Twins Video
Pirates (4/2 & 4/4)
In a quick two game series, the Twins will face Jameson Taillon and Ivan Nova. Taillon will be making his season debut after returning to the mound last season following a battle with testicular cancer. Nova held the Tigers to two runs on Opening Day, as he fought through six hits and three walks. Lance Lynn is scheduled to make his Twins debut on Monday and Jake Odorizzi will look to build off his six scoreless innings from Opening Day. Prediction: Twins Split Series 1-1
Seattle (4/5, 4/7-8)
Kyle Gibson should get quite the rousing ovation when he takes the mound on Thursday. Gibson threw six hitless innings to earn the team’s first victory of the season. He’s looking to build off of his strong second half. Minnesota might miss out on Felix Hernandez so this could leave them facing James Paxton, Marco Gonzales, and Mike Leake. It’s also important to remember Minnesota was only one game over .500 at home last season while being seven games over .500 on the road. Prediction: Twins Win Series 2-1
Houston (4/9-4/11)
Houston, the defending World Series champions, look like a team destined for greatness again. Having Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole for an entire season is only going to strengthen a rotation which already includes Dallas Keuchel and Lance McCullers Jr. There also isn’t much of a weakness at any point in their line-up. If things break like they should, this might be Minnesota’s first series loss of the year. Prediction: Twins Lose Series 1-2
Chicago (4/12-4/15)
In the midst of a rebuild, the White Sox shouldn’t be taken for granted if the Twins want to be in playoff contention. Young pitchers like Lucas Giolito and Carson Fulmer are looking to make their mark at the big league level. Chicago’s bullpen has a lot of unknowns so the Twins could do some damage in the later innings. Yoan Moncada is only 22 years old and he’s looking to prove he is one of the best young players in the game. Prediction: Twins Win Series 3-1
Cleveland (4/17-18)
The Indians are the kings of the AL Central but this two game series in Puerto Rico will come with a lot of emotions for both teams. Minnesota has Jose Berrios line-up to pitch Game 1 so he will have to keep his emotions in check. Minnesota’s Eddie Rosario and Cleveland’s Francisco Lindor will also want to put on a showcase in their home country. For Minnesota to stay in the AL Central race, they are going to need to take games away from Cleveland. Prediction: Twins Split Series 1-1
Tampa Bay (4/20-22)
Tampa Bay traded away multiple starting pieces this off-season including dealing Odorizzi to the Twins. Chris Archer and Blake Snell are still a solid one-two punch at the top of their rotation but beyond that there are some question marks. Three former Twins (Denard Span, Carlos Gomez, and Wilson Ramos) will face their old squad. Logan Morrison will also get his first shot back in Tampa Bay. However, 27 of his 38 home runs in 2017 came away from Tropicana Field. Prediction: Twins Win Series 2-1
New York (4/23-26)
Minnesota will be looking to get a little revenge after falling to New York in last year’s AL Wild Card Game. Giancarlo Stanton, Aaron Judge, and Gary Sanchez make-up a formidable middle of the line-up that can hit the ball out of the park at any point in the game. New York’s bullpen continues to be a strength so the Twins are going to need to get out to early leads because mounting a comeback would be tough. Prediction: Twins Split Series 2-2
Cincinnati (4/27-29)
In a battle of two of the fastest players in baseball, Byron Buxton and Billy Hamilton could make this an exciting series to watch. Last season, MLB’s Statcast ranked Buxton and Hamilton as the two fastest players in relation to sprint speed. The Reds are going to struggle to keep pace with the Cubs, Cardinals, and Brewers at the top of the NL Central. Joey Votto is still a force in the middle of the line-up but there isn’t much help around him. Prediction: Twins Sweep Series 3-0
If all of my predictions come true, the Twins would have a 17-10 record entering their first series of May with Toronto. Is this a realistic expectation? Is the early season schedule in favor of the Twins? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion.
More from Twins Daily
MIN 6, BAL 2: Good Gibby Rides Again
Recommended Comments
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now