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The Twins play their 30th game this afternoon and are currently 11-18. They've been beset by bad luck, bad play and have taken a beating with two rule changes (extra-inning runner on second, 7-inning games for doubleheaders). How do they get out of this funk? I'm sure many in the organization will preach patience and they may be right, but that isn't any fun. Here are some possibilities for change that might help the team: Role change. We've already seen one role change. At least temporarily Alexander Columé is not going to see high-leverage innings. Columé has been a huge disappointment and even when he has worked scoreless innings, he's been shaky. The problem is that taking Columé out of high leverage situations leaves the Twins with few good options, particularly when going 6 or more innings for a starter is a rarity. I think one pitching role change that should be made is to use Taylor Rogers in non-save high leverage situations as happened early in 2019 and sometimes use him for multiple innings. Rogers shouldn't be used in back-to-back days. Moving Alcala to high leverage situations seems to be gradually happening. If things continue to go bad, it makes sense to have him give a shot as a closer. Position players--it seems to me that both Polanco and Kepler should have their roles diminished from full-time regular to something different. Kepler can play a corner and center and Polanco has played short and second, maybe Max should be slotted as the fourth OF or at least platooned with Garlick. I think giving Polanco the role of three-position infielder wouldn't be a stretch. He could get some at-bats as a platoon partner for my choice of regular second baseman (Arraez) and left-handed at-bats in place of Simmons and when Donaldson takes a day off (or is injured). Promotions/demotions. Assuming that Alex Kirilloff is in the big leagues to stay, when healthy the Twins have one extra position player and someone will have to be sent to the minor leagues or released. Discussion has centered on Jake Cave. Several others could be sent down and that doesn't begin to discuss the pitching staff. Many pitchers'performances could merit their demotion. Trades. It is unlikely that anyone will make a significant trade this early in the year. However, the Twins would be a good candidate for a major trade nearer the trade deadline. They have some redundancy (left handed hitting corner outfielders) and holes that need patching (bullpen, perhaps catching) and many candidates to trade. They also have a lot of players who would be free agents after this season. I do wonder if someone who was considered a cornerstone (Polanco, Kepler, Sanó) could be traded. None of these guys have performed remotely well so far but an uptick could make them more marketable. I have to believe that the Twins will bring in new pitchers either in the bullpen or the rotation. What they have at this time in the bullpen just hasn't worked. Personally, I think the Twins will need to do a little bit of everything to turn the corner. I am a proponent of changing roles. I think Kepler and Polanco could be candidates to have limited roles. The Twins need to add at least one strong arm in the bullpen, most likely by trade and Trevor Larnach is reputed to be nearly as much a sure thing as a hitter as Alex Kirilloff, plus he is a better outfielder. There is too much talent for the club to continue to play sub.400 baseball, but I think they need to make changes immediately.

We are inching closer to Opening Day 2019 and, don’t look now but, current forecasts make it seem plausible that the Twins will be hosting the defending American League (AL) Central Division Champions Cleveland Indians on March 28th at 3:10pm. The Thursday, Saturday, Sunday series will be the only three games of the homestand before they start their first road trip traveling to Kansas City, the new look Phillies, and the Mets of New York. April (12 home, 13 away, 5 off) Outside of three games versus the Phillies and five games versus the Houston Astros, the Twins have the opportunity to take advantage of an easy schedule in the first full month of the season. This includes a seven-game homestand versus the Tigers and Blue Jays in mid-April and six total games versus the Baltimore Orioles. May (13 home, 15 away, 3 off) Things get a little tougher in May as their first five games are versus Houston at home (2) and New York Yankees at Yankees Stadium (3). They will face a solid, but not great Angels (6) and Rays (2) team eight times throughout the month and will host the Brewers for two games towards the end of the month. The Blue Jays, Tigers, Mariners, and White Sox are also on the docket and will all be series the Twins really need to win. June (12 home, 15 away, 3 off) The third month of the year could be a pivotal month for the Twins as 16 of their 27 games come against division foes, and only three of those games are versus the Indians in Cleveland. That said, five games against the Rays and three games against the Red Sox at Target Field will be a challenge and, specifically with the Rays, could have Wild Card tiebreaker implications down the road. July (12 home, 12 away, 7 off) July will be another important month for the Twins as 13 of their games will be against teams who will likely be in the thick of the developing playoff race. Ten of those aforementioned games will be immediately following the All-Star Break in Cleveland for three games and hosting the A’s and Yankees for seven games. If they struggle during that stretch, then they have the opportunity of playing the White Sox and Marlins to end the month. August (16 home, 12 away, 3 off) The “dog days of summer” will be something the Twins look forward to this season...kind of (see below). They have a tough 10 game homestand where they will face the Braves (3) and Indians (4) followed by two games in Milwaukee. Outside of those nine games, the other 19 will be against teams who are currently projected for 74 wins or less according to Vegas. September (13 home, 14 away, 3 off) Uf-dah (why does my Grammarly recognize this as a word?). In the months final season, the Twins will have twelve consecutive games against teams who will likely be battling for a playoff spot, including six critical games against the Indians. The other six will be at Fenway and versus the Nationals at home. Unfortunately, these games occur earlier in the month which makes it less likely these teams have clinched anything at that point. This is by far the toughest stretch of the season and it comes during the most important time of the season. I should mention that they end the season with 13 games versus the bottom three teams in the division. Notes of Interest The longest homestand of the season is ten games versus August 2nd through August 11th versus the Royals, Braves, and Indians. The longest road trip of the season is 10 games and 12 days, including a day of travel, starting May 29th and going through June 9th versus the Rays, Indians, and Tigers. There must be some labor law I’m unaware of that teams will have at least one off day in a two-week period as the Twins play on 13 consecutive games at a few different points throughout the season. That said, the Twins do have three different stretches of 26 games in 27 days including two such stretches that occur at the beginning and very end of August. The most difficult stretch of the season was mentioned above, but what should be the easiest stretch of the seasons occurs in the 17 games leading up to the trip to Fenway. Those 17 games will be against the Rangers, White Sox, and Tigers. Notable Promotions - follow the link for full list March 28th (Opening Day) v. Cleveland - Twins Puffer Vest April 27th v. Orioles - Twins Plaid Flap Cap May 24th v. White Sox - Joe Mauer Bobblehead #1 June 15th v. Royals - Joe Mauer Day & No. 7 Baseball Cap July 19th v. Athletics - Joe Mauer Bobblehead #2 August 3rd v. Royals - Joe Nathan Hall of Fame Bobblehead August 4th v. Royals - Joe Nathan and Jerry Bell Hall of Fame Pins August 24th v. Tigers - Joe Mauer Bobblehead #3 September 7th v. Indians - Joe Mauer Bobblehead #4 Breaking down a schedule is an interesting exercise. Not that you’re ever going to feel bad for someone making millions of dollars, but you can definitely appreciate how grueling the Major League Baseball season is. What are you looking forward to this upcoming Twins season? Any games or series you have your eye on right away? Let me know if the comments!

By now every team has had their first (or second) homestand, so some of the excitement and shine of the start of a new season has started to wear off. Gone are the calendars (mostly, the White Sox are giving one away Wednesday and the Tigers are giving one away Saturday) and the home opener celebrations. There are still some interesting items to be had, however. Locally, the Twins are in Texas through Wednesday and are in Kansas City this weekend, so there are no Twins-related giveaways (although on eBay last Saturday's Fur Bomber Hat is going for $27.94, the magnetic schedule is at $6.98 and the Opening Day long-sleeved hooded tee is going for $15.99 as of this writing... in case you want to buy something you missed). Friday, April 28 (Home Team First) Miami Marlins vs Pittsburgh Pirates - Marlins Fedora Milwaukee Brewers vs Atlanta Braves - Free-Shirt Friday: Long Sleeve T-Shirt New York Yankees vs Baltimore Orioles - Yankees Fleece Blanket Night St. Louis Cardinals vs Cincinnati Reds - Bruce Sutter Garden Gnome San Francisco Giants vs San Diego Padres - Giants Player Scarf Texas Rangers vs Los Angeles Angels - Rally Towel Kind of a light day for items here. I'm tempted to give my "promo of the day" to the Bruce Sutter Garden Gnome, but I'm giving the nod to the Marlins Fedora. Saturday, April 29 Arizona Diamondbacks vs Colorado Rockies - MLB Network Tote Bag Detroit Tigers vs Chicago White Sox - Team Calendar Miami Marlins vs Pittsburgh Pirates - Marlins Tumbler Houston Astros vs Oakland Athletics - Alex Bregman Replica White Jersey Kansas City Royals vs Minnesota Twins - Memorable Moments Bobblehead Series: Kelvin Herrera Los Angeles Dodgers vs Philadelphia Phillies - Corey Seager Bobblehead Milwaukee Brewers vs Atlanta Braves - Brewers Coupon Book New York Yankees vs Baltimore Orioles - Yankees Tote Bag Day St. Louis Cardinals vs Cincinnati Reds - Carlos Martinez and Matt Carpenter Double Bobblehead San Francisco Giants vs San Diego Padres - Two Flaps Down Hat Three bobbleheads on Saturday. I'm going to go with the Carlos Martinez and Matt Carpenter Double Bobblehead as my favorite of the day. Does anyone know what's in a Brewers Coupon Book? Sunday, April 30 Detroit Tigers vs Chicago White Sox - Justin Verlander poster Houston Astros vs Oakland Athletics - Green Grocery Tote Los Angeles Dodgers bs Philadelphia Phillies - Kids Batting Helmet Milwaukee Brewers vs Atlanta Braves - Orlando Arcia Player Wristbands New York Yankees vs Baltimore Orioles - Gary Sanchez Bobblehead Day St. Louis Cardinals vs Cincinnati Reds - Carlos Martinez Kids Home White Jersey St. Louis Cardinals vs Cincinnati Reds - Kids Ticket Voucher San Francisco Giants vs San Diego Padres - "Pence on Board" Plush Window Cling Texas Rangers vs Los Angeles Angels - Rangers Duffel Bag Toronto Blue Jays vs Tampa Bay Rays - Marcus Stroman Blue Replica Jersey Best promo of the day goes to the Giants with the "Pence on Board" Plush Window Cling, if only because it seems like it will give someone nightmares.

So I missed out on getting the Twins Fur Bomber Hat last Saturday. Not that I was coming up specifically for that, but it would have been nice. However, I did get a sunburn and a chance to see a one-hitter instead. I'll take that deal any time. The Twins have two giveaways this week. On Saturday there is a Twins Red Cap to the first 20,000 fans and on Sunday there is a "Twins Customizable Shirt" in Youth M or XL for the first 5000 kids 14 and under. Looks like the shirt will have the basic "Twins" on the front and then the kid can put their own name on the back (unsure about the number). It actually seems like a cool idea. Other Promos for the week: (Home team first) Friday, April 21 Chicago White Sox vs Cleveland Indians - MLB Network White Sox Tote Bag Colorado Rockies vs San Francisco Giants - Earth Day T-Shirt Los Angeles Angels vs Toronto Blue Jays - Angels Hero Cape New York Mets vs Washington Nationals - Free Shirt Friday Oakland Athletics vs Seattle Mariners - Pet Calendar Most, if not all ,teams will be giving away a MLB Network tote bag some time this season. I scoffed at the idea at first but then again, I walk around Aldi trying to hold my groceries in my hands. I guess I'm the idiot. Saturday, April 22 Minnesota Twins vs Detroit Tigers -Twins Red Cap Arizona Diamondbacks vs Los Angeles Dodgers - D-Backs Car Sunshade Baltimore Orioles vs Boston Red Sox - Orioles Welcome Mat Chicago White Sox vs Cleveland Indians - White Sox Hooded Sweatshirt Cincinnati Reds vs Chicago Cubs - Reds Bag Colorado Rockies vs San Francisco Giants - Tote Bag New York Mets vs Washington Nationals - Matt Harvey Garden Gnome Oakland Athletics vs Seattle Mariners - Warriors/A's T-shirt Pittsburgh Pirates vs New York Yankees - Free Shirt Saturday San Diego Padres vs Miami Marlins - Padres Hoodie Tampa Bay Rays vs Houston Astros - Chris Archer Starting Lineup Figurine Texas Rangers vs Kansas City Royals - Rangers BBQ Die Cut Spatula This is where geography starts to make a difference. In the colder areas, we see giveaways like the Fur Trapper Hat whereas in warmer climates there are items such as a D-Backs Car Sunshade. Also, I find the idea of a Rangers BBQ Spatula amusing. Sunday, April 23 Minnesota Twins vs Detroit Tigers - Twins Customizable Shirt Arizona Diamondbacks vs Los Angeles Dodgers - Kids Water Bottle Cincinnati Reds vs Chicago Cubs - Kids Joey Votto Fathead® Wall Decal Milwaukee Brewers vs St. Louis Cardinals - Jonathan Villar Bobble New York Mets vs Washington Nationals - Mets Tote Bag Oakland Athletics vs Seattle Mariners - Khris Davis Striped Socks Philadelphia Phillies vs Atlanta Braves - Phanatic Cap Pittsburgh Pirates vs New York Yankees - Kids Water Bottle San Diego Padres vs Miami Marlins - 2017 Padres & Puppies Calendar Tampa Bay Rays vs Houston Astros - Blade Sunglasses Two different "Pet Calendars" given away this weekend. Who would have thunk it? Comments and questions are welcome, in fact encouraged!

What an opening week for Major League Baseball. The Rockies are rolling, the Nationals gave up a dozen runs in the first inning on Saturday, oh, and the Twins are somehow 5-1. Enjoy the moment. The Twins are off Monday and are in Detroit Tuesday through Thursday before coming home for a ten-day homestand, The only promotion/giveaway at Target Field this week is a Fur Trapper Hat giveaway to the first 10,000 fans that show up on Saturday. Here's what the rest of the week looks like: Monday, April 10 Chicago Cubs - Cubs Magnet Schedule Detroit Tigers - Magnetic Schedule Kansas City Royals - Magnetic Schedule New York Yankees - Magnetic Schedule Day San Francisco Giants - Opening Day Calendar Seattle Mariners - 2017 Magnetic Schedule Tuesday, April 11 Cleveland Indians - Magnet Schedule & Car Magnet Miami Marlins - 2017 Magnetic Schedule San Francisco Giants - Giants SF Heart Flag Toronto Blue Jays - Rally Towel & Blue Jays Magnet Schedule Wednesday, April 12 Chicago Cubs - Replica Championship Banner Los Angeles Angels - MLB Network Tote Bag Philadelphia Phillies - @Phillies Cell Phone Wallet San Francisco Giants - Gold Glove Foam Finger Friday, April 14 Atlanta Braves - Commemorative Opening Day Ticket Chicago Cubs - Cubs Magnet Schedule Miami Marlins - Don Mattingly Bobblehead Boston Red Sox - Mookie Awards Bobblehead Seattle Mariners - Ken Griffey Jr. Replica Statue Night Washington Nationals - Daniel Murphy Bobblehead Saturday, April 15 Minnesota Twins - Minnesota Twins Fur Trapper Hat Atlanta Braves - 2017 Inaugural Season Magnetic Schedule Chicago Cubs - Replica World Series Trophy Cincinnati Reds - Kids Baseball Cap & 2017 Magnetic Schedule/Car Magnet Miami Marlins - Wall Calendar Giveaway Kansas City Royals - Reusable Royals Tote Bag Los Angeles Dodgers - Replica Jackie Robinson Statue New York Yankees - Calendar Day San Francisco Giants - Johnny Cueto Shimmy Bobble Seattle Mariners - Mariners Military Cap Night Sunday, April 16 Atlanta Braves - 2017 Inaugural Season Magnetic Schedule Cincinnati Reds - Kids Adam Duvall Fathead® Wall Decal Los Angeles Dodgers - Kids Kenta Maeda Fathead New York Yankees - PEEPS ® Plush Night San Francisco Giants - Brandon Crawford Backpack with Cape Toronto Blue Jays - Bringer of Rain Umbrella What interests you? Feel free to leave any comments or questions (any feedback is welcome!)

Months after the world ended (the Cubs winning the World Series… not the other thing), baseball that counts is finally back this Sunday with the Yankees at the Rays, the Giants at the Diamondbacks and the Cubs at the Cardinals. Locally, the Twins are home Monday, Wednesday and Thursday against the Royals and are on the road Friday-Sunday in Chicago to face the White Sox . What are the teams giving away to entice fans to come to the ballpark this week? Magnetic schedules, a lot of magnetic schedules. Twelve teams (the Diamondbacks, Orioles, White Sox, Rockies, Astros, Dodgers, Brewers, Mets, Pirates, Cardinals, Rays & Rangers) are all giving out 2017 magnetic schedules to all their fans (except the Diamondbacks and Dodgers, which are limiting it to the first 40,000). On the home front, the Twins are giving away 30,000 long sleeve hooded tees (adult M or XL) before the home opener on Monday. No giveaways are planned for Wednesday or Thursday. There will also be a White Sox Winter Hat giveaway for the first 15,000 fans in Chicago on Saturday. This item is the “White Sox version” of the hat the Twins will be giving away on Saturday, April 15. Across MLB, seven bobbleheads will be given away this upcoming week. The Red Sox give away a Rick Porcello Cy Young Bobblehead on April 5, while April 8 sees six bobbleheads (Jake Lamb Bobblehead, DJ LeMahieu NL Batting Champion Bobblehead, Jose Altuve 'Handshake Series' Bobblehead, Francisco Cervelli That's Amore Singing Bobblehead, Yadier Molina Bobblehead, Kevin Kiermaier Gold Glove Bobblehead) distributed to fans. For a complete list of promotional giveaways this week, check out the attached Excel table. Feel free to leave comments or suggestions.

This week the Twins released their "Theme Nights" for 2017. For those who don't know, a Theme Night is different than a giveaway in the fact that instead of getting something for free, a person has to pay extra (although usually not much) to get a special item. I thought Theme Nights were strange when I first saw it, but now that I've gotten used to it, the idea makes more sense. It's a way to drum up extra sales for games, to sell tickets in lower-selling areas that would probably go unsold otherwise. Having a tough time selling Field Box tickets on a Wednesday night? Make a Theme Night package to sell tickets to the area. This also makes selling the tickets easier in theory because the Theme Night packages are limited to tickets sold, not like giveaways that a fan can line up for hours in advance no matter where they sit. Last year there were a three "Carew's Corner" nights, which gave the buyer a special red Rod Carew jersey which helped celebrate the new red home jersey and also benefited the American Heart Association. Unfortunately, at this point, there are no such Theme Nights listed. 2017 has a lot of cap nights in store. All told, there are 6 specialty cap Theme Nights (U of M, St. Thomas, UND, CSB/SJU, NDSU, Cancer Awareness, Minnesota Wild), which essentially boil down to a Twins cap, but in the colors of a college (or professional team, in the case of the Wild). This doesn't include two cap nights where the caps aren't baseball caps, but winter caps (Sportsmen's Night and Love Your Melon Night). 2017 also has three "Wine, Women & Baseball" nights, along with the return of Scrubs Night (the clothing, not the TV show) and Zubapalooza. There is also a Faith Day featuring a postgame program. The best two Theme Nights are Marvel Super Heroes Day on May 6 and Star Wars Night on June 21. On Marvel Super Heroes Day, for $4 or $5 more (depending on the section), a fan can receive a special Twins "Guardians of the Infield" t-shirt for buying tickets in either the Diamond Box, The Deck or the Home Run Porch View. This is also the same day as the Rocket Raccoon bobblehead, so a fan could double up on the two items. Star Wars Night has been a staple of the Theme Night rotation for the last couple years. This year, there is a special exclusive Brian Dozier "A Force 2B Reckoned With" Stormtrooper bobblehead for fans buying tickets in either the Home Plate Box, Field Box,, The Deck, Home Plate View $28.00, Home Run Porch View or Grandstand for $3-5 more depending on the section. In addition to this, there is a Twins Star Wars shirt being given away to the first 10,000 fans, so another opportunity to double up. I'm tempted to go to Star Wars Night and, of course Marvel Super Heroes Day. Any of the Theme Nights catching your eye?

Years ago, at Christmas, I decided to give my family the gift of taking them up to a Twins game. I left picking the date up to my mother who picked a Sunday afternoon game in August. Why that game? Because the giveaway was a Twins backpack or bag or something similar. She didn't pick because of the opponent, she didn't pick because the Twins were facing a great pitcher having a dominant season, she picked because of the giveaway. It was something I never would have thought of. I mean, bobbleheads are nice and all, and I've shown up early to get them, but until that point in my life, I've never picked a game to go to because of the giveaway at the gate. A couple weeks ago, the Twins released their 2017 Promotion and Giveaway schedule. The first thing that struck me is that it seemed to be a little light on items. I don't have numbers for prior years at this point (it's a side project I'm working on), but by my count 31 of the 81 home dates have a free item at the gate. This doesn't include deals like Student Day (which means my college education wasn't for nothing) and Senior Day. There will be more items announced on March 7, but those will be of the "Theme Night" variety, which require a special ticket package. Of the listed giveaways, here are my top 3. 1) Rod Carew Bobblehead (August 18, vs the Diamondbacks) - The first 10,000 fans get a Rod Carew Bobblehead, along with postgame fireworks to the songs of 1977 (which will probably, unfortunately, feature ABBA). 2) Rocket Raccoon Bobblehead (May 6, vs the Red Sox) - The first 10,000 fans get a Twins-branded Rocket Raccoon Bobblehead to promote "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2". There is also a Theme Night as well that night. 3) LED Energy Efficient Light Bulb (June 14, vs the Mariners) Minnesota Twins Long Sleeved Hooded Tee (April 3, vs the Royals) - The first 30,000 fans get an adult M or XL long-sleeved hooded Twins Tee. Not as thick (or as abundant) as the sweatshirts of the last couple Opening Days, this will at least be something to wear while you're showing up early to get your Rocket Raccoon bobblehead.