We're ten games into the season and haven't really learned a damned thing about the hometown team. The good lineup is underperforming, the bad pitching staff is overperforming, dogs and cats are living together, it's mass hysteria.

And it's approximately 14 degrees in the Twin Cities.

Thankfully, the Twins are back on the road because baseball is not meant to be played in this weather.

Anyway, the Twins started the season against three teams that should be in the playoff mix: the Mariners, the Red Sox, and the Dodgers. The team held their own against the Mariners and Red Sox - despite some of the most god-awful games of baseball I've seen in awhile - and laid down and died against the Dodgers, as teams are wont to do when the blue Los Angeles team shows up in town.

Are the Twins good? I don't know. Do you?

Don't lie, you have no idea, either.

Well, maybe we're about to find out. Perhaps the most important part of contention is slapping around bad-to-mediocre teams and the Twins are facing a few of those in the next few series. No one expects much from the Royals and Detroit is an unknown, much like the Twins. Those two series will tell us a lot about what to expect from the Minnesota Twins through the summer months. Holding your own against good teams in lousy weather is great and all but you need to butter the bread against teams likely to finish under .500.

Oh, and the Twins also face the White Sox sandwiched between the Royals and Tigers. Let's just hope Buxton is back on the field when that happens because yikes.

On the bump, we have Chris Archer, who I'm legitimately excited to watch pitch. Given the velocity he was flashing in his previous start, he could be a legitimate steal for the Twins and a feather in the cap of this beleaguered front office.

Lineups

Twins:
1B Luis Arraez L
2B J. Polanco S
SS C. Correa R
RF Max Kepler L
CF Nick Gordon L
3B Gio Urshela R
LF T. Larnach L
DH Gary Sanchez R
C Ryan Jeffers R

P Chris Archer R

Royals:
RF W. Merrifield R
2B Nicky Lopez L
3B Bobby Witt R
DH S. Perez R
LF A. Benintendi L
1B H. Dozier R
SS A. Mondesi S
CF M. Taylor R
C C. Gallagher R

P Carlos Hernandez R

First baseman Luis Arraez! A day off for Sanó. Well, whatever gets Luis four at-bats is a good thing. 

This team is better than advertised...after Sonny and Byron come back. 

Let's go Twins! Win dammit!

I've hoped they'd play Arraez at 1B, wish him a good game. Some say he's too small but w/ our INF, I hope he doesn't have to jump for any. We have a great team w/ some question marks, hope this FO take off their blinders and figure them out. Go Twins! Sweep the Royals!

Hoping that Archer's slider returns to greatness like before and produce those SOs that he's capable of.

44 minutes ago, Brock Beauchamp said:

mass hysteria.

I thought we'd left Massachusetts behind?

 

I really don't like both catchers in the lineup. Not because I'm deathly afraid of losing the dh but because neither are very good hitters and it's a shame to use your dh spot on either on of them.

Rollin with Kepler in the 4 hole again.  We'll see how that plays out!

After the top 3, wild cards, the lot of 'em.

Now there's a Twins lineup sure to strike fear in opposing pitchers, five batters way below the Mendoza Line and one barely over it. This one will go down as a pitcher's duel.

Both Bundy and Archer have been steals for this FO so far.  Let's hope that continues tonight for Archer.  

43 minutes ago, notoriousgod71 said:

I really don't like both catchers in the lineup. Not because I'm deathly afraid of losing the dh but because neither are very good hitters and it's a shame to use your dh spot on either on of them.

Would you rather have Sano DHing tonight. Not me.

3 minutes ago, Dave The Dastardly said:

Now there's a Twins lineup sure to strike fear in opposing pitchers, five batters way below the Mendoza Line and one barely over it. This one will go down as a pitcher's duel.

I think the Twins bats come alive in KC. Unfortunately, the pitching staff also takes a step back. Final score something like 8-6

Just now, stringer bell said:

I think the Twins bats come alive in KC. Unfortunately, the pitching staff also takes a step back. Final score something like 8-6

That's a score I expect to see a lot of this season.  Probably just a matter of time, but not sure it's going to be this series.

1 minute ago, stringer bell said:

I think the Twins bats come alive in KC. Unfortunately, the pitching staff also takes a step back. Final score something like 8-6

I'm thinking more like 1-1 going into the tenth. Coin flip wins it.

The bottom third of the order sticks out: Larnach, Sanchez and Jeffers. If they go 0-12 with 6 strikeouts, the Twins will lose this game. On the other hand, if they can get on base a couple times we might just have ourselves a chance. The Twins are trying to hide Kepler in the middle of the lineup but you can't hide 'em all.

19 minutes ago, Dave The Dastardly said:

Now there's a Twins lineup sure to strike fear in opposing pitchers, five batters way below the Mendoza Line and one barely over it. This one will go down as a pitcher's duel.

The Royals are trotting out a 25 year old, who in his 104 big league innings strikes out 7.5/9, walks 4/9, has a 4.53 FIP and 5.02 xFIP.  I'm not super worried about him shutting down our lineup.

Any idea how to watch this game outside the Twin cities but blocked on MLB.TV?

27 minutes ago, tarheeltwinsfan said:

Would you rather have Sano DHing tonight. Not me.

Sano has some interesting peripherals right now.  As one of our two most disciplined hitters, I'd very much like to get him PAs against a guy who struggles with control, and see if that gets him going.

Just now, Mill1634 said:

Any idea how to watch this game outside the Twin cities but blocked on MLB.TV?

I'm just trying to figure out how to listen to it--I'm listening through the MLB app, but getting the T-Wolves playoff game instead.  Guess I'll have to switch to the KC feed.

2 minutes ago, Mill1634 said:

Any idea how to watch this game outside the Twin cities but blocked on MLB.TV?

Ha!  I can't watch from IN the metro area.  Good luck to us both!

3 minutes ago, wsnydes said:

Ha!  I can't watch from IN the metro area.  Good luck to us both!

Coming through loud and clear in Portland.

Should be a good series to get the bats going. We get the back of the Royals rotation and Greinke, who can still be effective but tends to give up more than a little contact.

At least that's how it looks on paper.

It seems like Perez and Merrifield have been torturing the Twins for 20 years. Shouldn't they be graduating soon?

2 minutes ago, PDX Twin said:

Coming through loud and clear in Portland.

Very helpful, thank you!

woohoo ... go Twins!

Got it to work on Bally.

PTC: Max Kepler

Twins 8, Royals 4

Go Twins!

Just now, wsnydes said:

Very helpful, thank you!

Coming through loud and clear in Chicago  

The sound is behind the picture. Disturbing. 

2 minutes ago, Squirrel said:

Coming through loud and clear in Chicago  

Also very helpful, thank you!

uh oh ... the Guardians have had to postpone their game for a 2nd day in a row ... better get a roof on it in Cleveland

Just now, stringer bell said:

The sound is behind the picture. Disturbing. 

I don't have that issue.