Eight games under .500 is nothing to be thrilled about, but the Twins certainly could make a modest move up in the division if they take care of business against the next two teams they face. They happen to be some of the weakest teams in the American League: The Oakland/West Sacramento/Las Vegas A’s (or... Continue Reading »

Among the many Twins promotions and events this season, there is one that stands out: On Aug. 16, the team will recognize the 60th anniversary of the 1965 AL Pennant-winning Twins. I’m not sure who will be on hand for that celebration — Jim Kaat and Tony Oliva come to mind — but how about... Continue Reading »

The Twins have produced their share of players who have won the Rookie of the Year award. There’s Tony Oliva, of course, and his incredible 1964 debut. It was so amazing (look it up, newbies) that he also finished fourth in the AL MVP vote that season. He was followed by Rod Carew (no surprise)... Continue Reading »

Two Twins rookies had two completely different games on Wednesday. Starter David Festa struck out six batters with no walks over five innings. The only problem is he allowed seven runs on nine hits, including a solo home run, a two-run shot and a grand slam that ultimately handed the Detroit Tigers a 9-2 win.... Continue Reading »

Here we are on the cusp of a new baseball season and the Twins, or at least one member of them, is on the cusp of a major pitching honor, according to MLB.com, who say the Twins’ Pablo Lopez is the favorite to win the American League Cy Young award in 2024. After his 2023... Continue Reading »

The Twins continue to add depth to their bullpen, announcing that they have traded (possibly disgruntled) infielder Nick Gordon to the Miami Marlins for lefty reliever Steven Okert. But before that deal was hatched, they came to terms on a free agent agreement with the well-traveled Jay Jackson, a 36-year-old righty reliever who has pitched... Continue Reading »

The Twins accomplished job No. 1 on Wednesday by completing a three-game sweep of the Kansas City Royals which now makes the club 4-1 this month with plenty of winnable games still to come. I can’t emphasize this enough because the time is now. The Twins face nothing but weak competition in July, so if... Continue Reading »

Inspiration for this blog comes in many forms. This time, of all things, I ordered some stationery via eBay and it arrived wrapped in the front page of the Sept. 16, 1998, edition of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Who was on the front page? Who else? Mark McGwire after he connected for his 63rd home... Continue Reading »

The recent two-game sweep of the Detroit Tigers is looking less and less impressive these days, particularly after the Twins played, lost and were eventually swept by the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday and Wednesday. The Twins certainly have enough quality pitching to beat the worst teams in baseball, but that’s clearly not the case when... Continue Reading »