The Minnesota Twins are gearing up for a challenging stretch with ace Pablo López sidelined for months due to injury. Manager Rocco Baldelli is looking to young pitchers David Festa, Zebby Matthews, and Simeon Woods Richardson to step up and provide valuable innings in the starting rotation. Historically, these young arms have struggled to pitch beyond five innings consistently, but Baldelli emphasizes the need for them to gain depth in their outings, which will subsequently relieve the overworked bullpen. The aim is to keep the starters throwing into the sixth and seventh innings to help maintain team stamina and performance.

Meanwhile, the Twins recently completed a four-game series against the Athletics at Sutter Health Park, where they expressed relief at leaving behind what has been described as a brutal playing surface that has caused discomfort for players like Carlos Correa and Ty France. Correa notably missed games due to back pain attributed to the hard batter’s box, while Joe Ryan raised concerns about the mound’s quality likely affecting pitchers' health. The organization is now focused on ensuring their young starters can contribute effectively and remain healthy.