baseball Operations Derek Falvey has an opportunity to reflect on what was a busy deadline.

Fresh off the trade deadline, Twins Today takes a deep dive on some of the prospects that the Twins acquired this past week with JJ Cooper, the Executive Editor of Baseball America

With the Trade Deadline looming Twins Today checks in with MLB Network Insider Jon Heyman who gives us the latest on Twins trade rumors including Jose Berrios and a player that Heyman says is “more likely than not to be traded.” Bally Sports North analyst LaTroy Hawkins discusses the deadline from his perspective as well as some of the memorable pitching performances that he’s seen firsthand. MLB.Com Angels beat writer Rhett Bollinger builds on last night’s pitching performance to help us reset the Twins/Angels series. Finally, we also have the pleasure of introducing you to one of the Twins best pitching prospects Jordan Balazovic and speaking of prospects, Twins Senior Manager of Baseball Operations, Brian Maloney shares the intake process of the Twins recent draft picks.

Was the trade of Nelson Cruz the only deal the Twins will make before Friday’s 3pm deadline? Twins’ General Manager Thad Levine joins “Inside Twins” to discuss the tough decision to move the slugger to Tampa, and how this week could play out. He said the team is not actively shopping guys who are not approaching free agency after this season, like Berrios and Buxton. Thad thinks the core of this team will be able to compete for the postseason in 2022, a belief that is supported by the teams who are calling and inquiring about making a deal. As Thad put it “if other teams think our players can help them win a championship, we believe they can help us win a championship.” He also gets into some of the factors that are making this a unique trade deadline, such as the timing of the draft.

11 of the 21 players the Twins selected in the 2021 Draft were pitchers, including their first round pick Chase Petty. Director of Amateur Scouting Sean Johnson joins “Inside Twins” to talk about the high school right-handed flame thrower from New Jersey. It was a draft deep in arms, but even Sean thinks that the Twins ended up with more pitchers than they thought. With 19 of the Twins’ selections coming from college, Sean explains the focus on this direction – especially with the pitchers. He also gives his thoughts on what he considers the ideal time and location for the draft.

Twins Today is coming out of the All-Star Break with a recap of the festivities. First we introduce you to Twins Prospect and St. Paul Saints Starting Pitcher Josh Winder. Winder talks about his Futures Game experience as well as how he’s maintained success on the mound. Then 4-Time All-Star Justin Morneau recaps his time in Colorado last week as well as relives his 2008 Home Run Derby Championship. Finally, Twins Senior Director of Communications Dustin Morse shares his perspective of All-Star Week as well as looks ahead to what his responsibilities could be come the trade deadline

Twins Today hits the halfway point as Twins Reliever Tyler Duffey joins the program for an extended conversation on his season, trends in the game and his thoughts on who should be going to Colorado as an All-Star. It’s also draft day and Brit Minder, Coordinator of Amateur Scouting, paints us a picture of who is in the room making the decisions and how debates on a selection are handled. We flashback on the week with a great conversation with former Twin and World Series Champion A.J. Pierzynski. Finally, we check in with a couple of broadcasters as Cedar Rapids play-by-play Chris Kleinhans-Schulz takes us on Kernels winning streak while Twins television Play-by-play Dick Bremer helps us wrap up the 1st half of the season.

The first half of the season has not gone according to plan for the Twins. The team’s principal owner Jim Pohlad joins “Inside Twins” to discuss the 2021 season so far and admits everyone expected different outcomes, but he still has faith in his baseball operations department now and going forward. When asked if the Twins can keep Jose Berrios and Byron Buxton long term, Jim says “I think the answer is a definitive yes.” He dives into watching some of the young players who will be part of the future coming up and already playing key roles. Plus, he has been pleased with the relationship with St. Paul as the new triple-A affiliate, and is in favor of participating in one of the Saints time honored tradition.

Fifteen games under .500 is not where the Twins expected to be at the midway point of the season. General Manager Thad Levine joins “Inside Twins” and admits that they have to re-evaluate how to determine if 2021 is a successful campaign. A key reason for the struggles has been the pitching and how it has regressed from the prior two seasons. Thad starts with issues in the bullpen, saying they built it the same way as in the past, but it did work out here in 2021. The front office is remaining optimistic, but also objective – meaning yes, they are engaging in trade talks, but they what to avoid “over-correcting”, still believing the core will be competitive in 2022

Twins Today welcomes in 8 decades of baseball knowledge as we chat with 16 time Gold Glover winner Jim Kaat about today’s game. We also hear from Kansas City Royals MLB.com beat writer Anne Rogers as the Twins wrap up a series in KC. Then we look forward to the upcoming homestand with Eric Hudson, Twins Senior Director of Ticket Service and Retention, who helps us preview “Welcome Back Week” as well as tell you about what promotions are in store for this week. Plus, Sean Aronson, St. Paul Saints Vice President, Director Media Relations/Broadcasting, gives us a unique perspective on what was a memorable homestand at CHS Field in St. Paul this past week.

What is the day in a life for a big league manager? Rocco Baldelli walks us through that when he joins Kris Atteberry for “Inside Twins” this week. The skipper also dives into how he is handling the merger of the current core of Twins with players who should be part of the next wave. Also, Rocco has been used to waking up and having his teams near the top of the standings since 2017. He tells us what he is learning from this 2021 season as his squad keeps searching to get back on track

Target Field Executive Chef Kurt Chenier provides the menu for this week’s Twins Today program as Chef helps you plan out a meal for your trip to the ballpark no matter who your guests are. Chef also helps us celebrate 100 percent capacity at Target Field with an All You Can offer for the entire ballpark. But for starters we take a look at Nelson Cruz’s season and put in perspective against baseball history. On the side, we bring in Wichita Wind Surge Broadcaster Tim Grubbs as he provides in-depth analysis on this week’s player and pitcher of the week. We also hear from MLB.com Do-Hyoung Park on how the team could approach the trade deadline over the next month. For desert, we welcome in Cleveland’s Broadcaster Jim Rosenhaus who treats us to his take on how the AL Central will play out this year and in the future.

Twins Today heads down to the lone star state in the first hour as we visit with Saturday’s Twins starter Randy Dobnak. Dobnak talks about adjustments he needs and is making on the mound as well as how pitchers will have to adapt with the league formally checking on foreign substances this upcoming week. Twins Assistant General Manager Jeremy Zoll is also with the team and he addressed how challenging the trade deadline will be as a result of most prospects not playing in 2020. We then get you ready for the upcoming homestand as Enquirer’s Reds beat writer Bobby Nightengale Jr. previews the Twins/Reds series. We also visit with former Red Pete Rose in an interesting conversation about sports gambling. We wrap up the program with Executive Director of ACES 4 Kids Christina Saunders as she talks about how the Twins & ACES are teaming up to help provide opportunities to kids while the Star Tribune’s Mike Rand closes out the program with analysis on how the Twins should be approaching the next month.

Twins President of Baseball Operations Derek Falvey admits he was a bit naïve when it comes to the extent pitchers have been doctoring the ball. He makes that admission on this week’s “Inside Twins” as he looks at when things crossed into performance enhancing territory along with the new penalties which will be implemented starting this week. This has also thrown a new variable when it comes to evaluating players you may acquire via trade or the draft. With his team still towards the bottom of the division, Derek looks at where things went off the rails, and how pitching will be the key to a potential turnaround

Spider tack has crossed the line when it comes to putting illegal substances on the baseball, that is what Twins’ Pitching Coach Wes Johnson says on this week’s “Inside Twins”. Doctoring the ball has been a part of the game forever, but what makes this situation so different? Wes explores that, along with if a pitcher can reach next level success without assistance from illegal substances and/or new theories on mechanics. He also gets into the pros and cons of catchers setting up behind the plate on one knee, and takes a look at the struggles of some of his starters this season. It is more than pitching 101 on this week’s show.

This week’s Twins Today features guests that combine for 25 All Star Appearances and 10 different Batting Titles. First, Rod Carew makes a special visit to the program to talk about his venture into Twitter, his relationship with Tony Oliva and his book One Tough Out. Then Joe Mauer stops by to preview which one of his former teammates will win the Mauer & Friends Kid’s Classic Home Run Derby this week. Finally, 1988 Twins All Star Tim Laudner joins us to talk catching philosophy in today’s game. Those conversations are accompanied by an interesting look at the how the new rules are impacting the game in Low A as we talk with Fort Myers Mighty Mussels broadcaster John Vittas as well as continued conversation on the foreign substance issue with The Athletic’s Dan Hayes.

This week’s episode of Twins Today spends a lot of the time in different clubhouses. First we dive into the St. Paul Saints clubhouse as Manager Toby Gardenhire describes his first month on the job and the challenges of an ever changing roster. Plus, Toby shares how different and unique each story is every time he gets to tell a ballplayer that he is getting called up to the majors. Then we visit the Twins Clubhouse where Josh Donaldson gives a thoughtful and detailed analysis on baseball’s foreign substance issue. Trevor Larnach also joins the program to discuss when data is valuable and when being a ballplayer puts you in a better position to succeed. We wrap up “Twins Today” as the Star Tribune’s Phil Miller joins the last part of the show and Mike Clough, Senior Vice President of Ticket Sales and & Brand Partnerships, shares how fans can continue to take advantage of hospitality areas at Target Field throughout June.

The Twins find themselves 12 games under .500 as they approach the 60 game point of the season. Assistant General Manager Daniel Adler joins “Inside Twins” this week to discuss the struggles. He says the front office needs to figure out what areas they control and how to improve those areas. They also dive into the hot topic of pitchers using substances on the baseball. Adler addresses comments from Twins Third Baseman Josh Donaldson on the subject while also identifying other numbers and factors to support some of the recent pitching success in the majors. Also, injuries are a concern for every team, and Adler says the Twins and all organizations are searching for answers.

When do the Twins decide if they are buyers or sellers? Twins Today brings in MLB.com Executive Reporter Mark Feinsand to discuss the timeline to make that decision. If the Twins do become sellers, Mark offers up the obvious pieces that the team will move as well as the not so obvious trades. Former All Star and Television Analyst Roy Smalley also visits the program to break down short stop play and to share some laughs about a memorable Kent Hrbek story. The voice of the Cedar Rapids Kernels Chris Kleinhans-Schulz shares his perspective on a few future Twins while the Founder and Executive Director of Project Success, Adrienne Diercks, tells us how they are teaming up with the Twins to provide a future for young students.

Baseball has a sticky situation to deal with regarding pitchers using substances on the ball, Twins manager Rocco Baldelli dives into that when he joins “Inside Twins”. The skipper also talks about trying to cap off his squad’s best week of ball with another series victory, and provides injury updates on several key player. Plus, it’s a confluence of nostalgia and modern thoughts when he is asked if he would like to have an everyday set lineup. That and more on this week’s episode.

Are the Minnesota Twins already looking to sell? President of Baseball Operations Derek Falvey joins Cory Provus on Inside Twins to answer that question and to discuss the state of the team. Derek also provides fans some indicators on how to evaluate player effort throughout the game. The two close out the conversation by looking at the scope of the game, what the Twins Front Office has learned about the new rules at the Minor League levels and what all the no-hitters say about today’s game.

Twins Today introduces you to new St. Paul Saints Broadcaster Andy Helwig as they discuss Andy’s path to St. Paul. We also hear about the homestand highlights including the 2021 debut of Twins pitching prospect Jhoan Duran. Then Senior Manager of Special Events and Promotions Mitch Retelny provides a detailed look at what unique memorabilia you can find at Target Field this summer