Minnesota Twins: An unsettling pattern has emerged for the Twins

Over the past two months, the Minnesota Twins have had games of offensive bliss, but what is more alarming is what takes place the game after.

It has been a wonderful end to the regular season for the Minnesota Twins, no one denies that. With only nine games remaining they still sit in a Wild Card spot. Much of this success has been the hot bats in the Twins lineup. Since August 8th, the Twins have scored 10 or more runs in 11 games. Their record in those games is 10-1. That is not the issue however, as wins are usually a good thing in baseball.

What alarms me is Minnesota’s performances after those assaults. The Twins bats, more often than not, fall flat. Their record in games after an offensive onslaught (again considered a game where they score 10 or more runs) is 7-3.

Now that 7-3 record is nothing to be ashamed of, and the record is minuscule in the point I am trying to make. Especially over the last month, the Twins have been unable to be consistently effective offensively. It is like the Twins bats are hungover. Just take a look at a few games in September.

September 2nd vs. Kansas City they won 17-0, an unbelievable performance. Yet over the next three games, the Twins were outscored by their opponents (Royals/Rays) 18-9. Not to mention they were outhit by those teams by a wide margin, 28 Royal/Rays hits to 15 Twins hits. Most importantly, all three games following the 17 run drubbing ended in losses for Minnesota.

On September 12th the Twins brought in 16 runs against the San Diego Padres at Target Field. Minnesota then proceeded to be outscored 14-11 over the next four games by the Padres and Blue Jays. They were also outhit by a margin of 34-28. The Twins record in those four games was 2-2. Another wildly inconsistent showing by Minnesota.

More from Sporting Sota

Lastly, on September 17th, the Twins rounded out their series against Toronto by scoring 13 runs in a victory. What followed was the Twins being swept at Yankee Stadium by the team they look up to in the Wild Card race. New York outscored Minnesota in that series 18-6 and outhit them 34-18. That is terribly unsettling especially since, as it stands, the Twins would play the Yankees in the Wild Card game, at Yankee Stadium.

I do not want to put a damper on what has been a surprising and gratifying Twins season. I just find it particularly alarming given how far Minnesota is poised to go. Normally a team with good pitching is the most successful in the postseason. Minnesota does not necessarily have dominant starting pitching, so they rely on their offense. If their offense is as inconsistent as it has been over the past two months, they could be in trouble. Not to mention the fact that the New York Yankees, their potential playoff opponent, has had Minnesota’s number for what seems like forever.

Next: Vikings and Buccaneers Game Preview

Minnesota scored 12 runs on Thursday night in Detroit and the rest of the series could prove vital in deciding whether or not to trust this Twins offense. The Tigers have all but thrown in the towel and the Twins need these wins going into a series with Cleveland next week. The team needs to iron out their offensive consistency as they head towards a possible Wild Card date with the dreaded Yankees.

Home/Minnesota Twins