Brewers outfielder Isaac Collins, Maple Grove native, enjoys ‘full-circle moment’ at Target Field

After Isaac Collins played his first-ever game at Target Field, the Maple Grove native and Milwaukee Brewers left fielder brought his family and friends onto the field for a picture.

Collins, in full uniform, was surrounded by 37 people.

“A full-circle moment,” said Collins, who graduated from Maple Grove High School in 2016 and played at Creighton University. “I got to see a lot of old faces that I haven’t seen in a while. It just feels good to have that much support and that many people follow along with my career.”

Collins, who had two hits, two runs and three RBI during Saturday’s 9-0 win over the Twins, had a workout at Target Field during his senior year of high school, but Friday marked the first time he played at the ballpark.

Even in a crowd of 28,000, Collins heard his cheering section when he stepped to the plate.

“I heard them a little bit,” he said. “My dad, I can hear him just about every time he comes to a game. He’s always having fun up there. Yeah, I heard some cheers, for sure.”

Collins made his major league debut last September after six years in the minor leagues. The 27-year-old switch hitter seized an Opening Day roster spot this season, and he is batting .254 with four homers, 19 RBI and 21 runs through 58 games.

There were some days when he doubted his path to the big leagues, he said, particularly during a tough 2022 season at Class AA when he was in the Colorado Rockies organization, but he started to hit for more power in the Milwaukee farm system.

“I just kept thinking about that little kid Isaac, this is his dream to play professional sports,” he said. “You know it’s not going to be easy. I definitely didn’t want to have any sort of regrets. ... To be on the field with all those people, to be able to take pictures and all that, it’s memories I’ll remember forever.”

Simeon Woods Richardson, after pitching six innings in 95-degree heat Saturday, conducted his postgame news conference from the floor of the clubhouse because he had trouble standing with leg cramps.

“It felt like I was back at home in 105-degree weather,” said Woods Richardson, who grew up near Houston. “My jersey was soaked. Everything was soaked.”

The Twins training staff told players to prepare for this weekend’s heatwave a few days in advance, emphasizing their sleep and hydration.

“It’s the first real hot day up here,” catcher Ryan Jeffers said. “You get a couple more weeks of this type of weather and the body will get used to it.”

In a 15-run game Friday, Twins closer Jhoan Duran entered with two outs in the eighth inning. He threw three pitches, his first appearance in five days.

“One thing we want to avoid is guys getting five, six, seven days, especially our back-end guys, without touching the mound in a game,” said Twins manager Rocco Baldelli, who consults with the team’s sports science department on balancing when relievers may have too much rest between appearances.

Griffin Jax was in a similar spot last week, pitching in a blowout loss Friday at Houston on the fifth day between appearances. The next two games were close, and he was likely unavailable for Sunday’s game because he would have been pitching on three consecutive days.

“That’s part of the game, but it’s really not good for them to sit for almost a week and not pitch,” Baldelli said. “It’s hard to actually get back [to form]. If you do need them after that, it’s hard on their bodies and their arms if they have to go three of four after sitting six days. You want to keep it a little more even if you can.”

• Ty France volunteered to enter in the ninth inning at first base during Friday’s 17-6 blowout loss to the Brewers, which allowed Jeffers to avoid moving behind the plate for an inning. “You do not see that very often,” Baldelli said. “I even told him, ‘I really appreciate you being who you are,’ because when I tell you that you don’t really see that too often, that’s pretty unique.”

• Injured St. Paul Saints players Austin Martin (right hamstring strain) and Emmanuel Rodriguez (right hip) began rehab assignments for the rookie-level complex team in Fort Myers, Fla., on Saturday. Both players are on the Twins’ 40-man roster.

• The Twins promoted shortstop Kaelen Culpepper, their first-round pick in last summer’s amateur draft, to Class AA Wichita on Friday. Culpepper, 22, hit .293 with nine homers and 34 RBI in 54 games at High-Class A Cedar Rapids while posting a .385 on-base percentage.

• The St. Paul Saints scored three times in the first inning but lost 9-4 to Toledo at CHS Field. Randy Dobnak took the loss, allowing six earned runs in three innings pitched. Ryan Fitzgerald was 3-for-4 with a home run for the Saints.