Minnesota Twins 2016 April Schedule Preview

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Mar 23, 2015; Clearwater, FL, USA; Minnesota Twins right fielder Shane Robinson (21) at bat during the eighth inning of a spring training baseball game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Bright House Field. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports /

A quick preview of the Minnesota Twins April schedule gives hope for those who wish to see the team improve on their 2015 performance.

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With Spring Training finally underway, nearly every team has a sense of optimism entering the 2016 season. Teams will pit players against each other to see who deserves spots on their Opening Day Rosters, and fans will finally have some of their off-season questions answered. For the Minnesota Twins, some small story lines have already begun to surface out of Fort Myers: Joe Mauer candidly discussed how his concussion history has hurt his ability to perform, Miguel Sano started taking some fly balls as he trains for an outfield role, and Byung Ho Park has just begun his adjustment to baseball in America.

Though these story-lines bring with them warm thoughts of summer and a reminder as to why we love the game of baseball, it is vital to not lose sight of what brings all these players together: to win baseball games in the regular season.

In 2015, the Twins failed to hit the ground running when the season began, and those early season troubles may have prevented them from getting to the wild card game. To begin the season, Minnesota lost four of their first five games. In their first 24.1 innings, they were unable to score a single run against the Detroit Tigers. The team ultimately failed to finish the month of April above .500, starting an uphill battle for the rest of the season. The team hopes to have a stronger April in 2016, and one factor that will affect whether this is possible is the opponents the Twins will face. By looking at Minnesota’s early schedule, it is easy to see a way where they outperform their April of 2015. What follows is a quick preview of the teams the Twins will have to defeat and a series by series prediction of whether they could hit the ground running in 2016.

Next: Week One of April

Nov 1, 2015; New York City, NY, USA; Kansas City Royals first baseman Eric Hosmer (35) reacts after scoring the tying run against the New York Mets in the 9th inning in game five of the World Series at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /

Week One of April

Baltimore Orioles: April 4th, 6th, & 7th

In 2015, the Minnesota Twins faced the Baltimore Orioles seven times. In each of those games, Minnesota was able to win. Not only did they secure a perfect record, but they did so by outscoring the Orioles 43 to 18 over those seven games. In the offseason, Baltimore has lost their ace, Wei-Yin Chen, and have failed to address multiple line-up issues that faced them this offseason. As of late, the Orioles have been tied to Dexter Fowler and Yovani Gallardo. Those two players would improve Baltimore, but the Twins should fare well against the east-coast squad.

Prediction: Series Win

Kansas City Royals: 8th, 9th, & 10th of April

Unlike the Orioles, the Kansas City Royals gave Minnesota a tougher time in 2015. The reigning World Series champions handed Minnesota 12 losses in the 19 occasions they faced each other last season. Though some aspects of the 2016 Royals are different than their World Series squad, the roster is largely the same. If the Twins want to have success against the Royals, they’re going to have to put up runs against the starting rotation early, and force Kansas City to reach into their bullpen early. That being said, it is likely that the Twins find themselves outmatched for this series.

Prediction: Series Loss

Next: Week Two of April

Sep 23, 2015; Detroit, MI, USA; Chicago White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu (79) tosses his helmet after striking out in the sixth inning against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports /

Week Two of April

Chicago White Sox: 11th, 13th, & 14th of April

Last season, the White Sox had significant trouble in their infield. The Twins were able to capitalize on their weaknesses to go 13-6 against the White Sox in 2015. This offseason the team added Todd Frazier and Brett Lawrie to help improve the club. One of the staples of the White Sox, starting pitcher Chris Sale, is often referred to as the main reason they are expected to compete. Oddly enough, the Twins had great success in their campaign against Sale in 2015. Over 33 innings, Sale put up a 7.37 ERA against Minnesota. Despite some upgrades to the club, Chicago could find themselves coming up short against the Twins.

Prediction: Series Win

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim: 15th, 16th, and 17th of April

Though only facing each other seven times in 2015, Los Angeles seemed to have Minnesota’s number in their match-ups. When the Twins were still in the hunt for the wild card, the Angels took three games out of a four game series including both games of an important double header. That series really hurt Minnesota’s chances for the remainder of the season. Ultimately, the Twins would go 2-5 against the Angels and were outscored by seven runs total. Hopefully Minnesota will seek revenge in this April series. With Albert Pujols likely to be on the disabled list for the match-up, the Twins have an opportunity to take advantage of the Angels’ patchy line-up.

Prediction: Series Win

Next: Week Three of April

Sep 29, 2015; San Diego, CA, USA; Milwaukee Brewers second baseman Scooter Gennett (left) and right fielder Domingo Santana (16) cannot get to a ball hit by San Diego Padres catcher Austin Hedges (not pictured) during the second inning at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports /

Week Three of April

Milwaukee Brewers: 18th, 19th, 20th, & 21st of April

Many people have already counted the Brewers out of contention in 2016. Milwaukee has been in a full rebuild mode since they traded away Carlos Gomez to the Houston Astros last July. They’ve also parted ways with short-stop Jean Segura in hopes of adding talent to their farm system. As the season approaches, many have speculated that Jonathan Lucroy and Ryan Braun could be out of Milwaukee by the trade deadline. This all comes as good news to Twins fans, as the team faces the Brewers four times in April. Last year, despite Milwaukee’s clear troubles, the Twins were only able to win two of the six games between the two teams. Milwaukee has not become any stronger, and Minnesota believes they should contend this year. If the Twins struggle to take the Brewers to task in this April series, Minnesota could be in for a long season.

Prediction: Series Win

Washington Nationals: 22nd, 23rd, 24th of April

The Washington Nationals and the Minnesota Twins haven’t faced each other since 2013, and both teams have undergone drastic changes since that match-up. In the past few years, the Nationals have commonly been found on shortlists of teams that had the talent to compete in the playoffs. This off-season Washington was forced to let a lot of that talent go. The departure of Denard Span, Drew Storen, Jordan Zimmermann, Ian Desmond, Yunel Escobar, and Doug Fister at first glance would make it appear as though the Nationals would be preparing for a rebuilding stage akin to the Brewers. Yet, the Nationals have made some quick acquisitions to retool their team to contend in 2016. Joining the likes of Bryce Harper and Max Scherzer are Ben Revere and Daniel Murphy. Though the team looks much different than they did in 2015, they are still expected to contend this season, and the Twins might have some difficulty outscoring or out pitching in this late April series.

Prediction: Series Loss

Next: Week Four of April

Sep 30, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Indians shortstop Francisco Lindor (12) stands on the field during a game against the Minnesota Twins at Progressive Field. Minnesota won 7-1. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports /

Week Four of April

Cleveland Indians: 25th, 26th, & 27th of April

Near the end of 2015, the Cleveland Indians were not far behind the Minnesota Twins in the chase towards the wild card. Many people forget that the Cleveland Indians were considered by some to be the favorites of the AL Central going into the 2015 season. Though post-season hopes were quickly dashed by their lackluster beginning, the Indians were eventually able to right the ship. Part of their second half success was the call-up of shortstop Francisco Lindor. The Indians have a strong rotation, and have begun to show life on the offensive side of the game. Though Minnesota took 12 of the 19 games they played against Cleveland in 2015, expect Cleveland to pose a bigger threat to the Twins this season.

Prediction: Series Loss

Detroit Tigers: 29th, & 30th of April

Minnesota caps off the month of April with a pair of games against the division rival Detroit Tigers. In 2015, the games against Detroit were some of the most memorable games of the season. A fan favorite of 2015 was a 9th inning seven run comeback on July 10th. After that great match-up Torii Hunter stated, “I think we smelled blood, tasted it a little bit, and we locked on.” In contrast to the highlights, the Tigers were also the team that held Minnesota scoreless for the first 24.1 innings of the 2015 season. Detroit is looking to contend in 2016, and expects to see improvements due to a healthy return of Justin Verlander and a much improved bullpen. The Tigers won 11 of the 19 games against Minnesota in 2015, and there isn’t much to suggest that the Twins will have a better chance of edging them out this season.

Prediction: Series Loss

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