On Saturday, the Twins will try to prevent a four-game losing streak from becoming any worse.
What a week can do for you.
Baseball is a marathon rather than a sprint, and success depends entirely on building up the proper amount of momentum. The Minnesota Twins, who were riding a 12-game winning streak, are now experiencing the difficult times that come with changing circumstances.
Before playing in Cleveland on Saturday, the Twins had lost four straight games, including a crushing series sweep at the hands of the New York Yankees. Minnesota hasn’t won a game against its rivals this season, but facing the Guardians hasn’t been any easier.
That will change, but the positive energy from the winning run is fading fast, so the Twins need to perform well this weekend to try to turn things around before they go too far down a streak that ends badly.
likely starting pitchers for the Twins vs. Guardians game on May 18
Bailey Ober (4-1, 3.77 ERA) is the pitcher the Twins are counting on to help halt the hemorrhage and secure the team’s first victory over Cleveland this year. Ober has performed admirably in his appearances thus far, which is encouraging given the amount of pressure on him to assist in Sonny Gray’s replacement this season.
After eight starts, he appears to be completely comfortable.
When Minnesota last won, it was on Sunday against the Blue Jays, and Ober was on the mound. He struck out ten times in that game, marking the first time this season that he has reached double digits. In order to try to snap their losing run and restart their positive momentum, the Twins will need more of it on Saturday.
It won’t be simple, though. Although he doesn’t get many strikeouts, Logan Allen (4-2, 5.56 ERA) possesses the kind of stuff that may make life difficult for the Twins on Saturday. Although he hasn’t struck out more than six batters, he has been reliable in his approach, as seen by his recent dominant start against the White Sox.
If Minnesota hopes to halt their losing streak, it will be a blessing in disguise because their bats have been chilly since the Toronto series. They will need to find a way to thaw significantly against Allen.
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