Can Minnesota surpass last year’s impossible run?

First Pitch: 6:15 pm CDT

TV: KMSP, FOX / ~ / Radio: TIBN, WCCO 830, The Wolf 102.9 FM

The Twins rattling off 12-game winning streaks in consecutive springs is one of the purest baseball events I can think of. It’s something that elicits simultaneous reactions of “I can’t believe this has never happened before” and “I can’t believe, with the entire history of baseball available, that this is happening right now.”

Well, believe it, baby!

It was a common refrain during this year’s 7-15 start that Minnesota had put themselves into an even worse situation than their 2024 debut — namely because, as we all alluded to numerous times, the team wasn’t just going to win 12 in a row like they did last season.

The joke, I suppose, is on us all. Somehow, Palpatine returned that’s exactly what they did.

The Twins have now only lost four times since their 7-15 start, and this 12-game tear has included a better crop of opponents than the previous streak: the Twins have taken two on the road from the Boston Red Sox; three each from the Baltimore Orioles at our home and theirs (playing no small part in getting their manager canned along the way); an entire series against the San Francisco Giants… and now a series-opening road win in Milwaukee.

Moreover, a 12-0 record has been just enough to finally creep the club one place forward in the standings. As of Saturday morning, the Twins are now a third-place squad, half a game behind the Cleveland Guardians, half a game in front of the Kansas City Royals. Next week’s homestand, which will feature both opponents, suddenly looks extremely exciting.

Just as exciting is the opportunity to go for 13 in a row tonight on national TV.

After the opening game of this weekend border battle, Joe Ryan now leads the team in bWAR (2.1), and tonight he passes the torch to an arm with an even better FIP and a lower HR/9 — we’re talking, of course, about resident staff ace Pablo Lopez. This season, Pablo’s fastball and sweeper are leading the way by run value (6 for the fastball, and 4 for the sweeper already) after last year’s arsenal was carried almost singlehandedly by his hard stuff.

Juxtaposed against the Opening Day starter is a patchwork lineup that nevertheless resembles a batting order which got the job done last night. The bright spot here is Harrison Bader, back in the lineup after a groin strain kept him day-to-day. Royce Lewis holds down the fort as the only remaining member of the Lewis/Carlos Correa/Byron Buxton trio. Kody Clemens and his 148 OPS+ stick around in the middle of the order.

The Brewers counter with Tobias Myers, a 26-year-old righty who did not face the Minnesota lineup in 2024, his rookie season. He’s been quite dependable results-wise in 32 career starts, although the walks are really starting to creep up on him in 2025 (10 walks to 11 strikeouts in just 16.1 innings.) Myers hasn’t been missing bats, either — an 8% whiff rate has only been saved by a 98th-percentile barrel rate. There are holes to be exposed if the Minnesota B/C/D-squad comes in with a tight gameplan.

So, here we go – Saturday night, a little natch telly (as many call it), and a potential 13-game win streak wrapped up mere hours from now. Buckle up — this ride might not be over just yet!

GO TWINS GO!