This week, the Minnesota Twins take against the division leaders in series against the New York Yankees and Cleveland Guardians, testing their winning formulas.
The Minnesota Twins are having a fantastic season. Since April 22, they have an astounding 17-3 record.
Although this is the team’s best 20-game run in 16 years, it raises the question, “Are the Twins really for real?” given how young the 2024 season is.
Minnesota defeated the lowly Chicago White Sox four games to none to start their 12-game winning run. The Twins swept the White Sox once again following their three-game sweep of the Los Angeles Angels.
After that, Minnesota improved to 24-16 by winning two of three games against the Boston Red Sox, three of four against the Seattle Mariners, and two of three games against the Toronto Blue Jays.
Only the Mariners and Red Sox have winning records this season out of the five clubs the Twins have faced in the last 20 games. And Boston is just 21–20 even then.
Chicago and Los Angeles now have the worst records in the American League, while the White Sox, Angels, and Blue Jays are all in last place in their respective divisions. Minnesota’s recent opponents had a combined record of 90-117.
While it’s vital to be able to defeat lower calibre opponents, the Twins still need to demonstrate that their successful strategies can carry over into series against genuine contenders.
And as luck would have it, Minnesota will have a difficult task ahead of them this week.
The Twins open a three-game home series with the 27-15 New York Yankees on Tuesday, pitting them against the most dangerous lineup in the AL. Immediately after that, Minnesota will hit the road and play three games against the 26-16 Cleveland Guardians.
Going 3-1 against the Mariners, who are leading the AL West at 23-19, is the blueprint for the Twins’ success against the Yankees and Guardians. The AL East and AL Central leaders boast better records than Seattle, but that series could still prove valuable as Minnesota gears up for stiffer competition.
The Twins’ pitchers got it done against the Mariners, for the most part, giving up just five runs between games one, three and four of that series. Replicating that success against the Yankees and Guardians is easier said than done, though, considering they are tied for No. 2 in the AL in runs.