Steven Trefz

Looks like Buxton is set in lead off for a while…tough to have Gallo and Kepler out today…curious when Kep will return. Expecting Joe to dominate today

That’s my fault! Extras got me scrambling! Thanks!

The Twins came into the Home Opener off of a two-game losing streak, facing the reigning World Series Champion Houston Astros. On a chilly day at Target Field, Sonny Gray led the way with 13 strikeouts, and the Twins got their first walk-off winner in 2023! Image courtesy of Matt Blewett-USA TODAY Sports Minneapolis - Following a 4-2 opening road trip to Kansas City and Miami, the Twins aimed to regain their winning ways in the 2023 home opener. With the temps hovering in the high 40's, the fans hoped that Sonny Gray could warm up everyone's spirits with another impactful start. The reigning World Series Champion Astros sought to regain some momentum for their 2023 season, after coming to the Twin Cities with a 3-4 record. The Twins would give up the lead in the top of the 10th, only to send the fan faithful home happy with a 3-2 walk-off winner! Here's how it all went down. Box Score SP: Sonny Gray: 7 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 13 K (98 pitches, 61 strikes (62%) Home Runs: None Top 3 WPA: Jose Miranda (0.288), Sonny Gray (0.254), Donovan Solano (.176) Win Probability Chart Opening Day! Before the first pitch, the Twins hosted a morning breakfast at the ballpark, Twins Daily hosted a pregame watch party, and Mother Nature hosted a Sonny Gray, I mean, a sunny day at half the temperature of the last Twins game. The Twins set their lineup to combat Jose Urquidy and his reverse-split arsenal of pitches with more right-handed bats than usual. The usual opening day fanfare set the stage for the main event. The Astros Strike First With Max Kepler suffering a knee injury Monday night, the question of "Who will lead off?" continues to vary from game to game, but Byron Buxton got the call again today. The Twins bats again began the game on "silent mode," and they were only able to mount two singles through the first three innings. The Astros didn't start out any stronger, but they were able to follow up a Mauricio Dubon double with an Alex Bregman single to the wall, to take a 1-0 lead. A Sonny Day Despite the early run, Gray was dealing, recording a career-high 13 strikeouts through seven innings, and keeping a potent Astros offense to only one run. Piranha Style Comeback After wasting a lead-off double from Michael Taylor in the fifth, the Twins struck piranha style in the bottom of the sixth inning. Donovan Solano ripped a single with one out, and advanced to second base on Kyle Farmer's single under the second baseman's glove to right. Nick Gordon came in to pinch hit for Joey Gallo (right-side soreness), and responded by slapping a fielder's choice ground ball to short. The scene was set for Christian Vasquez's hero story, and reliever Bryan Abreu took the opportunity away from him by firing a wild pitch to the backstop. Solano scored, tying the game 1-1. After Vasquez walked, Michael Taylor struck out swinging to end the threat. Bullpen Time The end of the game got handed to the bullpen, and Griffin Jax got a chance to avenge his last outing versus the Marlins. Jax responded with a 1-2-3 eighth. Jose Miranda led off the eighth inning with a single but was left at first base. Jhoan Duran took the ninth for the home team for the first time since opening day last week, and his reward was facing Yordan Alvarez, Jose Abreu, and Kyle Tucker. Alvarez walked on a full count, but Duran was able to lock up Abreu on a perfect curveball at the bottom of the zone. Tucker also struck out on 101 high heat, and David Hensley grounded out weakly to end the inning. However, former Twin Ryan Pressly entered the bottom of the ninth and easily shut down the Twins in order. Extra Baseball! In an attempt to give the fans their money's worth, the Twins entered extra innings for the first time this season. Jorge Lopez tried to keep the ghost runner Hensley from scoring, but after getting the lead-off batter, Dubon struck again with a seeing-eye single through the drawn in infield to put the Astros up 2-1. The Astros countered with Ryne Stanek, and he promptly struck out Carlos Correa looking on a full count. A passed ball moved Buxton to third base with one out, and Trevor Larnach walked on a full count. Miranda was the next potential hero to come to the plate, and he delivered! His single to right plated Buxton and sent Larnach to second base. An immediate wild pitch by Stanek advanced both runners, and Solano walked after Maldonado saved yet another wayward pitch. This all led to the new Twin Farmer, in his first home game, to come up with the bases loaded and only one out. Twins fans were able to go home happy today, as he delivered with a base hit up the middle to score Larnach for the winning run! Final Thoughts Twins fans packed Target Field in hopes of righting the ship, and starting a new narrative against elite-level ballclubs. Sonny Gray led the way with a career-high performance, but the Twins bats again couldn't keep pace throughout the game. Luckily, the Astros bullpen ran out of steam before the Twins bullpen did, and single after single brought home the opening day victory! What’s Next? The Twins will attempt to keep the momentum going by sending to the mound Joe Ryan in Game 2 of the series (1-0, 1.50 ERA) on Saturday afternoon. The team will face Astros right-hander Luis Garcia (0-1, 5.40 ERA). The game is scheduled for 1:10 pm CDT. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage MON TUE WED THU FRI TOT Sands 28 0 0 0 0 28 Pagán 0 26 0 0 0 26 Alcalá 25 0 0 0 0 25 Jax 0 0 9 0 13 22 Durán 0 0 0 0 19 19 Morán 0 15 0 0 0 15 Thielbar 0 0 13 0 0 13 López 0 0 0 0 8 8 View full article

My brother and I went for three years in a row to Target for the home opener, so meeting somewhere random in western MN and getting our families into one vehicle for the journey into the city from our various SD locations. That last stretch of driving was always special.

The Astros are missing Jose Altuve and Justin Verlander, but they're still the bullies of the American League. Image courtesy of © Nick Wosika-USA TODAY Sports The Twins got destroyed by the Astros at Target Field in 2022 by a combined 18 runs, and lost all six games to the eventual World Series champions. In 2021, however, the Twins actually won the season series 4-3. This season finds the Twins coming home after a winning road trip, while the Astros are limping into town at 3-4. The Twins returned to the land of a thousand frozen lakes Wednesday night after gutting out a 4-2 start to the 2023 season. The frigid temps caused the Home Opener to be pushed back a day, but that only added to the anticipation for the Twins' faithful. Unfortunately for the home team, the guests for the weekend will be none other than the defending World Series champions, and perpetual bully, the Houston Astros. The starkest difference between the two teams thus far is their pitching. The Astros bring in a 4.02 ERA and 1.319 WHIP, while the Twins have been consistent and effective with a 1.90 ERA and a .962 WHIP. The offense of both squads appear evenly matched, with the Astros generating 2-3 more baserunners a game, and almost an entire run per game. Fun Fact: The home opener kicks off with breakfast on the plaza from 6-9am, and most importantly, the Twins Daily Social Club Home Opener Pregame festivites at Tom's Watch Bar from 11am-3pm! Weather Factor: The home opener was moved to Friday in order to capitalize on the temperatures "rising" to the low 50's at game time. Coming from the 88 degree and humid tropical heat of Miami will present its own set of challenges to both pitchers and batters. Saturday and Sunday look slightly warmer, with plenty of sunshine. Now let's take a look at the Pitching Probables for the Twins' second series of the season: Game 1 – Friday, April 7th, 2023 – 3:10pm CDT – Right-handers Sonny Gray (Twins) and Jose Urquidy (Astros) will square off in the Twins' home opener. Gray comes in at 1-0, with no runs allowed in five innings against the Royals on opening weekend. Urquidy, on the other hand, got a no-decision against the White Sox while giving up three runs over four innings. Of the Astros' potential lineup, Jose Abreu has the most experience by far with 24 at-bats versus Gray, but with only a .250 batting average. For the season, Kyle Tucker comes into town batting a salty 1217 OPS, with Yordan Alvarez and Chas McCormick also notching an OPS over 1000. The Twins are somewhat struggling at the plate, having scored two runs or less in four of their first six games. Joey Gallo and Trevor Larnach bring an OPS over 1000 so far this season. Game 2 – Saturday, April 8th, 2023 – 1:10pm CDT – Right-handers Joe Ryan (Twins) and Luis Garcia (Astros) take the mound in an afternoon tilt where the temperature is expected to be climbing into the low-60's. Ryan brings a 1-0 start and a 1.50 ERA/0.83 WHIP into the matchup. Garcia took the loss against the White Sox on opening weekend, allowing three runs in four innings. Neither team has much history against the starters, but if Ryan can continue in the vein of his previous home performances, this matchup should lean towards the Twins. Getting a healthy Max Kepler back by this point in the series would also add a key left-handed bat. Game 3 - Sunday, April 9th, 2023 – 12:10pm CDT - Right-hander Tyler Mahle (Twins) faces off yet another right-hander, youngster Hunter Brown (Astros). Mahle comes in at 1-0 with a 1.80 ERA after defeating the Marlins on the road, while Brown took a no-decision against the Tigers in his first start, allowing four runs over 4.2 innings. The Twins have no at-bats yet against Brown, who is making only his 9th MLB start. Mahle similarly will be facing most of the Astros hitters for the first time as he continues to become familiar with AL line-ups. Prediction Time! What's your prediction for this series? Get out the brooms, or something in between? Who do you think can catch fire in the Twins line-up? Will the Twins starters continue their dominant ways? Let's go Twins Territory! It's the first series of the year at Target Field! Steve Trefz - On a mission to go to a Twins series in every stadium over 2023-24. The journey continues in New York! Follow me on Twitter: @TwinsTrefz Statistical help from StatHead.com View full article

There is no way there was 10,000 fans there last night. It was half the crowd of Monday, and definitely still over 50% Twins fans. Tickets behind dugout for 15 bucks resale. We sat by Twins bullpen for 3. Felt like the days of sitting above the baggy in right 😀

I was only putting Twins stats in that section…plus I was too sad still to put down Garcia for that HR!

The Twins rode a four game winning streak into the middle game of this series, but the winning ways came to the end thanks to the Cy Young winning Sanday Alcantrara. Kenta Maeda pitched very well after almost a two year absence, but he left with the trainer. Image courtesy of Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports Miami - Seeking to reach 5-0 for the first time since the 1960's, the Minnesota Twins sent Kenta Maeda to the mound in his first regular season start since 2021. The Marlins sought to regain some hope for their 2023 season by starting 2022 NL Cy Young award winner Sandy Alcantara. With the roof open, and a few thousand of the Twins' and Marlins' family and friends in attendance, the battle began. Box Score SP: Kenta Maeda: 5 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 9 K (79 pitches, 54 strikes (68%) Home Runs: None Top 3 WPA: Emilio Pagan (0.114), Kenta Maeda (0.146), Jovani Moran (0.028) Bottom 3 WPA: Nick Gordon (-0.166), Donovan Solano (-.096), Willi Castro (-.093) Win Probability Chart Pre-Game Celebration Before the first pitch, the Marlins honored Twins' beloved Luis Arraez with his 2022 Silver Slugger and AL Batting Championship awards. Fans could pose with the awards on the concourse during the game, and since 70% of the crowd was dressed in Twins gear, most made the pilgrimage to remember what was a bright spot in an otherwise disappointing 2022 campaign. Now Leading Off, for your Minnesota Twins... With Max Kepler suffering a knee injury Monday night, the question of "Who will lead-off?" traveled around the fan base. Nick Gordon got the call from Rocco Baldelli. Byron Buxton started the night on the bench. Donovan Solano made his first start at DH, and Willi Castro got the nod in left field, with Trevor Larnach sliding over to right field. Gordon came up hacking, and grounded out on the first pitch. The Return of Maeda Twins fans have been waiting for Maeda's return, and his first inning back did not disappoint. In fact, both teams remained hitless until the bottom of the 2nd, when Avisail Garcia connected on a bomb. Dueling Pitchers After that home run, Alcantara and Maeda continued to mow down opposing batters through the first four innings. Jean Segura notched a single and stole second base for the first stolen base for or against the Twins this season. Trevor Larnach notched the first Twins hit with some hustle on a grounder to third. Maeda won the re-match with Garcia in the bottom of the fourth, Maeda struck out the side in the bottom of the fifth with some pent-up emotion coming out after the final out. First Stolen Base Attempts for the Twins! Don't get too excited. Michael Taylor attempted to gain second base with Gordon up on 2-0 count with one out. Gordon fouled it off, on what looked like a straight steal attempt. Taylor tried again with Carlos Correa up on a 0-1 count and would have stolen the base easily, but Correa fouled that pitch off as well. It was exciting to see the effort, and frustrating to watch the missed opportunity in such a tight game. And, ultimately, the team still doesn't officially have a stolen base attempt. Oh No...Kenta...!!! Another Marlins game, another key cog on the Twins squad has to leave early due to injury. Maeda was visibly in some discomfort after giving up a single to Jon Berti. He was shaking his right arm as he watched the ball into the outfield. The team surrounded him on the mound, and he was immediately taken out of the game. It didn't seem too bad, as he remained in the dugout after coming out. He was replaced by Emilio Pagan. Pagan walked Arraez, and then escaped the damage with inducing a double-play grounder from Garrett Cooper. Last Chances The Twins got a runner on second in the 7th inning, but Larnach, who walked, was left there after a Joey Gallo strikeout and a Donovan Solano fly out. Alcantara pitched into the 9th, and induced the game-ending double play from Larnach after a Carlos Correa single. Game over. Complete game, 2-hit shutout for Alcantara. In 1 hour and 57 minutes! Final Thoughts Obviously, Twins fans will be waiting for word on Maeda's right arm and will be hoping for not only his quick return to the mound, but also for short memories as they take the field again against another tough hurler. This game had no excitement, and no crowd. Sad to see such great talent going unappreciated here in Miami. What’s Next? The Twins will send to the mound former Marlin Pablo Lopez in Game 3 of the series (1-0, 0.00 ERA) on Wednesday afternoon. The team will face their first left-handed starter, Jesus Luzardo (1-0, 0.00 ERA). The game is scheduled for 12:10 pm CDT. Postgame Interviews FRI SAT SUN MON TUE TOT Pagan 0 0 16 0 26 42 Alcala 0 12 0 25 0 37 Moran 0 0 20 0 15 35 Sands 0 0 0 28 0 28 López 0 8 11 0 0 19 Thielbar 0 18 0 0 0 18 Jax 0 11 0 0 0 11 Duran 0 0 0 0 0 0 View full article

Live from batting practice…roof open, humid and 90! Let’s go!

Bullpen usage will be interesting…Sands first appearance?

The Twins continue their undefeated 2023 season at loanDepot Park on Monday. They will take on the 1-3 Miami Marlins in an interleague clash. Twins Territory only has one man on their mind as we take our talents to South Beach: Luis Arraez and his .563 average. How will the Twins fare against their old sparkplug? Who for the Twins is set up well to continue the winning ways of the first week? Image courtesy of Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports 2019 was the last time the Twins visited Miami. They went 2-1 against a young Marlins squad. This trip obviously will carry not only new Marlin-esque ballcaps, but remarkably flipped rosters. Of course, the focus for Twins fans will be on Luis Arraez and his hot start (1.282 OPS) in the new surroundings. Pablo Lopez takes the hill Wednesday, with all eyes on his return as well. This series marks the first of the National League regular schedule, which still takes some getting used to. With the roof potentially open for some outdoor baseball by the sea, the Twins have a chance to launch a few more bombas before they head home to the frozen tundra for Thursday’s (?) home opener. Fun Fact: This is the first time the Twins have started 3-0 since 2017. The last time the Twins went 4-0? Also 2017. 5-0…6-0? For that we have to go all the way back to 1968! Weather Factor: Temperatures in Miami ranging from 75-85 degrees every day. However, weather shouldn’t play too much of a factor because the Marlins only have been opening the roof if its over 80 degrees at game time. Wednesday’s day game will be the biggest chance for outdoor baseball. So let's take a look at the Pitching Probables for the Twins' second series of the season. Game 1 – Monday, April 3, 2023 – 5:40pm CDT – Right-handers Tyler Mahle (Twins) and Johnny Cueto (Marlins) will make their first starts of the season. Mahle looks to prove that he’s healthy while Cueto looks to continue baffling Twins batters. Of the Marlins' potential lineup, only catcher Jacob Stallings has 10 plate appearances against Mahle. Cueto had four starts against the Twins last year as a member of the White Sox, winning only once, with two losses and a no-decision. Game 2 – Tuesday, April 4, 2023 – 5:40pm CDT – Right-handers Kenta Maeda (Twins) and Sandy Alcantara (Marlins) take the mound in Maeda’s post-Tommy John debut. Alcantara, the reigning NL Cy Young winner, brings a 4.76 ERA and a no-decision from his Opening Day start. Of course, that means little to nothing. Third baseman Jean Segura has a .300 average across 21 career plate appearances versus Maeda, but that is about it for prior exposure to the Twins hurler. Alcantara faced the Twins back in 2019, with only Max Kepler taking him deep in his lone plate appearance. Game 3 - Wednesday, April 5, 2023 – 12:10pm CDT - Right-hander Pablo Lopez (Twins) faces off against Jesus Luzardo (Marlins), the first left-handed starter the Twins will face this season. Both pitchers have started the 2023 at 1-0, with neither pitcher giving up an earned run in their first start. Marlins shortstop Joey Wendle has a 1.200 OPS against Lopez in 10 plate appearances. Donovan Solano has the most track record against Luzardo, with a 1.196 OPS in only eight at-bats. Another sweep, and some Twins history could be made this week. What's your prediction for this series? Get out the brooms, or something in between? Who do you think will be on fire for the Twins' bats? How will Mahle and Maeda start their seasons? What’s your prediction for Lopez vs. Arraez on Wednesday? Steve Trefz - On a mission to go to a Twins series in every stadium over 2023-24. The journey continues in Miami! Follow me on Twitter: @TwinsTrefz Statistical help from StatHead.com View full article

It does seem like the first two games have been overly stressful! Here's to hoping someone else joins Buxton and breaks out today.

I'm two days into the Kansas City trip, and I've learned several important things: 1. When given a choice of 4-rib or full slab at Arthur Bryant's, take the over...then take a nap. 2. Game 1 had about 200 Twins fans in attendance, and I think I managed to talk to most of them. And they are all awesome! Keep an eye out for some of their pics and stories in my series wrap blog on Monday. 3. Even the Royals fans didn't expect to win. Opening day prices were jacked up 300%, and still a huge crowd showed up. Was it for the 50th anniversary of the fountation, baby blue uni's, or the chance to see Royals greats before the game? No, everyone said that this was the first time in several years that they could be here in person, so they just had to. That was powerful to hear. 4. I'm sitting here in the Kauffman parking lot, 2.5 hours before game time, and I see 20 Twins fans stalking the gates, playing catch, and pointing things out to the kids in the group...see everything from a Puckett jersey to Joe Crede. Let's go! 5. Prayers to everyone up north who is trying to get through another blizzard. Green grass exists, spring is coming, and we are gonna win today. Steve @TwinsTrefz TwinsTrefz@gmail.com

Not wearing a coat in the Witt jr bobble head line…..sooooo good

The Twins kick off their 2023 season at Kauffman Stadium, to take on the Royals in a Central Division clash. Both teams look to improve upon last season’s results, with a mixture of young talent and veteran presence. Spring training and the World Baseball Classic have come and gone, opening day rosters are set, and its time to play ball! Who is set up well to start the season off on the right foot in KC? Image courtesy of Lopez (William Parmeter), Greinke (Jay Biggerstaff, USA Today) In 2022, the Twins went 12-7 against the Royals, and finished 13 games ahead of them in the standings. At Kauffman Stadium, however, the Twins went just 4-5. In 2021, the Twins and Royals split the ten games that they played in Missouri. The Royals won the season series 10 games to nine. The Royals finished one game ahead of the last-place Twins. The Royals have traditionally played the Twins tough whether they are evenly matched or one team has a significantly better record. Most games between these two squads are close, so it's likely that the bullpens will play a huge role in these games. That shouldn't be a surprise on Opening Weekend since the starting pitchers are still building up their workloads. Fun Fact: In 2022, the Twins were 15-13 in day games, but only played two day games on the road and lost them both. This season starts with four of their first six games during the daytime and on the road, including all three games in the Royals series. Weather Factor: With temperatures in the mid-50s to low-70s for this opening series, weather shouldn’t play too much of a factor, but humid summer carry on fly balls won’t be an issue. So let's take a look at the Pitching Probables for this first series of the season. Game 1 - Thursday, March 30, 2023 – 3:10pm CDT – Right-handers Pablo Lopez (Twins) and Zack Greinke (Royals) go head-to-head to kick off the 2023 MLB campaign. The newest addition to the Twins’ rotation seeks to step into the ace role as time-tested Greinke seeks to hold the Twins’ offense at bay. Of the Royals' lineup, only Hunter Dozier has faced Lopez before, and he went 1-for-3 off of him. The Twins starters, however, have plenty of history with Greinke, with Kyle Farmer, Christian Vazquez & Trevor Larnach all enjoying success with less than five plate appearances each. Nick Gordon wins the "I love Greinke" award with a 7-for-11, 1.727 OPS history against him. Who might want to sit on opening day (but definitely isn't)? Joey Gallo, who is 0-for-17 against the Royals righty with one walk. Game 2 - Saturday, April 1, 2023 – 3:10pm CDT – Right-handers Sonny Gray (Twins) and Jordan Lyles (Royals) take the hill in Game 2 after the opening weekend scheduled weather flex day. Cooler temps should lead to a close game, and it will be interesting to see if the members of the Twins’ bench who didn’t get at-bats in the opener will be called upon to shake off the nerves against the journeyman Lyles. Gray has a decent history against the Royals' current squad, with Bobby Witt Jr. being the only starter with an OPS over .600 against him. Gallo has fared much better against Lyles over time, with a 1.025 OPS in 10 plate appearances. Vazquez, Max Kepler, and Gordon check in with an OPS over 1.000, and should be in the lineup. Game 3 - Sunday, April 2, 2023 – 1:10pm CDT – Stop me if you heard this one, but right-handers Joe Ryan (Twins) and Brad Keller (Royals) seek to secure a series victory or sweep in the third and final game. Ryan looks to improve upon his road woes from an otherwise successful 2022 rookie campaign, while Keller attempts to bounce back from a 6-14 record in 2022. Ryan has posted a .113 batting average against Royals hitters, with only Vinnie Pasquantino and Michael Massey doing damage in less than ten plate appearances. Kepler is the only healthy Twin to do much consistent damage against Keller, with a 1.237 OPS. It should be noted that Gallo has four walks in five plate appearances against the Royals righty. With a brutal April schedule, the Twins need to come out of the gates with a strong showing in Kansas City. A sweep isn't out of the question to start the season, but the team's poor track record at Kauffman over the past few seasons warns that the Royals won't go down without a fight. They are young and hungry, have a couple of flamethrowers at the back-end of their bullpen, and ready to stop being an afterthought in the AL Central. What's your prediction for this series? Get out the brooms, or something in between? Who do you think will start off on fire for the Twins' bats? Who will provide the Twins the best opening series start? Steve Trefz - On a mission to go to a Twins series in every stadium over 2023-24. The journey starts 3/30! Follow me on Twitter: @TwinsTrefz Statistical help from StatHead.com View full article

Meet "Stevie" the elf. Think of him as a cross between Where's Waldo, Flat Stanley, & Circle-me-Bert. He's going to be joining me on the road this summer for some Twins away game excitement, and believe it or not summer starts tomorrow! Kansas City here we come! 70 degrees, a pleasant breeze, and hopefully a few bombas from our favorite nine. Pablo wheels and deals, Duran closes the door, and 2023's version of "Hope Springs Eternal" can finally turn the page to "Summer of Victory." I have a lot of excitement as I head into the first road series. My friend Jeff and I have plans to see the Negro League Hall of Fame on Friday during the off-day (luckily avoiding the first rain-out of the season). We seem to have great weather for baseball, and the stadium was built for day games. I've been asked quite a few times in the past week or so, "Why are you doing this?" Or, "What's your goal for these trips?" I really don't know any more... At first, it was mostly about the exhilirating thought exercise of planning the trips out, and seeing if it was even humanly possible (without a Billion-dollar organization backing me!). Then the trips became a way to recover relationships with friends and family that COVID and adulthood had pushed into the background. Then it became the stubborn cultural genetics within me that screamed "You can't quit now!" And now? Now, I answer those questions like this: "I'm going on these trips because somehow, some way, I believe that good and beauty and joy are going to find me on the road between here and there." At my local church, Fusion Church in Mitchell, SD, I just got done working on a sermon series entitled "On the Way." The theme addresses how most of the amazing and powerful Bible stories that we remember actually happened when Jesus and his friends were "on the way" to somewhere else. Someone stops him and asks for healing, someone walks with them for a while and asks key life questions. The group is headed somewhere, and notice someone or something that makes them stop and be present there for a while. Over the past three years, I've missed being "on the way" to other places. I need to be surprised by some new questions. I need to be struck by something I've never seen or experienced before. I need to be inconvenienced by a challenge or opportunity that crosses my path. Do I hope the Twins win every game this year? Of course. I'm the only human who has ever predicted them to go 162-0 and actually believed it could happen. But I know, win or lose, life is going to happen "on the way" to the games. I've updated my twitter handle if you want real-time in game updates from the stadium: @TwinsTrefz and my email: TwinsTrefz@gmail.com If you are headed to Kansas City this weekend, or any future road series, shoot me an email and let me know! I would love to celebrate a Twins win (or loss) with you "on the way." Grace and peace, Steve

The starting rotation stays in order. The bullpen is divided into high and low-leverage options. Advanced metrics point out statistical differences between home and away splits. Should these rotations be taken for granted as plug-and-play decisions? Or should the game's location play a larger role in determining which pitcher takes the hill? These questions led me to ask "What pitchers on the current roster stand out as “road warriors,” and who might be better off "getting a couple of extra days of rest" when the team takes a road trip?" Image courtesy of William Parmeter Where a baseball game is played has an impact on the game itself. This shouldn't surprise anyone. How much of an impact does location have on player success? That question is still up for debate. Park Factors continue to advance in quality and scope year after year. While we haven't seen this metric necessarily impact in-game decision-making, a look at the 2022 Twins season's home and away splits points out a few telling factors that might be worth a closer look during the 2023 season. Looking through the wonder that is FanGraphs, I dug into some of the Twins FIP information for 2022. Since I actually wanted to keep stadium type and normal schedule in the mix, I chose FIP over xFIP, but feel free to run the names and numbers yourself to see what changes. The first thing that I noticed was that Jermaine Palacios ranked top ten in FIP in 2022. For those who weren’t paying attention, Mr. Palacios isn’t a pitcher, and only pitched 2/3 of an inning of mop-up time in one game for the Twins. Apparently, this advanced metric requires intentional sifting in order to establish helpful information. Jovani Moran and Chris Paddack are the first two current Twins players that crack the top of the FIP list, and these names are significant to the Twins’ plans in 2023. The crickets chirp until #148 with Griffin Jax making an appearance. Caleb Thielbar checks in at #183, and Bailey Ober ranked #214. Other than the utter lack of mainline Twins starters at the top of the road pitching success list, Jhoan Duran’s away FIP of 3.63 (ranking him 300th) serves as the most startling statistic. Especially since Duran's home FIP of 1.34 ranks him 30th. This trend obviously needs attention if the Twins are to make a playoff push in 2023. Is the split difference enough to warrant a bullpen rotation change on the road? Another interesting parallel trend comes in the fact that Joe Ryan and Emilio Pagan reside in similar places on the away FIP list, both on the home and away sides of the ledger. Ryan’s 3.62 FIP at home compares to his 4.47 FIP on the road, while Pagan’s 3.80 FIP at home balloons to a 4.83 FIP on the road. The rookie Ryan’s performance might be explainable through the lens of experience (or lack thereof), but Pagan’s trend points to a bigger problem at the back end of the bullpen when combined with Duran’s youthful struggles. As a team, the Twins fell in the bottom of the MLB in FIP on the road, with a move up the charts if xFIP is considered. With the bulk of the Twins starters residing on the bottom half of the list, this isn’t surprising but definitely needs some directional change in order to improve in 2023. Perhaps the brightest light that emerged from this research was the perspective on just how strong and balanced of a rookie campaign Moran provided. You can see how his presence in the bullpen became a source of hope for Twins territory as the season progressed. Pitching staff construction involves many variables game in, and game out. As metrics continue to develop for road games and individual ballpark success, it will be interesting to see just how much the Twins bullpen usage fluctuates from series to series. In a world where righty/lefty splits rule the game without a second thought, is the home/away split metric the next wave of overthinking baseball? It’s near impossible to manipulate the starting pitching assignments from series to series due to requirements and rhythm of off-days, but the bullpen could be a worthy environment for this strategy as the Twins look to improve in 2023. PREP FOR THE SEASON WITH PREVIOUS 2023 TWINS' ROAD TRIP GUIDES Trip #1 Kansas City & Miami (3/30-4/5) Trip #2 New York & Boston (4/13-4/20) Trip #3 Chicago & Cleveland (5/2-5/7) Trip #4 I love LA!? (5/15-5/21) Trip #5 Houston, We have a Correa! (May 29-31) Trip #6 Tampa to Toronto (6/6-6/11) Trip #7 Detroit to Atlanta to Baltimore (6/23-7/2) Trip #8 West Coast Bound Again! Oakland/Seattle (7/14-7/20) Trip #9 Kansas City & St. Louis (7/28-8/3 Trip #10 Detroit & Philadelphia (8/7-8/13) Trip #11 Milwaukee (8/22-8/23) Trip #12 Texas & Cleveland (9/1-9/6) Trip #13 Chicago & Cincinnati (9/14-9/20) Trip #14 Colorado (9/29-10/1) View full article

Great points! I do think that trying to nurse through injuries makes road games more complicated. Every time I've been injured or recovering from surgery, a nice 4 hour plane ride hasn't helped the performance of my work the next day. So would it make sense to play the "less skilled" but healthy player above a walking-wounded player on a road trip? Let the somewhat injured player take those two series off so that they can actually heal? Interesting points also about resting at home if "mandatory rest days" are still a part of 2023's strategy. I'm curious to see how the new training staff approaches this season in this regard. And I would add "in his prime" Tony Gwynn to the Twins 2023 roster in a heartbeat 🙂!