The Minnesota Twins lost 3-2 to the Chicago White Sox on Oct. 3, 2022. Old friend Liam Hendriks picked up the win; Griffin Jax took the loss. Minnesota was coming off a series loss to the Detroit Tigers, where Ronny Henriquez took the loss in Game 2 and Simeon Woods Richardson picked up an L in Game 3.
Chicago beat the Twins 8-3 in the second game, but Louie Varland picked up the win in a 10-1 victory in the final game of the season. The injury-ridden Twins had ceded the division in September and finished with 78 wins. Minnesota had followed up a lost season in 2021 where Alexander Colomé blew three saves in April, and the Twins finished the month 9-15.
If some of those names from 2022 sound familiar, it’s because Minnesota is playing with a similar cast of characters this season. Woods Richardson is likely to replace Varland in the rotation. Jax is in a pseudo-closer role because Jhoan Duran is hurt. Henriquez is back in majors for the first time since that Oct. 1, 2022 outing against Detroit.
History doesn’t repeat itself, but it rhymes, and the Twins want to avoid a repeat of 2021 and 2022 this season. They entered 2021 with championship aspirations and finished with 73 wins. A year later, they led the division for most of the season before succumbing to injuries in the final month. In response, Minnesota bulked up on depth in 2023, took the division, and won a playoff series for the first time since 2002.
However, the encore has been less than encouraging. Fans were already upset about Minnesota’s payroll cuts, and injuries struck the Twins late in spring training and as soon as opening day in Kansas City. Starter Anthony DeSclafani and relievers Duran, Josh Staumont, Caleb Thielbar, and Justin Topa suffered injuries in Fort Myers. Brooks Lee entered the season with back issues. Royce Lewis hit a home run in his first at-bat of the season, then injured his quad later in the game. Carlos Correa was hitting .306/.432/.444 when he got hurt on April 12.
Minnesota’s injuries have forced Baldelli to be creative with his lineup. In 2022, he had Correa hit in the 2-hole and often let José Miranda lead off. Correa hit .355/.412/.589 in the final month of the season, and Miranda hit .268/.325/.426 as a rookie. But Nick Gordon, Gio Urshela, and Jake Cave were the 3-4-5 hitters.
Baldelli has hit Ryan Jeffers (.258/.338/.484), Alex Kirilloff (.271/.325/.471), and Byron Buxton (.247/.273/.411) at the top of the lineup. Edouard Julien (.200/.286/.440) and Austin Martin (.244/.292/.400) give them some length. Max Kepler’s return may bolster it a bit. But ultimately, the lineup gets thin at the bottom, which is likely why they are a league-worst .154/.237/.258 with runners in scoring position.
“We don’t have anywhere near the ability to put a set lineup out there in any way, shape, or form,” said Baldelli. “It’s a lot easier when I can just sit in here by myself and literally sketch the lineup out on a piece of paper.
“That’s the way it feels like it should be for most of the year, but it hasn’t been like that for us from opening day until now.”
Similarly, the Twins are improvising with their starting rotation. Pablo López, Joe Ryan, and Bailey Ober have solidified roles at the top of the rotation. However, Chris Paddack has a 5.57 ERA (70 ERA+), and they demoted Varland (9.18 ERA, 43 ERA+) after his most recent start. Woods Richardson only gave up two hits and a run in six innings in a spot start against Detroit. However, he owns a 6.08 ERA in St. Paul. Top prospect David Festa isn’t ready for the majors, and Brent Headrick is hurt.
“You’re kind of up against it as far as having options,” said Baldelli. “There are other guys we can turn to. We have guys that are in AAA that we can turn to that are pitching well enough to get an opportunity. But there could be discussions over time of stretching some other guys out and taking them from certain roles into other roles. That can’t be out of the question. Really, nothing is off the table.”
The Twins are trying to hold it together during an easy stretch in their schedule. They play the White Sox or the Los Angeles Angels ten games in a row, presenting an opportunity to win a division that’s still wide open. Even with their slow start, Minnesota can win the AL Central. They can still escape the first month of this year with a better record than they had in April 2021, and time won’t expire on them as it did in 2022. However, they must act fast because history doesn’t repeat itself. But it tends to rhyme.
