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New York Times
2 hours ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Big nights from Brooks Lee, David Festa, Byron Buxton pace Twins over Tigers
DETROIT — He always looks for a fastball to hit, but Brooks Lee really wanted this one. Batting with the schizophrenic Twins ahead by two runs in the sixth inning Friday night against the first-place Detroit Tigers, Lee hoped to provide his team and pitcher a little breathing room. Similar to his performance the past month, Lee achieved his goal. Rather than try to do too much with a four-seam fastball, Lee stayed up the middle with his approach and deposited a single in center field to drive in a crucial run. Advertisement Lee's two run-scoring hits, a sterling performance by David Festa, another big game from Byron Buxton and even a run-scoring bunt paced the Twins to a 4-1 victory in the series opener at Comerica Park, the team's third straight victory. Festa struck out six in 5 2/3 scoreless innings, Buxton belted his 18th homer and stole a base and Lee stayed red hot. Despite losing 11 of 12 before their current win streak, the Twins are only two games back of the final spot in what remains a wide-open American League wild-card race. 'He's showing a lot of different tricks and different adjustments he can make,' Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said of Lee. 'He looks really comfortable. He always looks like he knows what to do next. You have to be on your toes because pitchers are going to make a lot of good adjustments. … When they've done that, he's done different things. He's come right back at them.' Lee has done many things over the past month for the Twins. Almost all could be described as wonderful. While the stretch hasn't been perfect — Lee recently had a rough defensive day, and there was the game-ending strikeout Sunday in which he didn't run out the play to first base — it's been pretty close. Since May 28, Lee has hit safely in 25 of 26 games, including a 20-game hitting streak which ended Sunday with the aforementioned strikeout. Over 26 games, Lee is batting .350/.375/.510 with four doubles, four home runs and 17 RBIs. A day after he homered to stretch the lead to three runs in another tight game, which ended with a blowout victory over Seattle, Lee got the Twins going in the Motor City. Double double animal style! — Minnesota Twins (@Twins) June 28, 2025 He broke a scoreless tie with two outs in the fourth inning, pulling a 1-0 cut fastball from ex-Twins farmhand Sawyer Gipson-Long down the first-base line to drive in Matt Wallner, who also doubled. Buxton extended the lead to two runs with a massive, two-out, solo homer in the fifth off Gipson-Long. Though the two-run cushion was nice, recently, no lead has been safe with the way the Twins have been pitching. Enter Lee, who spent the entire offseason gearing himself up to hit the fastball following a disappointing end to his rookie season. For his entire career, back to Little League, Lee said he's always punished fastballs. He didn't in 2024, finishing his rookie season batting .193 against four-seamers. His struggles forced Lee to refocus his efforts ahead of spring training, and the effort is paying off. Though back and shoulder injuries very likely played a part in last season's struggles, Lee spent the winter refining his swing to make it more compact. The adjustment has Lee in a better position to impact the ball, whether he's trying to pull it for power or line it back up the middle. Advertisement Facing reliever lefty reliever Brant Hurter with runners on the corners and one out in the sixth, Lee hoped for a fastball at the top of the zone. Though the 0-1 pitch was a little lower than he expected, Lee jumped on it and ripped it for a run-scoring single. Lee entered Friday hitting .375 on fastballs, according to Baseball Savant. 'I'm probably going to get a lot off-speed pitches, but when I do get a fastball that's there, it's a gift,' Lee said. 'It's the straightest ball in the game. I should hit it. It should be the easiest pitch to hit for me, and it all centers around my approach. I just want to be on the fastball for most of my at-bats. I really think it's been working, but I have to continue to stay on top of it because it can go away.' The Twins added a fourth run in the seventh when Buxton walked, stole second, advanced to third on a groundout and scored to make it 4-0 on Willi Castro's sacrifice bunt. Despite a Jekyll and Hyde-type season, the Twins aren't going away yet. Following their 1-11 stretch, the Twins fell to five games under .500. Suddenly, they're 40-42 and only 2 1/2 back of Seattle, though they'd have to leapfrog four teams to earn a wild-card spot. One reason the Twins were so down and out was a heinous 17-game stretch by the pitching staff, which yielded nine runs eight times. But suddenly, the Twins look as if they might rediscover the form that made them one of baseball's top pitching staffs before the injury to Pablo López. Festa delivered the third straight gem by a Twins starting pitcher as he followed in the footsteps of Joe Ryan and Simeon Woods Richardson with a scoreless outing. Leaning heavily on his slider while mixing in a changeup and both fastballs, Festa cruised through all but one inning. He set down the side in order in the first, third, fourth and fifth innings, retiring 12 in a row at one point. Advertisement '(The slider) felt good, it felt good getting ahead and putting away,' Festa said. 'They say hitting's contagious — I think pitching is as well. We're just trying to stack good outings on good outings.' Festa only slowed down in the second inning when he hit a batter and yielded a two-out single. But Festa, who generated nine swings-and-misses in 75 pitches, remained composed and induced an inning-ending comebacker off Dillon Dingler's bat. He wouldn't allow another base runner until two outs in the sixth inning. Along with his six strikeouts, Festa walked none and limited Detroit to two hits. After posting a 6.85 ERA over their previous 17 games, Twins starting pitchers have produced 18 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings, including the final two from Chris Paddack's start on Tuesday. Lee, Buxton, Castro and the Twins' bullpen made sure it counted. That's a NO DOUBTER from Byron Buxton!!!! — (@twinstv) June 28, 2025 For Lee, it's another sign over the past month that his bat still has the potential that led the Twins to select him with the eighth pick of the 2022 amateur draft. 'It's been good,' Lee said. 'I can't complain. I'm still working as hard as I can to make sure both of my swings are on point. Try to come to the ballpark and try to get better every single day. It's all I can do. I can't control the wins and losses, but I can help.' (Top photo of Brooks Lee: Lon Horwedel / Imagn Images)
CBS News
3 hours ago
- Sport
- CBS News
Detroit Red Wings select Carter Bear in 2025 NHL draft
The Detroit Red Wings selected Canadian hockey player Carter Bear on Friday in the 2025 NHL draft. Bear, who played three seasons for the Everett Silvertips in the Western Hockey League, was selected 13th overall. He ranked among top leaders in the 2024-2025 season with 40 goals, 42 assists, 82 points and 77 penalty minutes. Standing at 6 feet, Bear also played with the Winnipeg Thrashers in the 2022-2023 season. The NHL draft will continue on Saturday, June 28. The Red Wings have eight remaining picks: one in the second round, two in the third round, one in the fourth round, one in the fifth round, one in the sixth round and two in the seventh round. Earlier this week, the Red Wings released their 2025-2026 preseason schedule, with the first matchup set against the Chicago Blackhawks. Kickoff for the first game at the Little Caesars Arena will be at 7 p.m. on Sept. 23. Ticket sales will be announced at a later date.
CBS News
4 hours ago
- Sport
- CBS News
Minnesota Twins' take 4-1 victory over Detroit Tigers
Byron Buxton homered and scored twice to help the Minnesota Twins beat the Detroit Tigers 4-1 on Friday night for their third straight victory. David Festa (2-2) pitched 5 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing two hits. He struck out six and didn't walk a batter. Jhoan Durán pitched the ninth for his 12th save. Brooks Lee drove in a pair of runs for the Twins. Sawyer Gipson-Long (0-1) took the loss, allowing three runs in 5 1/3 innings. The Twins took a 1-0 lead in the fourth on back-to-back doubles by Matt Wallner and Lee, then made it 2-0 an inning later on Buxton's long homer to left. The Twins made it 3-0 in the sixth. Reliever Brant Hurter replaced Gipson-Long with one out and a runner on first. After a wild pitch, Hurter walked Ty France before Lee hit an RBI single. Hurter then hit former Tiger Kody Clemens to load the bases, but Carlos Hernández replaced Hurter and got out of the inning when Harrison Bader struck out and Christian Vazquez grounded out. Buxton led off the seventh with a walk, stole second, took third on Trevor Larnach's groundout and scored on Willi Castro's squeeze bunt. The Tigers had two runners on in the seventh, but Dillon Dingler grounded into a force at third and Parker Meadows popped out, but they finally scored when Colt Keith tripled in the eighth and scored on Gleyber Torres' single. Zach McKinstry singled to put runners on the corners, but Griffin Jax struck out Riley Greene and Spencer Torkelson to end the inning. The Tigers had a chance to rally after Torres got their second hit with two out in the sixth. Twins manager Rocco Baldelli replaced Festa with Danny Coulombe and Tigers manager A.J. Hinch countered with pinch-hitter Jahmai Jones. Baldelli won the duel, as Jones grounded to Lee at third for a force at second. Lee had prevented a bigger rally earlier in the inning, going behind the bag to field a Javier Báez grounder and make the play at first. The Tigers came into the game with a 21-5 record in series-opening games this season, including 12-1 at home. Detroit RHP Casey Mize (7-2, 2.88) was set to face RHP Bailey Ober (4-5, 4.90) on Saturday. ___ AP MLB:
Reuters
4 hours ago
- Sport
- Reuters
David Festa, Twins shut down AL-best Tigers
June 28 - Byron Buxton hit a solo homer and David Festa pitched 5 2/3 scoreless innings as the visiting Minnesota Twins downed the Detroit Tigers 4-1 on Friday night. Brooks Lee drove in two runs, Willi Castro scored a run and knocked in another and Buxton scored two runs as the Twins won their third straight following a five-game losing streak. Festa (2-2) allowed just two hits and struck out six Tigers, who have the best record in the American League. Jhoan Duran notched his 12th save by getting the last three outs in the opener of a three-game set. Gleyber Torres had two hits and drove in the lone Tigers run. Starter Sawyer Gipson-Long (0-1) yielded three runs on four hits and two walks in 5 1/3 innings while recording five strikeouts. The Tigers had a threat in the second. Spencer Torkelson was hit by a pitch and Dillon Dingler had a two-out single. Parker Meadows was retired on a check-swing comebacker to Festa. Minnesota stranded two runners in the third, then broke through in the fourth. Matt Wallner slashed a two-out double before Lee doubled to right for the first run of the contest. The Twins made it 2-0 the next inning on Buxton's two-out homer to left which traveled an estimated 425 feet. Minnesota tacked on a run in the sixth. Castro walked, stole second and moved to third on a wild pitch. After Ty France walked with one out, Lee singled to center to score Castro. Minnesota took a 4-0 lead in the seventh. Buxton walked, stole second and moved to third on a groundout. He scored on Castro's sacrifice bunt. Detroit stranded two runners in the seventh, then got on the scoreboard in the eighth. Colt Keith tripled with one out and scored on Torres' RBI single. Zach McKinstry's single put runners on the corners. McKinstry stole second, but reliever Griffin Jax responded by striking out Riley Greene and Torkelson to end the inning. --Field Level Media
Al Arabiya
4 hours ago
- Sport
- Al Arabiya
Byron Buxton Homers in the Twins' 4-1 Victory Over the Tigers
Byron Buxton homered and scored twice to help the Minnesota Twins beat the Detroit Tigers 4–1 on Friday night for their third straight victory. David Festa (2–2) pitched 5 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing two hits. He struck out six and didn't walk a batter. Jhoan Durán pitched the ninth for his 12th save. Brooks Lee drove in a pair of runs for the Twins. Sawyer Gipson-Long (0–1) took the loss, allowing three runs in 5 1/3 innings. The Twins took a 1–0 lead in the fourth on back-to-back doubles by Matt Wallner and Lee, then made it 2–0 an inning later on Buxton's long homer to left. The Twins made it 3–0 in the sixth. Reliever Brant Hurter replaced Gipson-Long with one out and a runner on first. After a wild pitch, Hurter walked Ty France before Lee hit an RBI single. Hurter then hit former Tiger Kody Clemens to load the bases, but Carlos Hernández replaced Hurter and got out of the inning when Harrison Bader struck out and Christian Vázquez grounded out. Buxton led off the seventh with a walk, stole second, took third on Trevor Larnach's groundout and scored on Willi Castro's squeeze bunt. The Tigers had two runners on in the seventh, but Dillon Dingler grounded into a force at third and Parker Meadows popped out. But they finally scored when Colt Keith tripled in the eighth and scored on Gleyber Torres' single. Zach McKinstry singled to put runners on the corners, but Griffin Jax struck out Riley Greene and Spencer Torkelson to end the inning. Key moment: The Tigers had a chance to rally after Torres got their second hit with two out in the sixth. Twins manager Rocco Baldelli replaced Festa with Danny Coulombe, and Tigers manager A.J. Hinch countered with pinch-hitter Jahmai Jones. Baldelli won the duel as Jones grounded to Lee at third for a force at second. Lee had prevented a bigger rally earlier in the inning, going behind the bag to field a Javier Báez grounder and make the play at first. Key stat: The Tigers came into the game with a 21–5 record in series-opening games this season, including 12–1 at home.
