DETROIT >> Perhaps the most important question surrounding the 2025 Minnesota Twins, at this point in time, centers around what is going on with Bailey Ober. He’d love to know the answer, too.

“I wish I knew,” the starter said after his start on Saturday. “We’re looking at everything.”

Ober entered the month of June with a 3.48 earned run average. He leaves it with an ERA nearly two runs higher. In five starts this June, across 30 innings pitched, Ober has given up 30 earned runs, including seven in three of the starts. He has now allowed seven runs in back-to-back outings.

Safe to say Ober has had a tough go of it of late.

“Just got to try to figure something out, make some adjustments,” Ober said. “I feel good. Throwing good pitches and just getting hit.”

A particular point of pain has been the longball. He allowed four of them — on a variety of pitch types — to the Detroit Tigers on Saturday, part of a month in which he served up 14 of them. In six starts in May, Ober allowed just two of them.

“Obviously the results haven’t been what we’re looking for. The homers are obviously an issue,” manager Rocco Baldelli said. “If we knew exactly what was going on, if it was one particular thing, it would be a little easier to identify. But we’re going to get back to working on it and spend a lot of time on it.”

Pitching coach Pete Maki said they have identified some areas that they will work on, though did not want to go into specifics because “other teams read the media.”

Ober has dealt with hip issue for parts of the season, but it’s something both him and the team have said they don’t believe is the main cause of his issues. He’s cited mechanical issues throughout the season and noted his mechanics felt “not smooth and disjointed,” earlier this season. He’s also been pitching with diminished velocity — his four-seam fastball has averaged 90.4 miles per hour this season to 91.7 miles per hour last year — though he pitched well with lower velocity earlier in the season.

And so the Twins are exploring “any and all options,” Maki said, as they look to get the starter back on track.

“We’ve made number of small adjustments along the way and we have to keep looking for different adjustments to make,” Baldelli said. “And that’s really what this is all about. Sometimes you look at everything and you give it a full glance top to bottom and you immediately see what you need to see. Sometimes you don’t but you continue to look and you find it.”

Bride DFA’d, Lewis return likely Tuesday

The Twins designated Jonah Bride for assignment on Sunday night after the game, which opens up a roster spot that appears ticketed for third baseman Royce Lewis. The Twins did not announce the corresponding move on Sunday, but Lewis is likely to meet the team in Miami and be added to the roster before the Twins take on the Marlins after playing in three rehab games over the weekend.

Lewis, who strained his left hamstring running to first base on June 13 in Houston, went 0-for-8 this weekend against Triple-A competition while playing for the Saints. After difficult stretch in May, Lewis had heated up in June before suffering the injury.

The Twins picked up Bride in an April trade after he had been designated for assignment by the Marlins. In 33 games with the Twins, he hit .208, but his time in Minnesota will likely be most remembered for his appearances on the mound. Bride appeared in four games in mop-up duty, throwing six innings.

Briefly

Sunday’s game marked the first time the Twins were on ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball since Sept. 20, 2020. … The Twins will have Monday off after a late arrival into Miami. Joe Ryan, Simeon Woods Richardson and David Festa are slated to start against the Marlins this week.