Steven Trefz

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 🙂!

As I outlined earlier this off-season, the Twins’ road woes in 2022 legitimately cost them the season. This led me to ask the question: As we prepare to welcome the 2023 version of the Twins into the new season, what position players on the current roster stands out as a “road warrior,” and who might be better off riding the pine when the team takes a road trip? Image courtesy of William Parmeter Anyone who has ever competed in an athletic event knows that a road game brings unique challenges. Travel, lodging, finding healthy meals, time away from family, time in front of fans cheering against you, finding suitable injury treatment, and changes in routine all present obstacles that need to be overcome in order to achieve success. The move from the Metrodome to Target Field exposed the influence that a particular ballpark layout and environment can have on a player. Any pitcher that tries to make a living at Coors Field (and any batter that took the money and ran from Coors!) can tell you that where you play the game matters too. It stands to reason that certain ballparks play into and out of a player's skill sets in different ways. Thanks to the afternoon-stealer known as FanGraphs, I dug into some of the batting wRC from road games information for 2022. Since I actually wanted to keep stadium type and normal schedule in the mix, I chose wRC over wRC+, but feel free to run the names and numbers yourself to see what changes. The top 40 names of best wRC on the road sounds like an All-Star roster. It’s also completely devoid of Twins players. Carlos Correa is the first to show up at #46, with a 42 wRC (126 wRC+). Luis Arraez joins the fray at #55, but of course he will be in the other dugout when the Twins come calling to Miami in early April. The next Twins entry is Gio Urshela at #112. Noticing a trend? The tide begins to turn towards 2023 with Jose Miranda, Kyle Farmer, Nick Gordon, and Byron Buxton cracking the top 160. I’m choosing to ignore Gary Sanchez being in there too, mainly just because I’m trying to keep this hopeful. As a team, the Twins fell in the middle of the MLB in wRC on the road, which is echoed by their 100 wRC+ score. This should be expected with very few outliers at the top of the success list, and very few players at the bottom. The top of the team list? A who’s who of playoff teams comes into focus. Noteworthy to me is Correa’s ability to perform amidst the boo-birds that he experienced all season long on the road. Royce Lewis’ amazing wRC+ (mid-300’s!) is tempered by the fact that we only got to witness it across eight road games. This speaks to the same injury and playing time issues that kept some of our better road performers to climb the list. Alex Kiriloff and Trevor Larnach showed their age and lingered towards the bottom third of the pack, and this is an area of professional ability that we can expect to grow into 2023. Rental players and minor leaguers/turned major leaguers due to necessity faired poorly, which is to be expected. This area is something to watch for as lineups get constructed on the road in 2023 as well, especially late in the season. Perhaps the brightest light that emerged from this research was the perspective on just how strong and balanced of a rookie campaign Miranda provided. You can see how his presence in the lineup became a source of hope for Twins territory as the season progressed. Lineup construction involves many variables. As metrics continue to develop for road games and individual ballpark success, it will be interesting to see just how much the Twins lineup fluctuates from series to series. In a world where righty/lefty splits rule the game, is the home/away split metric the next wave of overthinking baseball? Time will tell, but for Twins fans, improvement across this metric needs to happen sooner rather than later. 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

March 30th. Kansas City. April 2nd. Miami. Plans are set, trip will happen. April 13th. New York. April 18th. Boston. Plans are set, trip will happen. In December I put forth an imaginative dream. What would it be like to travel to every Twins away game in a season? I ran the mileage, started to count the costs, negotiated reality, and now its here. The first month of the Twins season is only two weeks away! How has my investment influenced my interest in spring training, or in Twins baseball in general? As we hypothesize the opening day lineup, I watch with interest, knowing that I'll be there to see a player's opening day national anthem. I'll be there to see the bench standing at the top of the steps throughout the first game. I'll see the amped up starting pitchers, and the sweating-even-though-its-50-degrees-out relievers. I'll see the umps and managers navigate the awkward nature of the first useage of the pitch clock in the regular season. I've been to opening day three times at Target Field, but never on the road. Will they give me the Bobby Witt Jr. bobblehead if I'm in my baby blue Correa jersey? Will the home fans show up on a Thursday afternoon, or will transplanted Twins fans rule the stands? Will my budget which involves minimal ballpark food and drink even last through the first game... I finally bit the bullet on securing my KC to Florida flight. We are locating hotels near the Cooperstown HOF for the off-day later in the month. The reality of a five or six man rotation begins to influence my chance at watching wins. March snow storms lead me to believe that weather will have its say in April too. I get to see Arraez vs. Lopez week one. I get to see friends that I haven't seen in years. I get to visit three of the holy places of baseball. If there is anything in particular that you would love to know about the experience, from the stadium's quirks, to the in-game experiences in different parks, to the food and drink, to the activities of the players when the cameras of off: let me know. I'm hoping your ideas and participation along the way will make for a shared experience. If you are headed to the games, drop me a message. If you have some must-see suggestions, I want to hear them! Only 14 more sleeps as my kids used to say. Welcome 2023 Twins season, I can't wait to see where this journey takes us! Steve Trefz

The 14th and Final road trip of the 2023 Twins season leads the team to the mountains of Denver. It’s time to finish this season on a Mile High note against the Rockies! Coors Field. Let’s begin… Image courtesy of Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports Sept 29-Oct. 1 @ Colorado Rockies (3 games) Coors Field - 2022 attendance was 2,597,428 (ranked 6th out of 15 NL teams, 9th overall MLB) Say what you will about Rockies baseball, but the fans continue to know how to pack a stadium. It seems like just yesterday, but Coors Field has been fueling baseball physics controversy since 1995. After two seasons at the now-imploded Mile High Stadium, the Rockies moved into their “new” home at over 5,000 feet above sea level. Coors Field led the league again in “runs park factor,” and it wasn’t even close (coincidentally the second and third teams on the list for 2022 make up the 13th Road Trip of the season!). Baseballs fly here, humidor, and big dimensions be darned. Quirks of the stadium include seats in center field called the “Rockpile,” an in-park brewery, a purple row of seats in the 300 level which marks the Mile-High point, and a mixed-use development district around the ballpark. The National Ballpark Museum is across the street, and exists as a “must-stop” for anyone on a baseball tour de force. The Denver Art Museum, Rocky Mountain parks and trails, and the Denver Zoo all can provide some entertainment in between games. Colorado isn’t expected to be a nuisance to many this season, but they have shown consistent resilience at home. This last series of the 2023 season won’t be easy, as a weary Twins squad comes into one of the hardest ballparks to earn a ‘W’ in all of baseball. Odds are that the Twins will need the victories here, so here’s to hoping our bats are lively and our pitchers don’t read statistical reports about Coors Field. It’s 569 miles from my front door to Coors Field, an almost nine hour journey across the great prairie of Nebraska or South Dakota/Wyoming. Friends and family aplenty are looking forward to using this trip as an excuse to finally get to a game in Denver, like they’ve been planning to for almost 30 years now! I have a dream of finding a way to get a suite for the final game of the season. I also hope to keep paying my mortgage. To be continued… Now it's your turn to plan! If you have been to Coors Field, please post your list of "best seats" and "must sees." Anyone else planning on going to this final series of the 2023 regular season? Grace and peace Twins Territory! Let's play ball! 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) View full article

The 13th road trip of the 2023 Twins season takes us through Chicago and Cincinnati. It’s time to take charge of the stretch run against the White Sox and Reds! Guaranteed Rate Field. Great American Ball Park. Let’s begin… Image courtesy of Kareem Elgazzar/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK Sept. 14-17 @ Chicago White Sox (4 games) Guaranteed Rate Field - capacity 40,615 - 2022 attendance was 1,976,344 (ranked 8th out of 15 AL teams, 19th overall MLB) The Twins’ second trip of the season to Chicago leads them into their final regular season series against an AL Central opponent. The last time they were here was in May, and the weather will probably be quite similar. Will the division crown be impacted by this long series? Or will this be a race to the middle for two teams long since lapped by the Guardians? Time will tell, but needless to say if the Twins plan on heading to the playoffs, mid-September in Chicago needs to be victorious. For a more detailed description of the ballpark, check out the summary of Road Trip #3 (linked below). It’s a weekend series, so will there be a Bears game in town? Fall brings potential college football road tripping as well, so keep your eyes on the schedules as they get released. Mitchell, SD, to Guaranteed Rate Field gates is 645 miles. Chicago to Cincinnati is only 292 miles, so this is a possible driving trip. Odds are I’m going to skip Chicago, however, and fly straight to the last three games of this road trip. Sept. 18-20 @ Cincinnati Reds (3 games) Great American Ball Park - 2022 attendance was 1,395,770 (ranked 13th out of 15 NL teams, 24th overall MLB) Home to baseball’s oldest franchise (going strong since 1882!), Great American Ball Park celebrates its 20th year of hosting the Reds in 2023. With a list of legendary players behind it, the team boasts a history of success, and has a Hall of Fame of its own to prove it. Like many teams, however, that history seems to stop in the 90’s. Built on the shores of the Ohio River, Great American Ball Park offers contemporary fans a baseball specific venue with waterfront views and quirky vibes. The higher up you sit, the better the view of both game and area. With wide concourses, and five levels of seating, finding a place to enjoy the game shouldn’t be an issue. When in town, cultural highlights include the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center and the Cincinnati Art Museum. Findlay Market’s beer gardens open on gameday, and riverboat cruises offer a unique way to spend the time between games. Some of the most recent Twins vs. Reds moments involve the past few years of trades. Who is getting the better end of these deals, as the Twins continue to flip prospects for starting pitching? Hopefully this series provides ample opportunity to see how Sonny Gray and Tyler Mahle are prepping for the playoffs, as opposed to watching Spencer Steer crank baseballs into the Ohio River. Increased interleague play over the next several seasons will give Twins fans a chance to evaluate these deals in tangible games, which raises interesting questions to the future of trades in MLB. Hiding players in the other league no longer applies. Home again, home again is 919 miles. As stated earlier, plane is the name of the game for this mid-week series. Almost done… one more to go! Now it's your turn to plan! If you have been to Guaranteed Rate Field or Great American Ball Park, please post your list of "best seats" and "must sees." Anyone else planning on going to these series? Grace and peace Twins Territory! Thanks for the help! 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!? Dodgers & Angels (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) View full article