Twins return from All-Star break with 6-4 loss to Rockies

Phil Miller, The Minnesota Star Tribune on Jul 18, 2025

Published in Baseball

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DENVER — The second half of the 2025 season began for the Twins in exactly the same way as the first half ended: With a loss to a last-place National League team.

Byron Buxton homered and singled twice, Ryan Jeffers added a double and three singles and Willi Castro cracked one of the longest home runs of his career, scoring both of those teammates in front of him. But none of it mattered, because the first four Rockies to bat against Chris Paddack on Friday whizzed extra-base hits into Coors Field’s extra-large outfield — or beyond — and Colorado clung to that lead for a 6-4 victory.

It was the Rockies’ 23rd win of the season, the fewest an MLB team has ever collected in its first 97 games of a season. And it was the Twins’ 50th loss, leaving them 11 1/2 games behind the Tigers in the AL Central.

Paddack, who started a Twins loss for the 11th time in his past 13 appearances, surrendered back-to-back doubles to Tyler Freeman and Mickey Moniak to open his outing, then a triple to Jordan Beck, whose long fly ball popped out of Buxton’s glove as he tried to make a diving catch. Ryan McMahon completed the nightmarish first inning by blasting a curveball from Paddack into the bullpens in right field.

Paddack also allowed a home run to Beck in the second inning, a 448-footer to straightaway center field, but actually settled down from there, allowing no more runs over the final three innings.

But the Twins could do little against Colorado left-hander Kyle Freeland, who improved to 2-10 on the season, mostly by holding the Twins hitless (0 for 7) with runners in scoring position while he was in the game. The Twins scored only once against Freeland, that coming on Buxton’s 22nd home run of the season, a solo shot.

Two singles and Castro’s 10th home run into the pine trees in center field off reliever Jake Bird allowed the Twins to pull within two runs, but they got no closer.