Twins Take on the Evil Empire This Week

If the Twins 2022 season has been a journey descending into Hades, they are now entering the final descent as they start a four-game series against the Yankees at Yankee Stadium. 

Ever since the opening of the second Yankee Stadium in 2009, the Twins have managed a measly 10-31 record against the Evil Empire in their sanctuary. 41 games and only 10 wins to show for it. Will the Twins finally have a chance to get their series win in Yankees Stadium since 2014 this week? Or even their first-ever four-game sweep in New York?

The good news is the time to win at Yankee Stadium has never looked so favorable for the Twins. The Yankees have the second-worst record in the American League since the All-Star break at 16-26. Only the Detroit Tigers have played worse with a 14-28 record. 

The Twins record in the same timeframe isn’t the best or worst. They’re dead center in the AL Central with their second-half record at 18-20. This does not discount the woes the Twins have faced post-All-Star Break. 

Fortunately for the Twins, the Yankees have played much worse baseball of late with a 4-6 record in their last 10 games and scoring only three runs in their last 31 innings. The Twins on the other hand are 6-4 in their last 10 games with nine runs in their last 31 innings played. This factoid and the laws of baseball give great chance to the baseball gods to have one of these teams win by a blowout score, the question is, which team will it be?

The cold streak of Yankee runs fell on all their hitters except Aaron Judge with three solo home runs accounting for all Yankees runs in that time. Still, many Twins fans have already taken to Twitter to be pre-miserable (copyright to The Sportive Podcast and secondary copyright Aaron Gleeman on Gleeman and the Geek) about facing the Yankees for four games. 

Of course, an example could be put here, but why bother looking when the evidence will flood into many Twins fans' Twitter feeds over the next few days? 

With how bad the Yankees have been playing and the Twins beginning to get on a roll for the final stretch of the season. There is a reason for optimism here. 

Judge is the only Yankee who has been hitting the ball at all over the last week with a .450 batting average and four homers over the previous six games. His only other teammate that the Twins pitching will face in this series that has hit over .200 in those six games is Twin for a day, Isaiah-Kiner Falefa at .250.

The Twins on the other hand have only two of their everyday starters hitting below .200 in their last six games; Carlos Correa and Gilberto Celestino. Hitter-friendly Yankee Stadium can be a benefit to raise their numbers for the season.

Speaking of Correa, Yankee Stadium is home to the hellhounds that never stop screeching from the stands or getting into opposing fans' faces to try to remind them of 27 RiNgS. These hellhounds are commonly known as Yankee fans. 

In Correa’s case, these hellhounds will treat him as the worst cheater in the game whenever he comes to the plate as Yankee fans will never let go of the 2017 ALCS. It is ironic for Yankee fans to be booing a man like Correa when they have had bigger cheaters on their rosters over the years. 

In 14 career games at Yankee Stadium, Correa has four homers, 10 RBI, and a .250 average in the regular season. Who's to say that he cannot be the Twins hero that brings them into real playoff contention?

And that is what this series represents for the Twins, a significant challenge that can keep their postseason hopes alive or destroy them. Yes, the Twins only have one non-divisional series left after this one. But the Yankees can be a momentum killer or confidence boost depending on how the series goes. 

Until then, knowing that the Twins have been better in the second half than the Yankees, why waste the time expecting the worst to continue? Why be pre-miserable? 

There are signs of hope the Twins can battle with a series split or even a series win. Have a little optimism for once. And if the Twins don’t end up splitting the series or better, this writer will take all the criticism that is warranted.