Simeon Woods Richardson struggled once again on the mound as the Minnesota Twins fell to the Miami Marlins, 9-5, on Wednesday night. The young right-hander failed to complete four innings, marking his fourth consecutive start without reaching the fifth frame. His outing started rocky in the first inning, where he walked three batters, allowed a single, and saw an error by Luke Keaschall put another runner on base. A double play and a caught stealing limited the damage to two runs, but the Marlins grabbed the lead and never looked back.
Miami tacked on two more runs in the second inning, and Woods Richardson was pulled in the fourth before recording an out. He finished with eight runs allowed—six earned—inflating his ERA to 7.71 for the season. It's been a tough stretch for the Twins' rotation, and this performance highlighted the need for consistency on the mound.
On the other side, Woodbury native Max Meyer earned the win in his first-ever start against his hometown team. After missing previous matchups due to injury, Meyer finally got his chance and delivered. He threw 5 2/3 innings, allowing four runs while striking out nine. Two of those runs came on solo home runs from Byron Buxton, but Meyer held strong, especially after a shaky fifth inning where a Josh Bell double scored two runs. The lead he built early proved enough for the Marlins to secure the victory.
Byron Buxton was a bright spot for the Twins, welcoming Meyer back to the Twin Cities in style. He crushed the first pitch of the game—a high fastball—into the left-field stands for a solo homer. In his second at-bat, Buxton again took the first pitch deep to left-center, cutting the Marlins' lead to 4-2. The slugger has been on a tear, hitting 15 home runs in his last 26 games, a stretch that has energized the lineup.
Looking ahead, the Twins have not announced a starting pitcher for Thursday's series finale against the Marlins. The team plans to push rookie Connor Prielipp back as they manage his workload, making Zebby Matthews a likely candidate to take the mound. For fans tracking the team's progress, this series has been a mixed bag, but Buxton's hot streak offers hope for a turnaround in the coming games.