After the good vibes from the previous week, reality hit the Twins like a semi truck, and now they are looking at a five-game losing streak. On the injury front, promising rookie Kendrys Rojas and Bailey Ober are hitting the 15-day IL. At the same time, Simeon Woods-Richardson was DFA’d earlier this week, so it remains to be seen whether he sticks with the team. The team is now 27-33, and has another full week of games, facing off against the White Sox and the Royals at home. It’s an opportunity to remain relevant in the AL Central, but with injury and personnel decisions plaguing the Twins, a turnaround seems unlikely.

The Past Week on Twinkie Town:

• Check out The Feed, where you can add your discussions about the Twins!

• We’re starting a new segment called Daily Questions! Provide your opinion on the Twins and debate with the community!

• Game threads and recaps are back! Commiserate with your fellow fans as we experience the season together.

• Zach Koenig reminisces about the good times – just three years ago in 2023.

Elsewhere in Twins Territory:

• Bobby Nightengale at the Star Tribune looks at the state of the rotation after a rash of injuries and personnel changes.

• Matthew Leach at MLB.com checks in on new coach Grady Sizemore and how he’s fitting in with the team.

• In case you were wondering who Mike Paredes is, Theo Tollefson at Zone Coverage has more on the newest Twin.

• Cody Christie at Twins Daily looks at a potential option for the Twins at pick No. 3 in this year’s draft.

In the World of Baseball:

• The Rays now only have a 1.5-game lead over the Yankees. The Guardians and White Sox sit third and fourth in the race, and the Mariners have taken over the AL West lead. There is quite a bit of parity though; there’s only a three-game separation between the sixth-place Blue Jays and the 12th-place Boston Red Sox.

• The National League has remained the same, with Atlanta becoming the first team, this season to hit the 40-win mark. The Dodgers are 1.5 games back of Atlanta and the Brewers still lead the NL Central.

• The labor battle has begun, as both the MLBPA and the owners swapped initial proposals. Evan Drellich at The Athletic breaks down the owners’ first offer and the implications of a hard salary cap.

• Jorge Castillo at ESPN looks at the MLBPA’s first offer and what the union is hoping to achieve this time around.