Carl Pavano made a great start last night, and the Twins beat the Yankees. Finally. Photo by Debby Wong-US PRESSWIRE

The Twins are 3-7 so far. They have significant problems with the starting rotation. The bullpen is a complete crapshoot, and the most reliable reliever is dealing with a forearm injury. The lineup has been inconsistent all season.

But today there is reason to celebrate, because the Twins have defeated the Yankees.

Sure, it may sound insignificant, but it’s actually a pretty big deal. Raise your hand if you didn’t secretly think the Twins would be swept at Yankee Stadium this week. Even when the Twins were among MLB’s best teams for most of the last decade, the Yankees were a big problem. The Twins have gone entire seasons without beating the Yankees at home or on the road. In 2002, 2003, and 2009, the Twins put up a big fat zero versus New York’s American League squad, going a combined 0-20 even though the Twins won the Central Division all three years. The did manage a playoff victory in 2003 before three losses in the ALDS; in 2009 it was a sweep.

There have been occasional victories, but pretty much every series against the Yankees has started with a loss. The last time the Twins won the opening game of a series against New York was August 11, 2008 when Glen Perkins (he was a started back then) tossed eight shutout innings opposite the great Sidney Ponson. Adam Everett homered for the Twins, which gives you an idea how obscure that game was. You have to go back even further to find the last time the Twins won a series opener at Yankee Stadium: May 8, 2001. Eric Milton blanked the Yanks in a 2-0 Twins triumph. Not by coincidence, 2001 was also the last time the Twins won more games against the Yankees than they lost, finishing the year with a 4-2 series edge. It was also the year that Chuck Knoblauch played left field on Dollar Hot Dog night, which resulted in a predictable barrage of processed meats being thrown at the hated former Twin (the writer of that article acts shocked about the incident and gets indignant at Twins fans, but we all know Knoblauch deserved it).

An average Yankee fan might have shaken his head at the wild celebrations and exaggerated Twitter exclamations from Twins fans after last night’s win, but those celebrations were the correct response. Not only did the Twins beat the Yankees, they got a quality start from Carl Pavano, a brilliant defensive play from Alexi Casilla, a three hit night from Joe Mauer, a home run and a concussion free return to first base from Justin Morneau, and best of all, two drama-free scoreless innings from the bullpen.

In short, last night’s game was everything a Twins fan could ask for. Dare we dream that they can do it again?

Alexi Casilla is like Kryptonite for C.C. Sabathia. Photo by Derick E. Hingle-US PRESSWIRE

The Matchups:

Monday, April 16, 6:05 p.m. CDT: RHP Carl Pavano vs. RHP Freddy Garcia

Tuesday, April 17, 6:05 p.m. CDT: LHP Francisco Liriano vs. LHP C.C. Sabathia

Wednesday, April 18, 6:05 p.m. CDT: RHP Jason Marquis vs. RHP Hiroki Kuroda

Thursday, April 19, 6:05 p.m. CDT: RHP Nick Blackburn vs. RHP Phil Hughes

Blackburn has not been officially announced as Thursday’s starter yet. He left his last start with a shoulder injury, but fortunately the Twins medical staff diagnosed it as just a cramp. Then again, the Twins medical staff’s recent track record ranks right up there with Dr. Nick Riviera, so watch Blackburn closely.

Also keep an eye on Liriano. He has had some success against this crop of Yankee hitters: in 208 plate appearances, the Yankee roster is hitting just .214 off him. If he can get past Derek Jeter (.350 average against Liriano) and Brett Gardner (.385), this could be a good chance for Liriano to bounce back from an awful start.

Other notable matchups: Alexi Casilla is hitting .600 (9 for 15) against Sabathia. Joe Mauer has a .419/.486/.774 line against Garcia in 35 PAs. Andruw Jones has just 12 PAs against Marquis, but he has an astounding five home runs and a 2.833 OPS. No Twin has ever faced Kuroda other than Josh Willingham (1 for 9) and Ryan Doumit (2 for 13).

The Weather:

 The weather should be good for baseball. High temperatures in the Bronx will start in the mid 80s on Monday and slowly decline throughout the week. After a day in the 70s on Tuesday, temps will only climb to the mid 60s Wednesday and Thursday. All four games are night games, so things should be a little cooler by gametime. There is only a minor threat of rain on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The Head to Head:

This rivalry has a 111 year history, dating back to April 29, 1901, when the Washington Senators defeated the Baltimore Orioles 1-0 (that version of the Orioles moved to New York in 1903, and the Senators became the Twins in 1961). Hopefully they cherished that victory, because they’ve been few and far between ever since. The Yankees hold a 1,111-768 advantage in this series. The Twins’ .409 winning percentage against the Yankees is by far their lowest against any team, and the 1,111 losses is the most.

That’s not counting the playoff contests, but we’ll not get into that.

The Story:

New York will spend this season in a fierce battle for supremacy in the AL East. All five teams in that division are either 4-5 or 5-4, and from experience we know that Boston, New York, and Tampa will be in the hunt all season long. Toronto may join the fray as well. The Yankees spent the weekend winning two of three over the Angels, a feat the Twins matched earlier in the week. Prior to the Angel series, the Yankees swept the Orioles, who had swept the Twins the weekend before.

The Twins are in the midst of a vicious April schedule that has already pitted them against the best of the AL West. Now they head east to face some teams that have given them a lot of trouble lately: the Yankees, Rays, and Red Sox. A winning record in April might be too much to expect from the Twins, but they have to at least remain competitive if they want to generate any momentum for the rest of the season. A series split in New York would have to be considered a moral victory (a series win would be an incredible boost, but let’s take baby steps here).

In order to win in the Bronx, the Twins will need some better starting pitching and some production from the middle of their lineup. Liam Hendriks finally earned the Twins first quality start yesterday; Pavano, Liriano, and company will need to extend that streak against the Yankees, because this team can beat up on a bullpen. Aside from Josh Willingham, the heart of the Twins’ batting order has been eerily quiet this April. Jamey Carroll, Mauer, Justin Morneau, and Danny Valencia need to start collecting hits in bunches.