March 23, 2023

Now that’s more like it, Twins fans

The Twins snapped a five-game losing streak this week with 5-2 win over the Tampa Bay Rays, and then turned it into a two-game winning streak with a convincing, this-is-what-I-expect-from-the-Twins kinda win against the Boston Red Sox. It wasn’t just a win, but an 11-0 beat down of the Sox at Jet Blue Park in Fort Myers, Florida.

The Twins scored 11 runs on 15 hits, getting two hits out of Joey Gallo, a home run from Jose Miranda, a home run from Kyle Farmer and three hits out of the struggling “Donnie Barrels” Solano.

But the Big Bopper on Wednesday was Oregon state man Trevor Larnach who went 4-for-4 with a home run, two runs scored and two RBI. Larnach has to start the regular season with the Twins, right?

On the mound, starter Joe Ryan cruised, striking out five over five scoreless innings, allowing just two hits and a walk.

The Twins also looked good in their win over the Rays. Byron Buxton doubled in his first at bats of the spring and Carlos Correa appears to be ready for the regular season after he had a 2-for-3 day, including a home run, as well as two runs scored and two RBI.

Similar to Ryan, Sonny Gray struck out five over five innings on 75 pitches with no walks and two runs allowed, both earned.

Extra innings …

-In unfortunate injury news, Jorge Polanco and Alex Kirilloff will start the regular season on the injured list, according to MLB.com.

March 20, 2023

The Twins are doing … something

The Twins are winding down exhibition play, and although I always fight the temptation to read too much into spring training, it’s hard not to after the club fell to 8-12-3 on Sunday with a lackluster loss to the Atlanta Braves. The Twins mustered all of two hits in the 5-0 defeat. Expectations are riding... Continue Reading »

March 14, 2023

Any Twins win over the Yankees is a good win

The calendar might say March, but who cares when it’s Twins vs. Yankees? Any win over their arch-rival is something to celebrate. Max Kepler hit a home run and that’s all the Twins needed on Monday in their 1-0 win as seven pitchers took the mound to three-hit the Bronx Bombers. The win went to... Continue Reading »

March 9, 2023

Something actually resembling a Twins lineup played baseball this week

A Twins lineup consisting of Joey Gallo, Carlos Correa, Max Kepler, Jose Miranda, Donovan Solano, Kyle Farmer, Michael Taylor, Trevor Larnach and Ryan Jeffers — in other words, a lineup we might actually see during the regular season — took the field this week and won, edging the Baltimore Orioles 7-6 in Grapefruit League action.... Continue Reading »

March 5, 2023

More injuries for the Twins? You can’t make this stuff up

The Minnesota Twins, who suffered through an inordinate amount of injuries last season and were quick to replace the athletic trainer as soon as the offseason arrived, find themselves already dealing with more injuries eight games into exhibition play. It’s enough to ask: What exactly is going on? This could hardly be the fault of... Continue Reading »

February 27, 2023

Thank you, Max Kepler

Max Kepler, the Berlin-born right fielder for the Twins who continues to work on recapturing his 2019 homer-hitting form, has restored my faith in humanity. I say this after reading an MLB.com story about Kepler and how an offseason spent in Paris with his girlfriend has him feeling refreshed for the new season. That alone... Continue Reading »

February 21, 2023

Here’s a change of pace: An off-the-field injury for the Twins

It has been well-documented that the Twins had an inordinate amount of player injuries last year, all of which contributed to an underwhelming season and a third-place finish. But at least those injuries involved the game of baseball, either running, throwing or fielding the ball from what I recall. Yet here we are on the... Continue Reading »

February 5, 2023

What baseball moments would count as Pat Mahomes’ ‘Super Bowl?’

Pat Mahomes’ son Patrick is headed to his second Super Bowl as the quarterback of the Kansas City Chiefs. But what about his old man? What were the Super Bowl-like moments for the former Twins pitcher who spent five of his 11 major league seasons in Minnesota? Well, there weren’t many, largely, it appears, because... Continue Reading »

January 22, 2023

We hardly knew ye, Luis Arraez

Luis Arraez, the defending American League batting champion, is a 25-year-old infielder who has consistently hit near or better than .300 in his young career, a once in a generation talent who is most often compared to Hall of Famer Rod Carew, and a player who has more career walks than strikeouts — only 131... Continue Reading »

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Hi, I’m Rolf Boone, Twins fan.

I became a fan of the Minnesota Twins after a friendly wager in the early 1980s. I survived Ron Davis, the meltdown in Cleveland, Phil Bradley at the Kingdome and then marveled at a rising generation of stars and two World Series wins in 1987 and 1991. Brad Radke made the 1990s bearable, while Kirby Puckett’s eye injury, exit from the game and eventual death made it almost too much to bear. The new century ushered in more talent — Joe Mauer, Johan Santana, Joe Nathan, Torii Hunter, Justin Morneau — and consecutive seasons of playoff baseball, followed by consecutive seasons of losing baseball. A winning season returned in 2015. So here we are. Go Twins.