Both rotations being held together with tape made this one unpredictable from the jump, and it played out that way. Errors compounded the problem for Minnesota — two of them on the day — and turned routine innings into extra baserunners the Twins couldn't afford against a lineup that includes Manny Machado and Fernando Tatis Jr.
San Diego took the series opener from Minnesota before this one and carried that into a 3-2 stretch over its last five games overall. The Twins, meanwhile, had just swept Atlanta in a three-game set before dropping the finale to Philadelphia and then losing the Petco opener — a step back after arguably their best week in a month.
Mize's ankle is now the injury to watch. He's reportedly lined up to start again next weekend against Tampa Bay, but that's contingent on how the joint responds over the next few days, and a rotation already down four arms can't easily absorb another loss. Minnesota's outfield picture isn't much better with Austin Martin still out on a hamstring strain.
San Diego's seventh inning did the real damage, and it came at a point where Minnesota's bullpen was already stretched thin from soaking up the extra innings Mize's early exit created for both sides. The Twins had the tying run in play late but couldn't finish the comeback, dropping to 63-66 while the Padres improved to 69-60 with a rotation that's now leaning harder than ever on its bullpen depth.