The Twins have done it again, making it back-to-back 12-game winning streaks in 2024 and 2025.
The current streak: Two wins over Boston, three-game sweeps against the Baltimore Orioles, San Francisco Giants and O’s, followed by a Game 1 win versus the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday night.
Again, the Twins did just enough with the bats — one double and eight singles — and the pitching staff, which has been exceptional during this run, took it from there in the 3-0 win.
Starter Joe Ryan shut out the Brew Crew on two hits over six innings with nine strikeouts, then the bullpen went to work. Brock Stewart fanned the side in the seventh inning and relievers Griffin Jax and Cole Sands struck out four more batters over two innings. The Brewers whiffed 16 times as a team.
The Twins/Brewers game was the MLB free game of the day, so I was able to watch and during it they flashed this stat on the screen: The Twins bullpen has pitched to a 0.92 ERA during the streak.
Pablo Lopez gets the ball Saturday.
Extra innings…
–The 12 wins in a row has turned this season around for the Twins, but how much longer can it last? I ask because the Twins are pretty banged up.
Carlos Correa has landed on the seven-day injured list because of concussion concerns after he and Byron Buxton collided in center field. Buck is not officially injured but is still being evaluated as part of the concussion protocol process. Harrison Bader is nursing a day-to-day injury and so is Willi Castro, which means the Twins have turned to a lot of new faces to fill the gaps.
–One of those, Ryan Fitzgerald, a 30-year-old minor leaguer, made his major league debut at second base on Friday.
–The Twins are now 25-20 and have moved into third place in the division, a half-game ahead of the Royals.
–The Twins were 0-6 against the Orioles last season, but they are 6-0 this season.
–Former Twin Rich Rollins, who spent eight seasons with the Twins in the 1960s, died May 13, according to various reports. He was 87. Rollins played third base and twice was an All-Star. He also played on the 1965 World Series team.
–Former golfer J.C. Snead, who also happened to be Sam Snead’s nephew, died in April. He was 84. Before Snead became an eight-time winner on the PGA tour, he was a minor league ballplayer for the Washington Senators in the early 1960s.