Griffin

Jax

Coulombe was called on for the save after it took Jhoan Duran 32 pitches to close out the White in the Twins’ previous game. It was likely Coulombe instead of presumed set-up man Griffin Jax because Jax pitched the seventh inning against the top of Chicago’s lineup whereas Coulombe worked a clean inning against the bottom of it.

After entering with a 3-0 lead, Jax gave up two doubles and two singles before a fantastic catch from Harrison Bader spared him even more damage. It was his second blown save, with the other coming in the ninth after he was picked over Jhoan Duran to close on Apr. 6. Jax is throwing just as hard and missing as many bats as ever, but he’s surrendered a lot of loud contact in the early going. It’s bad news for the Twins, but good news for those who drafted Durán as their top closer. Duran pitched a scoreless ninth in a tie game today.

This could turn into a really frustrating situation for fantasy leaguers. Twins manager Rocco Baldelli definitely showed more confidence in Jax than in Durán at the end of last year, but it was assumed Durán would remain the primary guy to start 2025. However, it’s been really tough to tell with the Twins not having any save chances previously. Jax was reserved for the top of the Astros order today after Durán easily dispatched the eight, nine and one hitters in the eighth. Jax then entered with a two-run lead and gave up a single to Isaac Paredes, a game-tying homer to Yordan Alvarez and a double to Christian Walker, only to strike out the next three batters and preserve the tie. We’d have plenty of faith in Jax as a closer, but we have plenty of faith in Durán, too. There’s little to be gained from mixing and matching a pair of right-handers, so Baldelli really ought to just stick with one for the most part.

The 30-year-old hurler was a dominant force out of the Twins’ bullpen in 2024 — compiling a 2.03 ERA, minuscule 0.87 WHIP and a 95/15 K/BB ratio across 71 innings. The club had toyed with the idea of moving Jax back to the rotation for the 2025 season, which would have made him extremely interesting from a fantasy perspective, but they announced earlier in the week that he would remain in the bullpen. Expect him to work in a setup capacity in front of Jhoan Duran and to be the next man up for the closer’s role if injury strikes.

Twins bench coach Jayce Tingler mentioned earlier this offseason that Jax could potentially make the leap to Minnesota’s starting rotation next season, but that doesn’t appear to be happening. It’ll be Pablo López, Joe Ryan, Bailey Ober and Chris Paddack in addition to some combination of Simeon Woods Richardson, David Festa or Zebby Matthews breaking camp in the rotation mix. The 30-year-old righty, who broke in the majors as a starter back in 2021, has excelled in a high-leverage role for the Twins over the past three seasons. He piled up 10 saves last year to accompany a sparkling 2.03 ERA (1.94 FIP), 0.87 WHIP and 95/15 K/BB ratio across 71 innings (72 appearances). He’ll remain among the most impactful non-closers in the fantasy landscape and a legitimate force in saves plus holds formats heading into 2025.

Twins’ bench coach Jayce Tingler mentioned in November during an interview with MLB Network Radio that the club was considering the idea, and there are some in the organization who believe he can succeed in that role, but it appears to be unlikely at the moment. The 30-year-old right-hander registered a 2.03 ERA, 0.87 WHIP and a 95/15 K/BB ratio over 71 innings out of the Twins’ bullpen in 2024, establishing himself as one of the most dominant setup men in baseball.

Jax arrived in the majors as a starter in 2021, but he had a 6.37 ERA in 82 innings that season and hasn’t done anything but relieve since. Especially given that he still uses five pitches, it’d be fascinating to see what he could do as a starter now. He was outstanding late in games last season, racking up a 95/15 K/BB in 71 innings.

The Twins wanted to avoid Jax tonight, but the third extra inning resulted in him making his fourth appearance in five days. He got the job done, but he’ll certainly need Saturday off after this. Jhoan Duran should be unavailable, too, since he pitched a scoreless eighth in his third appearance in four days. Cole Sands might be next in line for a save.

Jhoan Duran pitched a scoreless eighth inning for the Twins and was tasked with getting a two-inning save, but he allowed a double to Jose Ramirez and, after striking out Josh Naylor, issued a walk to bring the tying run to the plate, so Rocco Baldelli brought in Jax. The 29-year-old would allow an infield single but get a strikeout and a groundout to secure the win and his ninth save of the season.

It was Jax’s eighth save of the season and first since June 23rd. Jhoan Duran pitched the eighth inning, but there’s been no changing of the guard here. Jax has value in that he can provide good ratios and strikeouts for a reliever, but he’s not the regular closer for Minnesota so the most you can expect is the occasional save.