Shelton understands that the Twins are fading again.
The Minnesota Twins looked like one of the best teams in the American League just two weeks ago, but the wheels have fallen off since then, and manager Derek Shelton is trying to keep his group from spiraling.
After Sunday's 4-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field, which completed a three-game sweep, Shelton addressed the rough stretch his team has been stuck in.
"We're going through a tough funk," Shelton said. "We have to stay on the course. We have to stay positive. It seemed like early in the season, we were capitalizing on everything. Right now, we're not capitalizing and we need to flip the switch."
A Brutal Series in Tampa
The series against the Rays was rough from start to finish.
Minnesota left 22 runners on base across three games and hit just .100 with runners in scoring position, going 2-for-20 in those spots while managing only five total runs.
The Twins have now gone 35 straight innings without holding a lead, which is the stat that probably sums up this stretch better than anything else.
On Sunday, Simeon Woods Richardson took the loss and dropped to 0-4 on the season.
A throwing error in the third inning opened the door for Tampa Bay, and Jonathan Aranda delivered a two-run single before Yandy Diaz launched a two-run homer to make it 4-0.
Brooks Lee provided the only real fight with a two-run shot in the seventh that pulled the score to 4-2, but by then the damage was done.
From Best in the AL to Free Fall
What makes this stretch so painful is how good things looked not long ago.
After a rough 3-6 start to the year, the Twins won eight of nine games and climbed to 11-7, sitting tied for first in the AL Central and carrying the best record in the American League.
The offense was clicking, young players were stepping into bigger roles, and the whole vibe around this group felt different than anyone expected heading into April.
That belief has taken a serious hit.
Minnesota has now lost nine of its last 10 games, and the pitching staff has been stretched thin by injuries all month.
Pablo Lopez is done for the year after UCL surgery, Mick Abel landed on the injured list with elbow inflammation, and David Festa has yet to pitch in 2026.
What Comes Next
At 12-16 and sitting in third place in the AL Central, the Twins head home for a seven-game homestand starting Monday against the Mariners.
Shelton has preached staying positive throughout this skid, and he struck a similar tone after the Reds swept Minnesota earlier this month, so the message has not changed even as the losses pile up.
At some point though, the results need to follow. The talent is there.
But right now the execution is nowhere close, and the longer this slide goes the harder it gets to climb back.