I must admit I was among those Twins fans who predicted doom and gloom for this team after the cost-cutting, the modest free-agent spending and an underwhelming exhibition season.
And yet look at them now.
The Twins at 9-7 are tied for first place in the AL Central and have scored the second most runs (79) in the American League. If they are not the biggest surprise of April, they are certainly among a select group of teams that have played against expectations.
How did they get here? They swept the Detroit Tigers last week before heading to Toronto for the weekend where they took two of three games from the Blue Jays, and in convincing fashion, beating them 8-2 on Sunday and 7-4 on Saturday.
In Sunday’s win, Tristan Gray hit a three-run blast, Kody Clemens added a solo shot and starter Taj Bradley won again after he limited the Blue Jays to one run across five innings with seven strikeouts. It wasn’t his most efficient effort — 106 pitches over five innings — but four walks will do that to you. Still, he improved to 3-0 with a 1.25 ERA.
Saturday’s win played out in a similar fashion. Trevor Larnach crushed a three-run dinger, Brooks Lee homered again and ace Ryan held the Jays to two runs across seven innings with five strikeouts on a very efficient 91 pitches. He is now 2-1 with a 3.80 ERA.
Bailey Ober gets the ball Monday against the Boston Red Sox.
Extra innings…
-I’m not the only one feeling better about this team. The team feels it, too, according to an MLB.com story about Sunday’s win.
- “Everybody plays for one another,” said Bradley, who earned the win with five solid innings of one-run ball and seven strikeouts. “Everybody hypes each other up. … If I’m coming in after a tough inning, everybody still gives me a pat on the back.”
- “We made them work, whether it was a base hit, a walk, a hit by pitch. Then we scattered in a homer or two,” (Twins Manager Derek) Shelton said. “But overall, very pleased with this short road trip.”
- There’s some bright energy in the Twins’ clubhouse after winning two out of three games against the reigning American League champions. Beyond a blip on Friday, Minnesota came through with clutch hits and showed this club has all the tools to compete with — and outduel — a stacked roster like Toronto’s.