I am not looking forward to this one. Not one bit.

Team in a box

2019 Minnesota Twins Record 40-18 Record 40-18 Runs Scored 347 Runs Allowed 238 Run Differential +109 Streak W3 AVG .275 OBP .342 SLG .511 OPS .853 wRC+ 123 K/9 8.91 BB/9 2.79

The Twins are very good this year, but you already knew that. They, along with the Astros, have the best offense in all of baseball with a wRC+ of 123. They hit for a high average, they get on base plenty, and their power hitters are hitting for power. The pitching, which was thought by many (including myself) prior to the beginning of the season to be their downfall, has held up and is one of the best in baseball. Everything, and I do mean everything, seems to be breaking the right way for the Twins. They just came off of a historic month of May where they went 21-8. I’m waiting for the regression to smack them in the face, but at this point it may not matter. FanGraphs gives the Twins a 95.9% chance to win the AL Central, and that honestly feels a bit low given how the Indians have played up to this point in the season.

Projected starters

Tuesday, June 4 7:10 p.m. ET: LHP Devin Smeltzer (v. Shane Bieber)

Devin Smeltzer made his MLB debut a week ago against the Brewers and he was fantastic. He kept them scoreless through six innings and only allowed 3 hits along the way. He didn’t walk anyone and he struck out seven. I shudder to think what he may do to the Cleveland lineup (he also throws with his left hand, a big plus). He’s got a low-90s fastball (90 mph) that can fool hitters and generate whiffs, as can his change (84 mph). He’s got a curve (77 mph) that he can mix in as well.

Wednesday, June 5 7:10 p.m. ET: LHP Martín Pérez (v. Carlos Carrasco)

Martín Pérez is in the middle of his best season, comparable only to his 2013 campaign with the Texas Rangers. Across 60.2 innings thus far in 2019, Pérez has allowed 25 earned runs while walking 28 and striking out 59 (ERA+ 120). He’s allowing less traffic on the bases this season (his WHIP and H/9 are both drastically down from a year ago), and he’s also gotten the home runs in check, down to 0.7 HR/9 from 1.7 HR/9 a year ago. His cutter (89 mph) may not be thrown hard, but it gets the job done with a lot of movement. His sinker (95 mph), on the other hand, is thrown very hard. Add in a change (86 mph), a fourseam (95 mph), and a curve (79 mph), and Pérez has the pitch selection to confound and confuse hitters with regularity. His most recent start came on May 30 against the Tampa Bay Rays. In that game, Pérez had a rare rough outing, going just 2.2 innings and allowing 6 earned runs on 6 hits while walking 2 and striking out 3.

Thursday, June 6 7:10 p.m. ET: RHP José Berríos (v. Trevor Bauer)

José Berríos has been great for two seasons now, and he’s even better this year. Across 77.0 innings pitched so far in 2019, Berríos has allowed 28 earned runs while walking 14 and striking out 72 (ERA+ 135). He has that fantastic curve (82 mph) that he uses often, an average fastball (93 mph) and sinker (93 mph), and a sinking change (84 mph). His most recent start came on May 31 against the Rays; in that game, Berríos went 6.2 innings and allowed 3 earned runs on 3 hits while walking 3 and striking out 8.

Lineup Highlights

Just about all of them. I’m not kidding. The only hitter on the team who has over 200 plate appearances and a wRC+ under 100 is UTIL Marwin Gonzalez (wRC+ 86). The other five above that 200 PA threshold are all hitting phenomenally, chief of which is SS Jorge Polanco, who is absolutely mashing the ball to the tune of .338/.405/.584 (wRC+ 160) over 247 plate appearances. When you get into players with between 100-200 plate appearances, it doesn’t get any easier as they have OF Byron Buxton (.267/.325/.517, wRC+ 118) and DH Nelson Cruz (.270/.354/.508, wRC+ 126) mashing in part-time roles. Long story short, the Twins have a long lineup and there’s almost no room for error regardless of who is at the plate.

Minnesota Twins roster