Mick Abel dominated on an abrupt return to the mound, firing six scoreless innings with nine strikeouts in a 5-0 win for Minnesota over Philadelphia. His fastball averaged near 97.5 mph and touched 98.9 in the opening frame, signaling a bright future as he strides toward a possible rotation spot next season.

Buxton’s leadoff homer kicked off the scoring as the Twins plated two more runs behind Outman and Fitzgerald, while the Phillies’ former Twin Harrison Bader, along with Schwarber, Harper and Realmuto, were stymied. Abel’s performance, coupled with a crisp bullpen and stifling defense, underscored the swing potential Abel offers in dynasty and keeper leagues while giving Minnesota a look at the high-end ceiling they traded for last July.

Twins 5, Phillies 0 as Mick Abel shines in his first start against his former club, fanning nine over six scoreless innings to underscore his upside in Minnesota’s postseason push. Buxton, Outman and Fitzgerald punish Ranger Suárez with solo shots, while Jeffers adds an RBI double. Suárez exits with a left-thigh contusion after a hard-hit 106 mph line drive. The win secures home-field for Minnesota’s postseason run, while Philadelphia locks in the No. 2 seed.

While Abel dazzles, the Twins’ lineup pages another chapter in late-season form, and the Brewers’ tiebreaker edge looms large in the NL playoff picture. With regular-season finales looming, Minnesota looks every bit a dangerous rotation and bullpen mix, while Philly eyes consistency behind Suárez’s replacement and a resilient pitching staff in October.

Next up: Woods Richardson for Minnesota against Cristopher Sánchez for Philadelphia, in a finale that could shape pivotal playoff seedings and DFS value across the league.

Padres stay hot and sit one game behind the Dodgers in the NL West after a 12-3 eruption that stretched over two hours and 58 minutes. San Diego slugged Minnesota’s pitching staff from the sixth through the eighth, turning a tight game into a bullpen-workout for the Twins and forcing 226 pitches in nine innings, a historic number. Taj Bradley worked five frames for Minnesota before the Padres' order woke up, and the bullpen chaos that followed opened the door for fantasy-friendly gains from Padres bats.

The historic pitch-tally and the finish in Minnesota lift the Padres into real division contention, but the piece also signals a deeper workload story: if San Diego’s lineup stays productive, streaming opportunities rise. Yet the Twins’ extreme pitch count underlines how volatile a high-scoring outburst can be for fantasy managers, especially with late-inning bullpen usage looming in the schedule ahead.