A new season of baseball is almost upon us, and for the Twins it doesn’t get off to the easiest of starts.
In late March and through the month of April, they play perennial good teams in the National League, face off against divisional foes on the rise (see the Tigers and Royals), get a couple of cupcakes in the White Sox and Angels — although it remains to be seen how bad the South Siders are — and then they end the month against a team they struggled to figure out last season: the Cleveland Guardians, who went 10-3 against the Twins.
It all begins with a road series at the St. Louis Cardinals. The Twins went 1-2 against the Cards last season and I expect the same again. They then head to the South Side to play a team they absolutely dominated in 2024. After posting a 12-1 record against the White Sox last season, I expect a three-game sweep here.
The Twins then come home to open the season against the always-tough Houston Astros. However, the Twins were 4-2 versus the Astros last season, so I expect a 2-1 series win. They then have back-to-back series against the Royals and Tigers. Both series are a coin flip. The Twins barely had winning records against either team, so I expect a four-game split with K.C. and a series loss versus Motown.
After tangling with divisional rivals, they play two of the best teams in the National League: the New York Mets and Atlanta Braves. The Twins didn’t play either team very well last season. They turned in a series loss against the Metropolitans and were swept by the Braves. I predict the same again.
From there, though, the Twins will get some much welcome relief in the form of the Los Angeles Angels, a terrible team. They were 5-1 against the Halos last season, so after being swept by the Braves, I expect the Twins to deliver a sweep of the Angels.
The first 28 games of the season ends in Cleveland.
As previously mentioned, the Twins won only three of 13 games against the Guards last season. The two teams are known for playing close games, but if it’s a one-run difference in the ninth with Emmanuel Clase coming to the mound, it’s advantage Cleveland. I predict a sweep, unfortunately.
If my prediction holds true, the Twins end April with a record of 12-16, which isn’t terrible. All you want to do in the early stages of the season is hang around, gradually become more competitive and then step on the gas in August and September.
The Tigers, for example, had a losing record during the first half of 2024, but were a sizzling 39-26 in the second half, including a 17-8 mark in September. The Astros, too, got off to a terrible 10-19 start last season, but powered their way to winning records in both halves of the season and won the AL West by 3.5 games over the M’s.
And remember how it unfolded for the Twins? The Twins slumped to a 7-13 record after a loss to the Tigers on April 21, then reeled off 12 straight wins. What a difference a winning streak makes.
“There is urgency here,” Baldelli told the Star Tribune after the Twins’ 6-1 loss to the Detroit Tigers. “We can’t pitch and play like this and think things are just going to be fine. Our guys know it’s not just going to be fine. We’re going to have to do things. We’re going to have to be open to making roster moves and finding new ways to use players and figure some things out.”
Baldelli’s thoughts after win No. 12.
“The more baseball we’ve played,” Baldelli told the newspaper, “the better baseball we’ve played.”
Sources: Baseball-Reference.com, Newspapers.com