Still searching for Win # 1 on the 2025 season
After an entire offseason of nothing from the front office, the Minnesota Twins players have returned the favor—getting swept in St. Louis to start the 2025 campaign.
For a (very) brief period of time today it looked like the much-maligned top of the order would turn things around after Byron Buxton’s RBI plated Matt Wallner in the opening frame.
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But after SP Bailey Ober wobbled through his half of the 1st unscathed, he coughed up the lead on a 3-run Victor Scott II long ball in the 2nd.
The Twins immediately put a few ducks on the pond to begin the 3rd—but a Buxton whiff and a Trevor Larnach ground-out ended the threat before one could say “we’ve got something going here”.
From there it was all Red Birds, opening up for five runs in the bottom of the 3rd and chasing Big Bailey to the showers.
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As if getting pounded to close out an opening-series sweep wasn’t enough punishment for the Twins and their fans, the game was interrupted in the fifth with about an hour rain delay. I continued my Smallville re-watch and even as bad as Season Eight of that show is, the experience was still preferable to today’s diamond action.
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When play resumed, so did the lethargy. Other than long man Randy Dobnak surrendering another Cards dinger, the string was played out the rest of the way.
Your Final: St. Louis Cardinals 9, Minnesota Twins 2
Folks, our Twins are playing some bad baseball to start this season. No clutch hitting or evidence of the oft-heralded new batting approach after the ‘24 collapse, wobbly starting pitching, and some disastrous bullpen outings. The worst part? Now the sphincter-tightening “when do we put the first win on the board?” philosophy begins to take hold—which I’ve seen wreck more than one season (see: 2016 & 2021) before Memorial Day. As the old saying goes: you can’t win a pennant in April—but you can certainly lose one.
Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images
Hopefully a trip to the South Side of Chicago will be just what the doctor ordered to get in the left-hand column soon.
Studs
- Willi Castro putting one over the fence (and narrowly missing a second HR that ended up a double). After Willi was worn down to the nub by the end of last season, it’s good to see a refreshed version of him again.
- Me, for battling through a depressing weekend of weather and bad baseball to remain productive today and stick with this contest until the bitter end.
Duds
- Buxton flailing at breaking balls in the dirt on multiple occasions, ending ABs.
- RIP Nancy Bea Hefley, famed organist for the Los Angeles Dodgers in Chavez Ravine.
Comment of the Game
- norff stating the obvious about Ober’s outing.