The Minnesota Twins and Pittsburgh Pirates opened their weekend series Friday night, May 29, with both teams trying to avoid three-game losing streaks and a pitching matchup that put new questions at the center: Taj Bradley for Minnesota and Jared Jones for Pittsburgh, the latter making his first MLB start since internal-brace surgery.
Fans and bettors searching for Twins vs Pirates tonight were looking for answers on two fronts — who would start and which club could find an immediate reset. The Twins arrived having lost three of four to the Chicago White Sox after beginning their road trip with a three-game sweep in Boston; the Pirates had split early against Chicago, winning their first two before dropping the last two and falling in the game before Friday with Paul Skenes on the mound.
Bradley carried the weight for Minnesota. After a rough outing in Tampa Bay when he allowed six runs, Bradley has been steady: five earned runs in 18 innings across his last three starts, and he has given up more than two earned runs in only one of his nine starts this season. His recent string — built on length and limiting opponents — is the clearest evidence the Twins believe they can keep opposing scoring in check.
On the other side, Pittsburgh turned to Jones, whose return is the story driving interest. Jones had internal-brace surgery last year and completed five rehab starts across three minor-league levels this season, totaling 18.2 innings with 13 hits, six earned runs, six walks and 24 strikeouts. Those numbers suggest swing-and-miss stuff and a limit on baserunners in his controlled outings, but Friday was his first chance to show whether that work translates back to a starting role in the majors.
The lineup context matters. The Pirates showed what they can do in a single explosive night — a 12-run outburst on Tuesday — but that game stands out because otherwise Pittsburgh produced only 16 runs across its other six games. That volatility puts extra pressure on Jones to keep the Twins in check early; if he can tilt the innings in Pittsburgh’s favor, the offense’s occasional flare-ups might be enough. If not, the Pirates’ sporadic scoring could leave them exposed against a starter like Bradley who has been effective at suppressing earned runs.
For Minnesota, the immediate requirement is simple: Bradley must blunt a lineup that can swing wildly between productive and quiet. For Pittsburgh, the question is sharper and urgent — can Jones handle the physical demands of a big-league start after surgery, and will his command and stuff sustain beyond the short bursts he showed in the minors? Scouts and team staff will be watching velocity, first-pitch strikes, and how many innings he eats; those three box figures will shape both the game's outcome and the club’s short-term rotation decisions.
What happens next is the one unresolved fact that matters: Jones’ first MLB start since 2024 will determine whether this series becomes a chance for the Pirates to stop a slide or simply a brief pause before deeper trouble. If Jones looks like the pitcher his rehab numbers hint at, Pittsburgh could leave Minnesota with renewed belief; if he struggles, the Twins’ reliable limiting of earned runs under Bradley makes them favorites to take control of the weekend.
