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Minnesota Twins: What to watch for vs. the Boston Red Sox

By Chris Schad

DETROIT, MI - JUNE 8: Starting pitcher Kyle Gibson #44 of the Minnesota Twins delivers against the Detroit Tigers during the second inning at Comerica Park on June 8, 2019 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Duane Burleson/Getty Images)
DETROIT, MI - JUNE 8: Starting pitcher Kyle Gibson #44 of the Minnesota Twins delivers against the Detroit Tigers during the second inning at Comerica Park on June 8, 2019 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Duane Burleson/Getty Images) /
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MINNEAPOLIS, MN – JUNE 16: Cheslor Cuthbert #19 of the Kansas City Royals looks on as Nelson Cruz #23 of the Minnesota Twins reacts being called out on strikes by home plate umpire Vic Carapazza #19 to end the game on June 16, 2019 at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Royals defeated Twins 8-6. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – JUNE 16: Cheslor Cuthbert #19 of the Kansas City Royals looks on as Nelson Cruz #23 of the Minnesota Twins reacts being called out on strikes by home plate umpire Vic Carapazza #19 to end the game on June 16, 2019 at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Royals defeated Twins 8-6. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images) /

Did last weekend show cracks for the Twins?

Yes, the Twins were able to take two-of-three games from a Kansas City team that they are much better than. However, there were some warning signs that could either be of concern in the future or just chalked up to a rough weekend.

One of the biggest areas of concern might have been the Twins’ clutch hitting. This sounds asinine considering that Mitch Garver blasted a two-run, go-ahead homer on Friday night and the Twins blasted their way out of a 4-0 deficit in a 5-4 win on Saturday, but Minnesota left a whopping 15 runners on base during their 8-6 loss to the Royals on Sunday.

Again, this could just be one bad game, but the Twins had issues on Friday night against the immortal arm of Brad Keller, who owns a 3-8 record on the season. Perhaps as entertaining as the Bomba Squad is, sometimes the Twins might need to realize that a RBI single is just as good as blasting the ball 500 feet. Perhaps I also need to enjoy their 47-23 record. I’ll let you decide.

The Twins bullpen also continues to produce headaches and not for the opposing team’s lineup. Blake Parker is currently allowing a .826 slugging percentage in June, which is not ideal for one of the guys you want to make up a closer by committee situation. Taylor Rogers also has been nursing a sore back while the bridge guys such as Matt Magill and Trevor May have also had their share of ups and downs recently.

Then, there is also the fielding, where the Twins have been pretty solid all year, but had a pair of meltdowns in both of their losses last week. The five-error catastrophe in a 9-6 loss to the Seattle Mariners on June 12 was rough, but three more errors (two of which led to both Kansas City runs in the seventh inning) helped push the Royals over Minnesota on Sunday.

These are all things that aren’t a major deal right now, but will need to be cleaned up to beat a team such as the Red Sox. If they’re not taken care of soon, this team could find themselves in the funk that some Twins fans have been waiting for all season long.

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