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Detroit Tigers’ Kenta Maeda hammered in 7-inning 12-3 loss to Minnesota Twins

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6 months ago

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Detroit Tigers’ Kenta Maeda hammered in 7-inning 12-3 loss to Minnesota Twins


MINNEAPOLIS — Detroit Tigers second baseman Colt Keith swung so aggressively that his helmet didn’t stay on his head. As a result, he hit the ball 426 feet, into the second deck in right-center field for the fifth home run of his rookie season.

Keith jogged around the bases without his helmet.

The Fourth of July fireworks from Keith looked pretty, but a deluge of runs, and then an actual deluge, left the Tigers with an ugly 12-3 loss to the Minnesota Twins in Thursday’s finale of the three-game series at Target Field, all because right-hander Kenta Maeda struggled again.

Maeda had already been tagged for multiple runs when the rain started falling in Minneapolis, but the umpires kept the game going into the seventh inning. Eventually, they stopped it, and after a brief rain delay, the game was called with two outs in the bottom of the seventh.

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With Thursday’s loss, the Tigers (39-48) have dropped seven of their past eight series. Also, the Tigers haven’t won two games in a row since winning three in a row from June 2-4. Since then, they’ve lost 18 of 26 games.

RAVE ROOKIE: Detroit Tigers rookie Keider Montero ready for multi-start opportunity in rotation

Maeda signed a two-year, $24 million contract with the Tigers, owed $14 million in 2024 and $10 million in 2025. President of baseball operations Scott Harris expected Maeda to help the young pitchers learn to command their pitches.

He owns a 6.71 ERA in 15 starts.

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This time, the 36-year-old allowed nine runs on nine hits and three walks with three strikeouts across 3⅔ innings, throwing 88 pitches. The 36-year-old continues to increase his fastball velocity, but he can’t command any of his pitches.

Maeda squandered a three-run lead to the Twins.

Keith, whom the Tigers signed to a six-year, $28.6 million contract before his first MLB game, provided a 1-0 lead when he turned on a middle-in slider from right-hander Bailey Ober for a solo home run with two strikes and one out in the first inning. The distance of 426 feet marked the longest homer of his career.

In 50 games beginning May 1, Keith is hitting .281 with all five of his home runs.

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The Tigers tacked on two more runs in the second inning for a 3-0 advantage, thanks to a two-strike, two-out double from Jake Rogers.

From there, everything fell apart for the Tigers.

Kenta Maeda struggles

The Twins torched Maeda, who pitched for the Twins from 2020-23, for two runs in the second inning, three runs in the third inning and four runs in the fourth inning.

In the third inning, the Twins took a 4-3 lead when Max Kepler delivered a two-run single with two outs. An ensuing infield single from Manuel Margo pushed the Twins’ lead to 5-3 in the third.

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The Twins broke open the game in the fourth inning after Maeda retired the first two batters. He then walked two batters, opening the door for Jose Miranda’s two-run double off Maeda’s slider and Ryan Jeffers’ two-run home run off Maeda’s splitter.

The score was 9-3 when Maeda walked off the mound.

Miranda finished 5-for-5 with three RBIs, posting three doubles and two singles. Jeffers went 3-for-4 with four RBIs and Kepler went 2-for-4 with two RBIs, providing the other multi-hit performances for the Twins.

Maeda, meanwhile, generated 11 whiffs on 41 swings — a 26.8% whiff rate — with five sliders, one splitter, two sinkers, one sweeper and two cutters. He entered Thursday’s start averaging a 22% whiff rate in his first 15 outings, much worse than last year’s 28.2% whiff rate in 21 games.

More bad pitchers

Left-handed reliever Joey Wentz replaced Maeda in the fourth inning and covered 2⅓ innings. He surrendered two runs (one earned run) on three hits and three walks with one strikeout.

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The Twins grabbed an 11-3 lead with Jeffers’ two-run single on a ground ball to Wentz. Only one runner should’ve scored, but Wentz threw the ball away, which allowed the second runner to score on the play.

Right-handed reliever Shelby Miller gave up one run in the seventh inning, making it 12-3, and hit a batter in the head because a pitch slipped out of his hand. After that, the game entered its terminal rain delay.

Wentz has a 5.11 ERA; Miller has a 6.41 ERA.

Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.

Listen to our weekly Tigers show “Days of Roar” every Monday afternoon on demand at freep.com, Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. And catch all of our podcasts and daily voice briefing at freep.com/podcasts.

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Minnesota

Anthony Edwards Calls Out Team After Minnesota Timberwolves Lose To Knicks

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57 minutes ago

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December 20, 2024

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Anthony Edwards Calls Out Team After Minnesota Timberwolves Lose To Knicks


On Thursday night, the Minnesota Timberwovles hosted Karl-Anthony Towns and the New York Knicks at the Target Center.

There was a lot of emotion due to the fact that Towns made his return for the first time as a member of another team.

The Timberwovles lost by a score of 133-107.

Via StatMuse: “Karl-Anthony Towns tonight:

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32 PTS
20 REB
6 AST
10-12 FG
5-5 3P
+31

Showed out in his return to Minnesota.”

After the tough loss, Anthony Edwards called out his team when he met with the media (h/t Dane Moore of Blue Wire).

Edwards: “We don’t have s**t on offense. We don’t have no identity. We know I’m gonna shoot a bunch of shots, we know Ju gonna shoot a bunch of shots and that’s all we know. We don’t really know anything else. It’s not on the coaches at all. It’s on us. We’re out there playing.”

Edwards finished the loss with 17 points, five rebounds, seven assists, three steals and one block while shooting 7/16 from the field and 3/7 from the three-point range in 34 minutes of playing time.

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The Timberwolves dropped to 14-12 in 26 games, which has them as the eighth seed in the Western Conference.

They are still 6-4 over their last ten.

Following New York, the Timberwolves will play their next game when they host Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors on Saturday evening.

Since trading Towns over the offseason, they have yet to look like a team that is coming off a 2024 Western Conference finals appearance.

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MNUFC Releases 2025 Schedule | Minnesota United FC

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9 hours ago

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December 19, 2024

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MNUFC Releases 2025 Schedule | Minnesota United FC


Minnesota United and Major League Soccer announced today the full schedule for the 2025 MLS Regular Season.

MNUFC kicks off its ninth season in MLS on the road against LAFC at BMO Stadium on Saturday, February 22 before coming home to host Eastern Conference opponent CF Montréal on March 1 for the 2025 home opener at Allianz Field.

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Additional key matchups in the 2025 schedule include:

  • LA Galaxy: MNUFC hosts the 2024 MLS Cup Champions on Saturday, March 22 at Allianz Field and will face the Galaxy on Decision Day, October 18 on the road. The Loons faced the LA Galaxy in the 2024 Western Conference Semifinals at Dignity Health Sports Park, where the Galaxy defeated MNUFC to advance to the Western Conference Final and MLS Cup.
  • Inter Miami CF: The Loons will host the 2024 Supporters’ Shield winners, Inter Miami CF, for the first time in club history on Saturday, May 10 at Allianz Field. MNUFC last played Miami in 2022 on the road.
  • San Diego FC: Minnesota United will welcome new Western Conference opponent San Diego FC to Allianz Field on Saturday, June 14. The Loons will travel to Snapdragon Stadium to face the expansion side on September 13.
  • Eastern Conference: In addition to CF Montréal and Inter Miami CF, MNUFC will face New York City FC, Toronto FC, New York Red Bulls and Chicago Fire FC.

Minnesota United will have four nationally televised games in 2025 featuring Western Conference opponents LAFC for the 2024 MLS season opener on February 22 (FOX), Sporting Kansas City on Saturday, March 15 (FS1), FC Dallas on Fourth of July (FS1) and Seattle Sounders FC on Saturday, August 16 (FS1). Additionally, MNUFC will have two MLS Season Pass Game of the Week matches in 2025 featuring FC Dallas on Sunday, April 20 at Allianz Field, and Seattle Sounders FC on Sunday, June 1 at Lumen Field.

MNUFC will release the 2025 Theme Nights schedule at a later date.

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Single-game tickets for all MLS home games on the 2025 schedule will go on sale in early February. As usual, MNUFC insiders will receive first access to single-game tickets through a series of exclusive presales, beginning with Itasca Members, followed by Season Ticket Members, then members of The Preserve, and finally subscribers to the MNUFC newsletter. Limited quantities of single-game tickets will be held for each of those windows throughout the presale process.

Fans who want to give themselves the best shot at securing single-game tickets for the season’s most popular games can join The Preserve. For $25 per seat, Preserve membership holds the fan’s spot in line for season tickets, while unlocking early access to tickets presales, including for MNUFC home games, MLS Cup Playoffs, US National Team Games, and other marquee events at Allianz Field.

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Additionally, fans can sign up for the MNUFC newsletter to receive presale access following members of The Preserve.

In the meantime, fans can get a jump on the action with one of two partial plans that are currently available. Starting at $145, the First Five Package includes a ticket for the Loons first five home games of the season, along with increased access for season tickets in 2026. Meanwhile, the Holiday Hat Pack includes a ticket to MNUFC’s first two home matches, plus a limited-edition knit hat, all starting at just $86.

Other ticketing opportunities include discounted tickets for groups of 10 or more, as well as single-game rentals of Allianz Field premium spaces, both of which will go on sale in January. Fans interested in purchasing group or premium tickets should place a refundable deposit today to guarantee their spot in the annual Group and Premium Selection processes, when most of the season’s most popular games are sold out. Note that group tickets will not be available for the May 10 match vs. Inter Miami.

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Leagues Cup 2025, the official Concacaf tournament between LIGA MX and Major League Soccer, will be played July 29 to August 31, 2025 in the United States and Canada. A new format will be announced at a later date, along with the schedule and additional information. Concacaf will continue to award three qualification berths to the Concacaf Champions Cup to the Leagues Cup champion and second and third-place finishers.

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Austin FC will host the 2025 MLS All-Star Game at Q2 Stadium in Austin, Texas on Wednesday, July 23 (MLS Season Pass on Apple TV). The MLS All-Star Skills Challenge presented by AT&T is scheduled for Tuesday, July 22. Additional details on the 2025 MLS All-Star Skills Challenge presented by AT&T and the opponent for the 2025 MLS All-Star Game will be announced at a later date.

The MLS regular season concludes with Decision Day 2025 on Saturday, October 18. The slate, which features Eastern Conference matches kicking off at 5 p.m. CT and Western Conference matches beginning at 8 p.m. CT on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV, decides who is in and who is out in the Audi 2025 MLS Cup Playoffs. Additionally, New York City FC will host Seattle Sounders in an interconference match at 5 p.m. CT on the final matchday of the season.

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MLS Pause for FIFA Club World Cup and Concacaf Gold Cup

MLS stadiums across the United States and Canada will be featured prominently with 14 MLS venues serving as hosts to the first-ever 32-team FIFA Club World Cup and the 2025 Gold Cup, Concacaf’s flagship men’s national team tournament. MLS will pause regular season play from June 15-24 for the FIFA Club World Cup, an event featuring Inter Miami CF and Seattle Sounders FC, and the Concacaf Gold Cup.

With the addition of San Diego FC as the league’s 30th club, the MLS schedule format will include every MLS team competing in 34 regular season games, featuring 17 at home and 17 on the road. Clubs will play conference opponents twice (28 games), once at home and once away. Each club will play six different cross-conference opponents.

Every Match on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV

MLS action returns to MLS Season Pass on Apple TV in 2025 with all 510 games available in one dedicated destination with no blackouts in more than 100 countries and regions around the world. New for this upcoming season, MLS Season Pass will broadcast a featured game on Sunday evenings with enhanced production and dedicated studio programming. More details will be shared at a later date.

The popular whip around studio show, MLS 360, provides live look-ins from every active match alongside expert analysis in English and Spanish. Pregame and postgame studio shows, MLS Countdown and MLS Wrap Up in English and MLS La Previa and MLS El Resumen in Spanish, return with full preview and postgame analysis and insights across all matchday action.

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MLS Season Pass will also continue to feature a wide array of on-demand content and in-depth special features spanning all 30 MLS clubs.





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Podcast: Will the Vikings win the NFC North? + KAT’s return to Minnesota

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17 hours ago

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December 19, 2024

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Podcast: Will the Vikings win the NFC North? + KAT’s return to Minnesota


Introduction: Host Michael Rand starts with the Wild, who have lost three of their last four games, including another lopsided defeat (6-1) on Wednesday against Florida. Goaltending has been the biggest part of the Wild’s resurgence this season, and they need Filip Gustavsson to recover soon from his lower body injury. Otherwise, advanced data says their season will be in peril.

7:00: Kirk Cousins spoke to the media for the first time since he was benched by the Falcons. Hear what he had to say.

10:00: La Velle E. Neal III joins Rand for their weekly debate segment, which this week focuses on these subjects: Who will win the NFC North? How important is Thursdays’ Wolves vs. Knicks game? And what do we think of a wacky MLB idea?

30:00: Side stories are nice, but Thursday should just be a good basketball game.

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