Minnesota Twins series preview: Tampa Bay Rays
By Chris Schad
The Minnesota Twins will matchup with another surprising American League team for a four-game series this weekend in St. Petersburg.
During the 2000s, no team was able to make more out of less than the Minnesota Twins. With a lineup that was filled with cheap, homegrown talent, the Twins were able to become a contending team for the entirety of the decade, walking away with six American League Central division titles.
Perhaps more impressive was that the Twins kept doing this with limited revenue. The Metrodome was the ugly stepchild of the new stadiums opening across Major League Baseball and yet without the surplus of suites and luxury seating, they still were able to spend what they had intelligently to help the team stay in contention.
Fast forward to today and if the Twins were looking for a modern day counterpart to their scrappy 2000s teams, look no further than what the Tampa Bay Rays have done.
Entering this weekend’s four game series, the Rays come in with a record of 33-19 on the season and trail the New York Yankees by two games for first place in the American League East. More impressive is that the Rays are doing this with the lowest total payroll in the league according to Spotrac and have made shrewd moves to help build a competitive team.
After a split with the MIlwaukee Brewers, the Twins will look to continue momentum from a stretch where they have won 12 of their past 14 games. Despite their stature, the Rays are a strong test for the Twins and should give them a competitive four-game series.