CLEVELAND, OHIO - JULY 22: Starting pitcher Bailey Ober #17 of the Minnesota Twins pitches during the first inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field on July 22, 2026 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) | Getty ImagesFirst Pitch (CT):12:40 PMTV: Twins.TVRadio: TIBN/830 WCCO/102.9 The Wolf /Audacy AppKnow Yo Foe:Royals ReviewAfter getting shutout by notorious ex-Twin Randy Dobnak last night, the Twins will try to get things back on track facing someone ever harder than a journeyman pitcher with a Triple-A ERA over 5: an anonymous lefty with an ERA just below 5. The Twins looked like one of the leagues best offenses from June 1 onward, but have scuttled coming out of the All-Star Break and still have hit 0 home runs since then. Not exactly a good way to right the ship. It wont be getting any easier with Byron Buxton on the IL for the second time this month and with the team scheduled to facing the grueling trio of Bryan Woo, Logan Gilbert, and George Kirby this weekend in Seattle. The Twins could have used the Buxton injury to bring a jolt to the lineup with one of their top 20 prospects crushing it at AAA, but instead we got the return of Tristan Gray who has a .566 OPS in St. Paul since being optioned. Oh and recently DFAd backup catcher Alex Jackson is starting at first base. Tom Pohlad and Jeremy Zoll say they expect to buy at the trade deadline which means they want to win, but its hard to believe theres a scenario where Tristan Gray puts this team in a better spot than Walker Jenkins, Kaelen Culpepper, or even lower ranked players like Hendry Mendez, Gabriel Gonzalez, or Kyler Fedko. Gray had two big hits at the beginning of the year and has apparently carried that momentum to hold a roster spot hostage. He cant really hit, makes Brooks Lee look like Gold Glover at short, and is a slow, bad baserunner. Its entirely possible Jenkins or Culpepper arent ready, but why not let them try? We know what Gray is and at 30 years old, hes not getting any better. In the meantime, lets at least try to scrape some runs across against a bad pitcher and sneak out of here at .500 and with another series win under their belts. Go Twins, go!LineupsTwinsOpponentSP: Bailey OberSP: Noah Cameron (LHP)1. Austin Martin, LF1. Carter Jensen, DH2. Ryan Jeffers, C2. John Rave, CF3. Royce Lewis, 2B3. Jac Caglianone, 1B4. Josh Bell, DH4. Salvador Perez, C5. Kody Clemens, RF5. Michael Massey ,2B6. Luke Keaschall, CF6. Nick Loftin, RF7. Brooks Lee, 3B7. Isaac Collins, LF8. Alex Jackson, 1B8. Josh Rojas, 3B9. Ryan Kreidler, SS9. Tyler Tolbert, SS