Three baseball survivors — Kyle Farmer, Emilio Pagán and Brock Stewart — contribute to Twins' latest victory

Baseball doesn't always lend itself to seamless narratives. Sometimes, the game is a series of seemingly random moments with deceptively deep roots.

Thursday, Kyle Farmer, Emilio Pagán and Brock Stewart overcame two of the greatest obstacles ballplayers face — injuries and career worries — to contribute emblematic moments in the Twins' 5-3 victory over the Padres at Target Field.

Farmer took a fastball to the face on April 12. After oral surgery and incomplete healing, he returned to the field Wednesday night.

Thursday, in his first at-bat, he was clipped by an inside pitch. In the fourth inning, on the second pitch of his at-bat, Padres starter Yu Darvish threw a breaking pitch that started on a path toward Farmer's still-healing mouth. When the ball broke over the middle of the plate, Farmer smashed it into the left-field stands.

The home run was measured at 433 feet, the longest of his career, providing proof that he is beyond fear, or even flinching.

"That's pretty cool," Farmer said. "I watched the replay, and that ball went pretty far. I was impressed by it myself. I usually don't have that much juice."

When the Twins demoted Jose Miranda to Class AAA St. Paul on Wednesday, Farmer became the de facto starting third baseman. He will likely remain so until Miranda rights himself, or top prospect Royce Lewis, who is on a rehabilitation assignment at Class AA Wichita, proves himself ready.

Pagán began the 2022 season as the Twins' primary closer. He did not keep the job long, and at one point during the season at least a couple of the Twins' decisionmakers weren't sure they would bring him back in 2023.

In his first outing this season, he allowed a run, but he had an ERA of 1.42 before giving up six runs in 1 ⅔ innings in Boston in mid-April.

His ERA was 7.88, and once again observers were left to wonder how such spectacular stuff could make bats sound so loud.

Thursday, Pagán pitched a perfect seventh inning, striking out one and earning the victory. He has not given up a run since that ugly day in Boston.

Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said Pagán told him he would happily pitch in any situation. Asked about that Thursday, Pagán admitted that accepting an open role was difficult, especially when going through the arbitration process this winter.

"This game is very weird, as far as being a reliever goes, and going through arbitration was, mentally, a very tough situation," he said. "You only get one shot at this to support your family, and as much as you try not to think about stuff like that, everybody does when you're going through it."

Pagán's stuff has always looked impressive. He said that ironing out his delivery has added velocity to his breaking pitch, and movement to his fastball. He has given up four hits and zero earned runs in his last 7 ⅔ innings.

"I'd say for 85 to 90 percent of the time, the last two or three years, I've been a very good reliever," he said. "It's really early in the season, but this is the cleanest my delivery has felt in probably three or four years. Right now I feel really good."

Thursday morning, the Twins announced that starter Tyler Mahle will undergo Tommy John elbow surgery and miss the rest of the season, meaning that 40% of the Opening Day rotation is injured.

Middle relievers just became more important, meaning that the Twins will need more of this from Pagán and Stewart, who pitched a scoreless eighth inning. He has a hold and a victory in the past two games, and has given up one hit and zero earned runs in 7 ⅔ innings despite walking eight and hitting a batter.

Stewart compiled a 3.41 ERA in 34 ⅓ innings for the Dodgers in 2017, but he struggled in 2018 and '19 with Los Angeles, posting an 8.31 ERA over 21⅔ innings. He was waived and picked up by Toronto, where he again posted an 8.31 ERA over 21⅔ innings. Before the Twins called him up in late April, he hadn't pitched in the big leagues since 2019.

He underwent two arm surgeries, sat out the 2020 season when the minors were shut down and signed with the Twins last year.

Better health and his work with Tread Athletics have turned him into a short reliever with dynamic velocity and movement.

"It's definitely been an evolution," he said. "I didn't always have all of these pitches. Pretty much '14 through '17, I had a good four-seam fastball and changeup. In '18, '19 and '20, I dealt with some diminished velocity. Had a couple of elbow surgeries. Started working with Tread Athletics.

"Ironed out my arm path, cleaned up how my hips work, cleaned up some mechanical work. With a healthy arm, I said, shoot, I might as well start throwing a breaking ball."

"I like where my stuff's at right now," he said. "Yeah, it's been an evolution, but that's how baseball goes, you know?"