Minnesota Twins: What to watch for vs. the Boston Red Sox
By Chris Schad
The Minnesota Twins open up a three-game series with the Boston Red Sox on Monday night as the two teams play a role reversal from prior years.
When the Minnesota Twins have taken on the Boston Red Sox over the past couple of years, the series has represented a litmus test of how well the Twins can stack up with one of baseball’s elite teams. With the Red Sox coming off another World Series title last fall, there is a case that this week’s three-game series at Target Field falls into that category.
However, things have changed since the last time these two teams saw each other at Fenway Park in July of 2018. When the Twins were visiting Boston, they were in the midst of a complete overhaul of the roster that saw fan (and clubhouse) favorites Eduardo Escobar and Brian Dozier get shipped out before the trade deadline. As the Twins took the opener, the Red Sox proceeded to take the next three games leading the Twins further into irrelevance.
This year, it’s the Twins who have their eyes set on a potential October run. Minnesota enters this series with the best winning percentage in baseball (.671) and a 10-game lead in the American League Central. Meanwhile, Boston has scuffled in their title defense, entering Monday’s opener at 39-34 on the strength of a five-game winning streak.
Even though the Red Sox are at the high water mark of their 2019 season, they haven’t been the same team that they were a year ago. With the Twins taking their place as one of baseball’s elite teams for now, this series represents a chance for Minnesota to make a statement.