MINNEAPOLIS -- After allowing 10 first-inning runs over their last nine games, the Twins decided to mix things up. They used reliever Danny Coulombe as an opener ahead of previously scheduled starter David Festa.
It didn’t change their fortunes. Though Minnesota led after the first inning for the first time since June 6, neither Coulombe nor Festa turned in the kind of outing the team would have hoped for in a 9-8 loss on Sunday to the Brewers at Target Field. It was the Twins’ ninth loss in 10 games and 13th in their last 16.
With two quality left-handed hitters in the first three spots of the Milwaukee order, the idea of having Coulombe face them out of the gate made sense. Ideally, it would allow Festa to pitch a little bit longer. The idea is that when he would begin to face hitters for a third time, it would not be the part of the lineup that included Sal Frelick and Christian Yelich.
“[It gives] us a chance to go out there, start a good reliever at the beginning of the game and then kind of run from there,” said manager Rocco Baldelli. “It also leaves the other team guessing a little bit. … A lot of reasons for it but I think it’s something that can help us and probably something that we’re going to see more of.”
However, Coulombe allowed a pair of two-out hits to put the Twins down early, and Festa had a rough outing. The second-year right-hander was charged with eight runs on 12 hits in 4 2/3 innings.
“It’s a little different,” said Festa, “but it had no impact on any of the results.”
Castro scratched
Utility man Willi Castro, who has been one of the Twins’ best hitters over the last several weeks, was scratched Sunday due to a sore right wrist that has been bothering him since Thursday. He expects to miss at least one or two more games.
“I’ve been feeling it since the last game in Cincinnati,” he said. “I think throughout the days, I was feeling a little more and a little more.”
Castro explained that he has dealt with pain in the area off and on since 2024. He said he received an X-ray and it was negative, and the medical staff believes it will heal with rest.
“I’ve had that pain before,” he said, “but today it was the day that it got worse. … The good thing is it’s nothing fractured or anything like that.”
Buxton stays scorching hot
Byron Buxton continues to climb up leaderboards. Buxton hit two homers on Sunday, including one to lead off the game for the Twins, giving him 17 on the season and five in the last week. They were Buxton’s fifth and sixth homers of the week.
The leadoff home run was his fourth of the season and the 13th of his career, putting him alone in fifth place in Twins history in that category, passing Dan Gladden. His 15th multi-homer game puts him into a tie for fifth on the franchise all-time list, alongside Bob Allison, behind only Harmon Killebrew, Justin Morneau, Tony Oliva, and Kent Hrbek.
Minor League tidbits
Emmanuel Rodriguez, the Twins’ No. 2 prospect and No. 28 overall in the MLB Pipeline Top 100, began an injury rehabilitation assignment on Saturday with the Florida Complex League Twins. Rodriguez, who has been out since May 30 with a right hip injury, went 1-for-3 with a walk, a run, and an RBI in his first game.
Twins No. 4 prospect Kaelen Culpepper has been promoted to Double-A and got off to a good start. He went 2-for-4 with a run in his first game at Wichita. Culpepper was the Twins’ No. 1 pick in 2024.