The showdown in the center of the Central continues.

First Pitch: 1:10 pm CDT

TV: Twins.TV / ~ / Radio: TIBN, WCCO 830, The Wolf 102.9 FM

It feels weird to be writing a preview for a Twins team that has taken a loss within the last week. For most of May, I wasn’t doing that.

I don’t expect the Twins to lose much for the rest of the season, either, so maybe that was just a little cosmic blip in a constellation of undefeated baseball. I feel like if the Twins were going to lose more than, say, once or twice a month for the rest of the year, then I would have heard about it.

After all, the Twins only lost once last week, and have only lost once this week… they clutched out the series opener against Kansas City, and have only lost two games since dropping four in a row in early May and posting a 13-20 record just a few short weeks ago.

How much more fun is this?

Zebby Matthews is on the mound again today. Last time out, he — somewhat predictably — proved the weak link in Minnesota’s 13-game win streak, which finally snapped and earned him the loss in his first appearance of 2025. And while Zebby’s major-league career isn’t off to a sparkling start — he features a 7.08 ERA across 40 big-league innings now — his 1.93 ERA in 7 St. Paul outings suggests that his prospect status is well-earned, and he just needs a little bit of MLB run.

The Twins, for their part, will be facing veteran Michael Wacha, now in his second season with the Royals. Wacha is enjoying the best stretch of his career, having never been an All-Star again after a comfortable 2015 season, but now having posted 11.1 WAR since 2022. Minnesota has already faced him this season; he pitched 5.1 innings in a 3-2 Royals victory on April 10th. That game featured at-bats for Matt Wallner, Edouard Julien, Jose Miranda, and Mickey Gasper, so it’ll be a slightly different look for Royal pitching this afternoon.

It’s also Royce Lewis bobblehead day, so it’s nice to see the young third baseman healthy and in the starting lineup.

As of Saturday morning, the Tigers still hold the division crown, but the Twins and Guardians are tied for second place with equal 28-22 records, an even 4.0 games back of the Motor City Kitties. The Royals are now 5.0 back after going 4-6 in their last 10 (the Guards have an even record, and Minnesota is of course 8-2, with their winning streak ending less than a week ago.)

A win today would secure the series against the Royals, and prove that this is a much stronger Twins team than the one Kansas City was introduced to in April.

GO TWINS GO!