Early in what was likely Joe Ryan’s penultimate start of the season, the Twins’ right-hander gave the fans seated in Target Field’s home run porch in right more defensive opportunities than his outfield.

Joe Ryan #41 of the Minnesota Twins pitches against the Cleveland Guardians in the first inning of game one of a doubleheader at Target Field on Sept. 20, 2025 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)

Ryan allowed four solo home runs to right field Saturday, three in the first two innings, as the Twins fell behind early in a 6-0 loss to the Cleveland Guardians.

Jose Ramirez, Bo Naylor and George Valera — his first in the majors — all homered off Ryan (13-9) to give the Guardians a 3-0 lead after two innings. Daniel Schneeman added a fourth in a two-run fifth inning as the teams made up for a May 20 rainout in the first game of a doubleheader in front of an announced crowd of 22,160.

Naylor added a solo home run off Thomas Hatch in the eighth inning, a long drive over the scoreboard in right-center, as the Guardians won their ninth straight game and 14th of 15 since Sept. 5 to pull within 1½ games of first-place Detroit in the American League Central.

Cleveland starter Slade Cecconi (7-6) pitched seven innings and allowed only three Twins batters to reach base, including Austin Martin, whose first-inning line drive into center extended his hitting streak to eight games. He was erased on a double-play groundout by Trevor Larnach.

Luke Keaschall hit a leadoff double in the second inning but was stranded at third. Ryan Fitzgerald drew a two-out walk in the fifth inning, but Cecconi struck out the side.

Left-hander Kolby Allard finished the game for Cleveland with a pair of scoreless innings.

Ramirez’s two-out homer in the first inning was his 30th of the season. With 40 stolen bases so far this season, he became the third Cleveland player with three 30-30 seasons.

Hatch relieved Ryan and pitched four innings, allowing only allowing Naylor’s second homer.

Related Articles

Twins stars Byron Buxton and Joe Ryan air their grievances

Pablo Lopez: Twins’ veterans focused on rebuilding a culture ‘we’ve been lacking the last couple years’

Joe Ryan strong as Twins beat Royals

Frederick: As Tigers’ tailspin continues, remember AL Central is always truly up for grabs

Royce Lewis hits a pair of home runs in support of Joe Ryan in Twins win

The Minnesota Lynx open their semifinal series with the Phoenix Mercury at 4 p.m. Sunday at Target Center. The battle for a trip to the WNBA Finals is full of All-Star talent and elite matchups as Minnesota tries to book a return trip to the WNBA Finals.

The Lynx won the regular season series, 3-1. Here’s a look at the matchups that will define this best-of-five semifinal (stats courtesy of Her Hoop Stats and Across The Timeline)

Alanna Smith’s defense vs. Alyssa Thomas’s offense

The advanced stats back up Smith’s case as Defensive Player of the Year as she led the WNBA in defensive win shares per 40 minutes (0.08), ranked second in blocked shot percentage (2.2%) and finished second in defensive rating (93.7).

While she isn’t the biggest frontcourt player at 6-foot-4, Alanna Smith does not back down from larger opponents when it comes to physical play. And her quickness gives her an advantage when it comes to creating deflections and defending the perimeter in the pick-and-roll game.

Thomas is one of the most dominant players of this generation. The WNBA has had 59 triple-doubles in its history and Thomas has 24 of them, with her latest coming in the deciding Game 3 victory in the first round against New York on Friday.

“Nobody plays the game harder, smarter,” Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve said of Thomas earlier this season.

The Mercury’s powerful MVP finalist is a brilliant passer, averaging 9.2 assists per game this season. But she can also get to the basket with the best in the league. She makes 66% of her shots inside five feet, and she took 197 such attempts, 12th most in the WNBA.

The bottom line: There is no stopping Thomas. But if she has one Achilles heel, it can be reckless passes. She averaged the third most turnovers per game (3.5). If Smith can survive Thomas’ powerful drives and force her into precarious passes, the Lynx have a chance to gain extra possessions by taking advantage of miscues.

Napheesa Collier’s efficiency vs. Satou Sabally’s 3-point shooting

Out of 13 players who took at least 13 shots per game in 2025, no one ranked higher in field-goal percentage than the Collier (53.1%).

The MVP finalist was dangerous from all areas of the floor, making 40.3% of her threes, while hitting 52.9% from midrange and 90.6% of her free-throws. The Lynx’s offense spreads the floor to create winnable matchups for her down low, where she can execute her signature fadeaway against any defender.

How much does Collier mean to the Lynx offensively? The forward scored 20 or more points 21 times this year and the Lynx won 18 of those games. In three games against Phoenix, she averaged 15.3 points.

The Mercury as a team took the third most three-point attempts in the WNBA (27.7). Satou Sabally averages 5.4 attempts from beyond the arc. However, she wasn’t the most efficient. Of the 48 players who took at least three three-point attempts per game and played in 30-plus games, Sabally was 41st in 3-point percentage (32.1%).

The star forward does have the ability hit from deep. Last year she made 45.2% of her 3-point attempts, which was second in the WNBA among high-volume three-point shooters.

The bottom line: The Lynx need to get Collier her shots, no matter where they happen on the floor and they must limit open opportunities for Sabally, otherwise she will make them pay.

Kayla McBride’s three-point shooting vs. Kahleah Copper’s speed

McBride is one of the best three-point shooters in the league, ranking seventh all-time in three-point makes (722) in WNBA history. This year she had the second most made triples (103), knocking down an outstanding 39.5% of her attempts.

Her importance to the Lynx’s offense can be demonstrated this way: In games they won this year, she made 41.7% of her three-point attempts. In games they lost, that number dipped to 33.3%. McBride is a momentum-shifting player, who can swing games when she catches fire.

Copper is a four-time All-Star and the 2021 WNBA Finals MVP. She is capable of shredding opponents with her lightning quick drives to the basket. That will test the Lynx’s outstanding on-ball defense.

However, this year Copper was not on the same level as previous seasons. Her shooting percentage (42.6%) was her lowest since 2019 and her points per game dropped from 21.7 to 15.6. She did not clear 15 points in any of the three first-round games against the Liberty.

The bottom line: The Lynx must lean on McBride’s shooting, especially if Phoenix is focused on stopping Collier. They also have to ensure Copper doesn’t have a breakout series. In the 2021 Finals, she shot 50% and scored 17 points per game. If that happens, it’s going to be a rough ride.

The Lynx’s depth vs. the Mercury’s depth

One of the reasons the Lynx had the best record in the WNBA this year was their depth.

Guard Natisha Hiedeman averaged 9.1 points per game on 49.3% shooting, while forward Jessica Shepard had the best shooting percentage in the league (63.8%) and averaged eight points. The Lynx picked up 2024 All-Defensive player DiJonai Carrington at the trade deadline. In Minnesota’s Game 2 win over Golden State to advance to the semifinals, the three key bench players played 21, 19 and 14 minutes, respectively.

Phoenix’s depth was greatly improved when they signed six-time All-Star DeWanna Bonner mid-season. She splits minutes with defensive specialist Natasha Mack. The Mercury also bring two-time champion Sami Whitcomb off the bench as a 3-point specialist.

The bottom line: Overall, Minnesota has the most impressive bench in the league. They are capable of winning the bench minutes and wearing down Phoenix as the series goes on.

Cheryl Reeve vs. Nate Tibbetts

There is an enormous gap in coaching experience, as Reeve has four championships and Tibbetts is only in his second year coaching women’s basketball. The South Dakota native was previously an NBA assistant from 2011-23.

Despite the difference in WNBA resumes, Tibbetts’ team has a lot of the signals of a modern, well-coached team. The Mercury ranked second in percentage of points from distance and fourth in assisted shot ratio, demonstrating their ball movement and focus on outside shooting.

However, Reeve’s team is No. 1 in points per possession, No. 1 in points per possession allowed, No. 1 in three-point shooting and No. 1 in assist-to-turnover ratio.

She has also had two years with most of her current players and they are very comfortable in her system.

The bottom line: No coach in the WNBA is better at adapting in-game or within a series than Reeve and she has the players to adjust when needed. The Lynx should have an edge on the sidelines.

Series schedule

Game 1: Sunday, 4 p.m. at Target Center on ESPN

Game 2: Tuesday, 6:30 p.m. at Target Center on ESPN

Game 3: Friday, 8:30 p.m. in Phoenix on ESPN2

Game 4*: Sunday, Sept. 28 in Phoenix

Game 5*: Tuesday, Sept. 30 at Targe Center

*= if necessary

The Twins were still waiting for word on Pablo Lopez before they started a double-header against the Guardians at Target Field on Saturday.

Lopez went for imaging on his right arm this morning after falling on it awkwardly on a third-inning play in the Twins’ 6-2 loss to Cleveland on Friday. The veteran right-hander was diving to toss a ball to the first baseman when he was hurt.

He pitched one more inning but was taken out the next inning when his forearm tightened up. The issue, really, is whether Lopez and the Twins want him to make one more start, which would be in the season-ending, three-game series at Philadelphia.

“There’s only so much that can be going on with the forearm or elbow, so my mind definitely takes me to worse places, worst-case scenarios, which is less than ideal,” López told reporters Friday night.

Joe Ryan and Bailey Ober, respectively, are scheduled to start the double-header for the Twins against the Guardians, who have won eight straight and, after sweeping first-place Detroit this week, are only 2½ games out in the American League Central.

Related Articles

Pablo López departs early as Twins fall to Guardians

Twins rally after bullpen surrenders ninth-inning lead

López has strong return, but Twins fall to Royals in Kansas City

Wherever Twins’ Edouard Julien plays, he aims to hit

Pablo Lopez: Twins’ veterans focused on rebuilding a culture ‘we’ve been lacking the last couple years’

Amy Lindgren

Once in a while I gather random thoughts into one column. Here are two ideas I’ve been pondering recently.

Running into walls

A colleague and I were talking about the walls job seekers run into when trying to reach employers. Soon the conversation turned from frustrating turndowns into something more psychological: The propensity some of us have for putting up our own walls.

For example, the person who balks at personal outreach or opts out of LinkedIn despite knowing that’s where recruiters look.

Running into walls or building them? One seems inevitable while the other seems controllable. Since I like to be in control when I can, I’m trying to ensure I’m not building the walls I’m running into.

A lesson from the movies and from bikes

One of my favorite movie scenes comes from the original Jurassic Park (1993). In a film filled with jump scares, the juxtaposition of laughs was genius.

If you’ve seen the movie, you’ll know the scene: Three of the characters are trying to escape in a Jeep when the camera zooms in on the sideview mirror. There, perfectly framed, is a T-Rex in full pursuit. Unfortunately, the trio isn’t as far ahead as they’d thought, confirmed by the mirror’s classic warning, “Objects in mirror are closer than they appear.” Uh-oh.

One more story before I tie this back to job search: Last week I was driving in a city neighborhood at the posted 20 mph. Mid-day, mid-week on a nice day for outdoor activities. Coming to a stop at a four-way intersection where cross traffic doesn’t stop, I noted only some cyclists partway up the hill to my left, a half-block away. Nothing to my right. I put my foot on the gas and proceeded, only to be serenaded by unseemly language through my open window.

Two middle-aged women on bikes, one with a broad vocabulary, had come up the hill at a pace unlikely for even an athletic soul. Since they weren’t clad in racing shorts and had baskets on the front of their bikes, I had apparently made the judgment upon seeing them 50 yards away that I wouldn’t need to look left again.

You already know the punchline: They were riding electric bikes. Baskets or no, they were zipping along fast enough to be nearby when I headed through the otherwise empty intersection.

New lesson for this driver: Bikes ridden by pretty much anyone may be traveling faster than you think — up to 28 mph according to what I’ve since learned.

You know what else comes faster than you expect? Layoffs and slowed job growth. Although I’ll admit, I’ve been expecting the most recent (poor) national job numbers for quite awhile, based on other indicators. I’m not an economic analyst, but as an observant career strategist with some experience, the past two years or so have felt recession-y to me.

Some economists have been saying the same, while others counter this could just be a new reality, where traditionally predictive factors don’t produce the anticipated crises.

But here it is. “Objects in mirror,” etc. We haven’t advanced to seeing the T-Rex’s foot-tall teeth fill the frame, but neither are we looking at its silhouette in the far distance. Poor job reports, increased layoffs and slight upticks in the unemployment rate are producing what Jeff Goldblum’s Jurassic Park character called “impact tremors” — the occasional ominous ripples in the water that become more frequent as the T-Rex draws closer.

Now what? Maybe the economy is just right-sizing, with companies returning to more normal employee head-counts after recent hiring sprees. Maybe … well, with the strange way the numbers have played out, maybe anything could be interpreted from them.

I’ve stopped trying to define whether we’re heading into a recession or what the future will bring for jobs; it really isn’t my expertise. Instead, I’m very much living in the moment with my clients, focused on pursuing whatever actions can be taken right now, such as paying down debt or creating backup plans for job loss.

Meanwhile, returning to the surprisingly fast e-bikes — I’m not sure what the related metaphor would be, except that almost nothing seems “normal” anymore, including how long it takes a cyclist to come up a hill. The translation for careers, if there is one, would be a warning that more things have changed than we might realize.

Otherwise? The message is just the message: Be careful when you’re driving, and look a second time. The bikes, at least, are truly coming faster than you expect.

Related Articles

Working Strategies: Career planning for your 60s and beyond

Working Strategies: Pursuing two careers at once

Working Strategies: Finishing the summer strong

Working Strategies: Arguing in favor of staying in your job

Working Strategies: Shop your résumé for your next job

Amy Lindgren owns a career consulting firm in St. Paul. She can be reached at alindgren@prototypecareerservice.com.