MINNEAPOLIS — The Minnesota Twins haven’t forgotten the sting from the day of the trade deadline last year.
Their latest feel-good win added yet more fuel for the front office to be in buy mode this time instead of the massive sell-off last summer.
After being no-hit through six innings by Kansas City’s Noah Cameron and shut out until the ninth, Minnesota mounted a thrilling two-out comeback to win 4-3 and improve to 10-2-1 in their last 13 series since June 12.
With a hit-by-pitch, a single and a walk, the Twins loaded the bases against Royals closer Lucas Erceg. Matt Strahm relieved and served up an 0-2 slider that Kody Clemens smacked into the flower box above right-center field for the sixth walk-off grand slam in team history.
Clemens, who’s second on the team with 19 home runs, was due up sixth in that inning.
“I was still preparing to get ready to hit. This team’s got a lot of fight in us, and we’ve tended to rally like that,” Clemens said. “I was ready.”
The Twins moved back to the .500 mark at 55-55 entering a nine-game road trip that begins at Seattle. The trade deadline this year is on Monday, when they’re off before starting a series in Kansas City. They’re in third place in the AL Central, three games behind Chicago and one game behind Cleveland. The wild-card race puts them even closer to postseason contention, one game behind the Guardians for the third and final spot.
Just keep winning series — that’s the focus in what has been a close-knit and fun-vibe clubhouse this season.
“We will celebrate this one,” said manager Derek Shelton, who just turned 56. “We’ll dual celebrate this one on this flight.”
With the deadline approaching, players will inevitably experience some unease. Catcher
Ryan Jeffers, who broke up Cameron’s no-hitter with a single and took the hit-by-pitch to spark the rally, is on an expiring contract and could be a useful chip toward acquiring pitching help, for example.
But after the stunning series of nine trades a year ago that jettisoned 40% of the major league roster, including four high-leverage relievers, the Twins are satisfied with the way they’ve performed on a slashed payroll with scant external expectations for success.
“I think it’d be awesome if it was very dramatic just in the other direction. I think it’d be awesome to go get some real big key pieces here,” infielder Royce Lewis said. “Anything you can add to this team, I think it’s going to be a boost emotionally for us on a team that’s already thriving and having so much fun in the clubhouse.”
General manager Jeremy Zoll said the goal is to add to the current team and not subtract. Owner Tom Pohlad, who’s been working hard to try to restore faith in the club within the fan base, said earlier in July he’s not interested in the type of cost-cutting moves initiated last year by his younger brother, Joe Pohlad, when he was the controlling owner.
“We’re going to focus on finding to continue to improve the bullpen and that’ll be a clear focus,” said Zoll, who has the lead role this year after the departure of president of baseball operations Derek Falvey. “Beyond that, we’re going to be open to a variety of creative paths, and you never know what might come about.”
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