DETROIT -- Well, there was the regularly scheduled Royce Lewis return-to-the-lineup homer, as expected -- only it came a day later than usual, with Lewis waiting a day following his reinstatement from the injured list to go deep this time.

Lewis’ big swing gave the Twins another early lead, this time against Tigers ace and potential trade chip Tarik Skubal, but this one didn’t hold, as Joe Ryan and the Minnesota bullpen allowed six runs in the late innings to take a 7-2 loss at Comerica Park on Saturday -- and perhaps highlight another potential area of need ahead of Tuesday’s Trade Deadline.

But Lewis’ return from the IL on Friday will likely be about as impactful as any potential trade acquisition could have been -- and he showed that with a blast off Skubal with one out in the first inning, crushing a first-pitch slider an estimated 402 feet to left-center for his 11th homer in only 26 games this season.

“Honestly, I was asking for him for a while,” Lewis said. “I knew he was going to be pitching. I was glad. I'm up for the challenge. I think to be the best, you have to beat the best, and he's one of the better pitchers in this game.”

The Twins held the 2-1 advantage for much of the game as Ryan and Skubal traded zeroes for several frames, but Tigers rookie Colt Keith powered Detroit’s two-run surge in the sixth by driving in the tying run with an RBI triple and scoring the go-ahead run on a sacrifice fly -- then added a two-run homer as part of the Tigers’ four-run seventh that helped them pull away.

And it’s that homer that perhaps brings up another Trade Deadline-related consideration.

The blast came off left-hander Steven Okert, who also struggled in his last assignment on Wednesday, when he served as the Twins’ opener to face Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper atop the Phillies’ lineup. The Twins’ southpaw has now allowed nine earned runs in 8 1/3 innings across 12 outings dating back to June 12, equivalent to a 9.72 ERA.

“Nothing goes right,” Okert said. “If I have weak contact, they find holes. Then today, I give up the home run. It's grindy. Try to stay positive, get through it. Seems like everybody else here is throwing great. Try to follow suit here. Just got to be better.”

The Twins’ other left-handed options aren’t currently major factors -- Caleb Thielbar owns a 5.96 ERA for the season, while the injured Kody Funderburk is at a 5.61 ERA -- so they’ve had to rely on Okert and right-handed options for left-handed matchups.

That has gone fine in the big picture, as Okert entered Saturday holding left-handed hitters to a .174/.255/.239 line for the season, with Keith’s homer on a sinker in on the hands marking the first time Okert had been taken deep left-on-left all year.

But he’d also allowed right-handed hitters to hit .309 with a .912 OPS this season, and has also allowed more than half of his inherited runners (eight of 15) to score, which thins the margin for error when he’ll either need to face a lefty in a challenging spot with runners on base, or perhaps face a run of hitters that might also feature a right-handed batter or two.

“When he throws the ball the way he can, the way he wants to throw the ball, he has what it takes to be effective,” manager Rocco Baldelli said. “I feel good about that.”

The question, then, is whether the Twins feel good about their ability to match up against left-handed hitters in meaningful situations down the stretch, especially three days out from Tuesday’s Trade Deadline and with the market on relief pitchers seemingly in full swing, with seven relievers having moved since Thursday.

Even with Okert’s recent struggles, Twins relievers have held left-handed hitters to a 26.3% strikeout rate this season -- fourth-best in MLB -- and a .291 wOBA that ranks 10th-best.

There’s room for improvement, but that isn’t dire, and the Twins do have relievers like Jhoan Duran, Griffin Jax, Jorge Alcala and (at full strength) Brock Stewart who they trust against lefties and righties alike, with the potential to add Louie Varland and other starters to the group.

The Twins’ focus has been on starting pitchers and will likely remain so -- but they’ll have plenty to think about in the next three days.