MINNEAPOLIS — Emboldened by his lineup’s ability to hit more home runs than any other team in baseball history, Dave St. Peter figured it was time for the Twins to finally knock off the Yankees in October.

St. Peter, the Twins’ president and CEO, popped off before the Yankees-Twins ALDS opener and looks very foolish two games into the best-of-five affair that switches from the Bronx, where the Yankees won twice, to Target Field for Game 3 on Monday night.

“Organizationally, I just say it’s time to slay the dragon, right?” St. Peter said.

Instead his Twins are nine innings away from having the dragon’s breath accompanying taps for an organization the Yankees simply have to show up to pummel. The Yankees have won 12 straight postseason games against the Twins, are 15-2 in the last 17 October games against Minnesota and 17-2 versus the Twins at Yankee Stadium since 2015, including the postseason.

In Game 1 Friday night, the Yankees rode DJ LeMahieu’s 3-for-5, four-RBI game that included a three-run homer to a 10-4 win. Saturday night in Game 2, they used a seven-run third inning to post an 8-2 win and set up a possible sweep.

Luis Severino, who made three September starts after missing the first 5½ months of the season with right shoulder and lat problems, starts for the Yankees. Jake Odorizzi, who led the Twins in wins (15) and a right-hander some believed should have started Game 2 after the Twins lost the first game, starts for the hosts.

After edging out the Yankees for the MLB lead and the all-time record (307 to 306), the Twins hit three home runs in Game 1 and none in the second. Making matters worse, they are a combined 2-for-16 (.125) with runners in scoring position and hitting .197 (13-for-66) overall.

As for the Yankees, they also hit three homers in two games but have a .348 (8-for-24) average with runners in scoring position, have outscored the Twins 18-6, and are hitting .297 (19-for-64) overall.

It’s no secret the bullpen was the Yankees’ strength entering the postseason and that has been the biggest mismatch across the two games. The Yankees’ relievers have a 2.16 ERA compared to the Twins’ 6.19. Though the Yankees walking five in 8 ¹/₃ innings is high, the Twins have given 11 free passes and hit a batter in 11 frames.

Plus, with an off day between Games 2 and 3, the Yankees’ pen can be used in multiple ways.

“We are in a good position. We are in good shape obviously, but it shifts venues. We understand still what a really good team we are up against,” Aaron Boone said before the Yankees worked out at Target Field on Sunday. “With the day off and guys being rested, we can shoot everything at you in a Game 3 and hopefully we are in a position to do that, but there is always that trepidation walking into a game knowing that it can get sideways at any point, too.”

Not wanting to mess with a good thing, Boone is going with the same lineup for a third straight game. Asked if he would make some changes in a lineup that a couple of Twins said wasn’t as aggressive as it had been in Game 2, their manager, Rocco Baldelli, was evasive.

“Just in general terms, we stick with what we know and what we have done,” Baldelli said. “Could there be some movement? Possible. We will wait until [Monday] to reveal our lineup and what we are going to do.”

Whatever the Twins do might not be enough to keep the dragon’s breath from scorching them once again.