After being swept by the Cardinals and suffering through an embarrassing Game 1 loss to the Chicago White Sox, the Twins appeared to be on the verge of some serious early-season trouble.
But they won on Tuesday and did it again Wednesday, 6-1, to pick up their first series win over the South Siders. And just when it seemed that an 0-4 record was the end of the world, the Twins now find themselves at 2-4, which is good enough to be tied with every other club in the underachieving American League Central. Ain’t baseball, funny?
The Twins scored their six runs on eight hits, six of them coming from Carlos Correa (finally), Byron Buxton, including a mammoth home run, and Ty France. Harrison Bader, who is fast becoming known as Mr. Three-Run Home Run, cleared the bases again in the fourth inning.
Extra innings…
-Starter Pablo Lopez was sharp on Wednesday, allowing just a run over seven innings on four hits, one walk and five strikeouts. Most encouragingly, he did not fall into that trap where he struggles early in a game, concedes a run or two, and then pitches to a deficit but pitches well. It appears he was in late-inning form from the get-go.
-MLB Trade Rumors currently is running an AL Central poll, asking readers to pick the division winner. I participated and picked the Twins, of course, but my view of things is very much in the minority because the Detroit Tigers top the poll while the Twins are at the bottom. The Twins may not win the division, but they certainly aren’t going to finish behind the Pale Hose. Please.
-The Twins’ home opener is Thursday. Joe Ryan gets the ball.
-If you thought 0-4 was bad, how about 0-7? That’s the Atlanta Braves predicament after they rushed out to a 5-0 lead over the Dodgers on Wednesday, only to watch Los Angeles come roaring back to tie the game and then win it in walk-off fashion with a Shohei Ohtani home run.