May 7, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Twins relief pitcher Danny Coulombe (54) delivers a pitch against the Baltimore Orioles in the fifth inning at Target Field. Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images

Danny Coulombe is latest Twins player to hit IL during winning streak

Originally posted on Minnesota Twins on SI
By Will Ragatz | Last updated May 18, 2025 11:21 AM ET

The only bad thing about the Twins' current winning streak is that important players keep landing on the injured list. Left-handed reliever Danny Coulombe is the latest player to hit the IL amid this incredible 13-game streak for Minnesota, joining Carlos Correa and Byron Buxton (who are on the 7-day concussion IL).

Coulombe was placed on the 15-day IL with a "left forearm extensor strain" on Sunday morning. To replace him and Buxton on the active roster, Zebby Matthews and Carson McCusker were called up from Triple-A St. Paul. Luke Keaschall was transferred to the 60-day IL to clear a spot for McCusker on the 40-man roster.

It's a tough blow for a Twins bullpen that has been utterly dominant this season, particularly during the winning streak. Coulombe is their best lefty, and he holds easily the longest active scoreless innings streak among all MLB relievers, dating back to last season with the Orioles. He hasn't been charged with an earned run since late last May, before he missed a major chunk of the 2024 season with an elbow issue.

Coulombe's streak is at 26.2 innings (10 last season, 16.2 this year). No other reliever is even at 20. This season, he's allowed just eight hits and two walks, good for a 0.600 WHIP. He's struck out 19 batters and has recorded a pair of saves. And his advanced metrics suggest this hasn't been a fluky run of excellence.

Danny Coulombe is a big loss for the #MNTwins bullpen.

In addition to having a 0.00 ERA in 16 2/3 innings, Coulombe also stranded 10 of 12 runners he inherited from other pitchers to save their ERA.

Coulombe is second to Jhoan Duran in Win Probability Added for Twins relievers.
— Aaron Gleeman (@AaronGleeman) May 18, 2025

The Twins' lone remaining lefty arm is Kody Funderburk, who has a 2.84 ERA over four appearances this season.

Coulombe, 35, was one of the Twins' three notable free agent additions this offseason (along with Ty France and Harrison Bader). He was previously with the Twins from 2020-22, but he didn't start producing elite numbers until the last couple seasons with the Orioles. Coulombe began his career with the Dodgers and also spent a few seasons with the Athletics in the late 2010s.

The Twins will look to sweep the Brewers and stretch their winning streak to 14 this afternoon. Matthews is on the mound for his season debut. The starting lineup remains completely unchanged from Saturday's dominant win, which means it doesn't include Willi Castro (knee) or McCusker.

First pitch is at 1:10.