It’s usually tough being traded midseason, and even more tough when you’re a pitcher that has to face the old team only a week after the trade.

That was the situation Chris Paddack was in after the Twins sent him to Detroit on July 28, the first of nine trades that sent 10 players to parts east, west and south before the July 31 trade deadline.

Only seven days after the Twins sent Paddack and right-hander Randy Dobnak to Detroit for Class A catching prospect Enrique Jimenez, the in-jokes were still fresh.

“But you have to lock in,” Paddack said from Target Field’s visiting clubhouse on Friday. “They gave me a little taste of my own blood, you know. They put up four runs, and I only had one swing-and-miss, to Royce (Lewis), and it came in the fourth inning.”

The Twins touched Paddack for four runs on six hits in four innings of a 6-3 loss. In his other two starts for Detroit, Paddack — who is 1-1 with a 3.45 ERA since the trade — pitched into the sixth inning and allowed one run in each.

But Paddack has another shot against his former team in Sunday’s series finale.

“Definitely going into this outing with a little revenge in mind,” he said. “I know those guys were good friends and good teammates, but they’re trying to take food off my plate, and it comes down to who wants it more.”

Paddack, 29, had a strange three-plus seasons in Minnesota. Sidelined by a second ligament replacement surgery in his right arm, he made nine combined appearances in his first two seasons, and still signed a three-year, $12.5 million contract extension in 2023.

He made four relief appearances in 2023, the last two in the division series against Houston. So, landing with a first-place team, he said, was exciting.

“That’s why we play,” he said. “I feel very fortunate to be on the top end of the trade. I feel like it’s much easier to accept whenever you’re going to a contender versus maybe a team that’s rebuilding.”

In this equation, that would be the Twins, who on Saturday started three players (Austin Martin, Luke Keaschall and James Outman) with a combined 43 major leagues this season, and five who weren’t on the Opening Day roster (Martin, Keaschall, Outman, Brooks Lee and Kody Clemens).

“Obviously, it stinks with what happened over there: eleven guys going different directions, and ownership wanting to rebuild, or sell, whatever their plan is with the Twins,” Paddack said.

In the meantime, Paddack finds himself in a clubhouse that was loose and happy before Friday’s game.

“Everybody expects to win,” said Paddack, a free agent at season’s end. “So, you come to the field, you relax, you enjoy it, and be present. But it’s time to toe the rubber or get in the box, or make some plays defensively, the guys step up and expect to win ballgames.”

Roden sent to IL

Before Friday’s game, the Twins placed outfielder Alan Roden on the injury list with a sprained left thumb and recalled Outman from Class AAA St. Paul. He made his first start for the Twins in left field.

Roden, an outfield prospect in Toronto acquired in the deal that sent Louie Varland to the Blue Jays, was playing consistently before he reinjured the thumb while sliding head first into home plate in Friday’s 4-3, 11-inning loss to the Tigers.

“Roden has to see the doctor,” manager Rocco Baldelli said. “He’s going to see a hand specialist. I don’t know what day that is.”

Briefly

Pablo Lopez, who threw to live hitters Friday for the first time since injuring his right shoulder in June, said he felt good Saturday and expected to throw again in four to five days. With the Saints in town next week, it’s possible he takes his next step at CHS Field.

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WASHINGTON — Melania Trump took the unique step of crafting a letter that calls for peace in Ukraine, having her husband President Donald Trump hand-deliver it to Russian President Vladimir Putin during their Friday meeting in Alaska.

The letter did not specifically name Ukraine, which Putin’s forces invaded in 2022, but beseeched him to think of children and “an innocence which stands above geography, government, and ideology.” Nor did the American first lady discuss the fighting other than to say to Putin that he could “singlehandedly restore” the “melodic laughter” of children who have been caught in the conflict.

“In protecting the innocence of these children, you will do more than serve Russia alone — you serve humanity itself,” she wrote on White House stationery.

A copy of the letter was first obtained by Fox News Digital and later posted on social media by supporters of the U.S. president, including Attorney General Pam Bondi.

The first lady said that Putin could help these children with the stroke of a pen.

Putin’s invasion of Ukraine has resulted in Russia taking Ukrainian children out of their country so that they can be raised as Russian. The Associated Press documented the grabbing of Ukrainian children in 2022, after which the International Criminal Court said it had issued an arrest warrant for Putin for war crimes, accusing him of personal responsibility for the abductions of children from Ukraine.

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Courtney Williams doesn’t need much additional motivation when it comes to facing the New York Liberty.

All the Minnesota Lynx guard has to do is remember last season — when the Liberty beat her team 3-2 to win the WNBA Finals.

The rest takes care of itself.

“I don’t need any more ammunition,” Williams said. “I don’t like them. I love them as people. But when it comes to basketball … no. I don’t want them to win. I don’t care who they’re playing. I want them to lose. They beat us. That’s competitive nature. It’s not personal.

“You beat us. I want you to lose everything.”

Williams did everything in her power to make that happen Saturday afternoon, finishing with a season-high 26 points. And the Lynx needed every one of them to come-from-behind in the fourth quarter and beat New York 86-80 before a national television audience and a raucous crowd of 10,810 at Target Center.

It marked the third meeting between the two teams in the past 18 days. The Lynx — who own the WNBA’s best record at 28-5 — won the first meeting 100-93 on July 30 at Target Center and the second 83-71 last Sunday in New York.

Round four comes Tuesday at Barclays Center.

“Winning any game that you have to gut out and that you don’t play your best, or that your opponent makes you not play your best, you’re thrilled with,” Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve said of Saturday’s win. “It’s those sorts of marks along (the way in) the season — when you have to find a way — that builds those experiences you know you’re going to have when you get to the postseason.”

For the fourth-straight game, Reeve’s team was without MVP candidate Napheesa Collier. The WNBA’s leading scorer remained sidelined with a sprained right ankle. But her team has still managed to go 4-0 over that stretch.

“To do this in a stretch of games when we’re playing against really good teams, I’m super proud of us,” Reeve said. “I’m super proud of those who’ve had Phee’s back, because it makes Phee feel better.”

The Lynx had to summon plenty of fortitude Saturday when they jumped in front by as much as 15 in the first half, only to see New York steadily chip away at the deficit, eventually taking a lead of as much as six of their own in the third quarter.

A 3-pointer from Williams and a pair of free throws from DiJonai Carrington cut that gap to 62-61 entering the fourth, then a layup by Alanna Smith put the Lynx on top 62-61.

But New York built its lead back to as much as six before Minnesota staged a rally led by Smith, who scored 10 of her 14 points in the final quarter of play. That included a layup that tied the score at 73 with 5:19 to go.

“It’s a really good experience for us as a collective, just to know what it takes to win when things aren’t pretty,” said Smith, who also had a pair of big blocks down the stretch. “When maybe you’re not playing the way you want to be playing, but you’re still able to win the basketball game.”

Indeed, after New York again jumped on top 78-75 on a layup by Emma Meesseman, Williams hit two straight baskets to put Minnesota ahead to stay.

“The environment was amazing (today),” Williams said. “Shout-out to our fans. They came in and showed out. It honestly never felt like we were out of the game, or even down.

“Shout-out to our fans, because we needed those momentum shifts that they gave us.”

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St. Thomas graduate transfer quarterback Andy Peters’ college football career can be defined by a series of opportunities.

Some have worked out better than others. The latest could result in him finally fulfilling his dream of being a Division I starting quarterback.

Peters entered the Tommies’ scrimmage on Saturday in a tight battle with Amari Powell for the starting job. After delivering a standout performance, Peters has gained the edge with the season opener less than two weeks away.

“Absolutely loved the way Andy Peters played today,” Tommies head coach Glenn Caruso said. “He’s learning a new system at the toughest mental position on the field, because you’re responsible for everybody. Since we stopped installing plays (a week ago) and we’ve just been able to play football, you see Andy starting to come into his own.”

Aware of his standing in the quarterback derby, Peters was determined to make the most of Saturday’s opportunity, and he did just that.

“The last week or so I’ve gotten more comfortable with the system,” Peters said. “So, I wanted to turn my brain off today — play loose and play free. It felt so nice. It’s starting to flow a little bit more.”

The 6-foot-3, 222-pound Peters, a native of Boise, Idaho, comes to the Tommies from the College of Idaho. Before he set a dozen passing records at the NAIA school, he was a preferred walk-on at Boise State.

Peters passed on a scholarship to Idaho State to play for Boise State, his dream school. After not seeing any action as a freshman, Peters broke a leg in a skiing accident his sophomore year, costing him the entire season.

At that point, after “reading the writing on the wall’ that he was destined to remain on the sidelines, Peters decided to transfer.

“I just wanted to play football,” he said, “and I didn’t care where it was at.”

While he enjoyed his time at College of Idaho, Peters acknowledged that it was always in the back of his mind that he would like to get another shot at playing in Division I.

“You always want to grow, you always want to get better,” he said. “My last few years at College of Idaho, I felt I like I did that. So, yeah, in my last year, why wouldn’t I go prove to myself that I can do it?”

He was drawn to the Tommies in part because of the chance to earn the starting job.

“That was part of the recruiting, too.” Peters said. “They said, ‘We need a guy,’ so that definitely helped with the decision.”

Peters, who has shown an ability to throw and run the ball, said the next step in the process is to show the leadership skills that most teams look for in a quarterback.

“Now, it (also) comes with being an encouragement to others around me,” he said. “That means speaking up a little more — just trying build rapport with the guys around me. It’s hard when you first show up because you’re trying to focus on what you’re doing.

“Now, as I feel more comfortable, I can progress out and start to help others around me.”

Peters knows the competition isn’t over yet, a point that Caruso made after Saturday’s scrimmage.

“Even though Amari had a rougher day today,” Caruso said, “his last two weeks of practice have been really good. This was not his best day, but he’s played really well for long stretches, which makes us feel good.”

The other side

Caruso was pleased to see how the defense responded on Saturday after getting outplayed in the first scrimmage a week earlier.

“You’re a head coach for a team that’s in fall camp, so you can never be happy, because it’s a zero-sum game,” Caruso said. “But balance is what we work for, and I didn’t think there was enough balance last week.

“Not to say that I’m happy we turned the ball over on offense, but I was happy we were able to create turnovers on defense.”