The Minnesota Twins were outscored by 20 runs in a series with the Red Sox this weekend, and the schedule only gets tougher.
The Minnesota Twins’ next three opponents are all at or above .500. Two of which are leading their divisions. This next stretch can help tell the team if they are going to be contenders or pretenders come trade deadline.
The first task the Twins will have to take on is the Chicago White Sox. They are set to face Miguel Gonzalez and Derek Holland, both are off to great starts. Twins can take some solace that they get a juicy match up against Mike Pelfrey in game one . The Twins are currently 3-3 against the Southsiders this year.
The next two series get much tougher for the hometown nine. They travel to Cleveland, who recently swept the Twins at home in their last meeting. Cleveland currently find themselves alone in first place in the AL Central.
Finally, the team comes home to take on Colorado to finish off a three team series of tough opponents. The Rockies currently sit atop the NL West and have the 2nd best record in the National League.
Not only do the Minnesota Twins have it tough for the next three series, the rest of the month gives them little reprieve.
Kansas City is the only team left on the slate that offers the Twins a favorable match up. The team also gets to face the Astros and Orioles, who are both tied for the league lead with 21 wins.
This means the Twins better figure out their recent bullpen and back end rotation struggles in a hurry.
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Jose Berrios certainly looks to be on the way to help them round out the rotation soon. Nick Burdi has been crushing AA and could find himself on the big league roster soon. However, if the Twins aren’t able to stay afloat in the brutal month of May, the Twins might be in sell mode before those issues can be resolved.