Ailing Twins carry 11-game win streak into Milwaukee

The Minnesota Twins are accumulating victories at a near-record pace.

Unfortunately, they also are picking up injuries along the way.

Battered and bruised, the Twins will carry an 11-game winning streak into the opener of a three-game series against the host Milwaukee Brewers on Friday.

The win streak is the longest in the majors this year and Minnesota’s longest since a 12-game run from April 22-May 4, 2024. The franchise record is 17 games, set by the 1912 Washington Senators, while the Minnesota-era mark is 15, established during the 1991 campaign.

DaShawn Keirsey Jr. and Byron Buxton belted back-to-back homers in the third inning to pace to a 4-0 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday afternoon.

However, Buxton, Minnesota’s center fielder, and shortstop Carlos Correa, didn’t finish the game. They were placed in concussion protocol after they were injured during a collision while chasing after a shallow fly ball to center field in the bottom of the third inning.

Replays showed the pair hitting heads while Buxton’s chin made contact with Correa’s back.

“We’ll have more information (Friday),” Twins’ bench coach Jayce Tingler told reporters on the conditions of Buxton and Correa.

Correa immediately was replaced by Jonah Bride, while Buxton played the rest of the third inning before Ty France entered the game. France, who took over at first base, was considered day-to-day due to a left foot contusion.

Minnesota’s Joe Ryan (3-2, 2.74 ERA) will take the mound opposite Milwaukee rookie Chad Patrick (2-3, 3.19) on Friday in a battle of right-handers.

Ryan has turned in three straight strong outings since enduring a disastrous performance in which he yielded three homers and six runs on April 20. He has permitted two runs on 10 hits with 26 strikeouts against two walks over his last three games (19 innings, 0.95 ERA).

Ryan, however, admittedly wasn’t at his best in his latest outing on Saturday against the San Francisco Giants. After all, he was dealing with the aftereffects of an intense flu that prompted the Twins to alter the rotation. He wound up throwing six innings of one-run ball.

“There were definitely pitches in there where I was like, ‘Don’t swing!’ And they mostly didn’t, and so it worked out,” Ryan said, per the Minneapolis Star Tribune. “It was good to not have them slap me in the face.”

Ryan, 28, has a 3.97 ERA without a decision in two career starts against Milwaukee.

The Brewers enjoyed a day off on Thursday, one day after they salvaged the finale of a three-game series against the host Cleveland Guardians.

Rhys Hoskins homered among his four hits, reached base in all five plate appearances and had five RBIs in the Brewers’ 9-5 win on Wednesday. His two-run homer in the seventh inning was the big blow for Milwaukee, which is just 5-8 in May.

“That’s a big one for us,” Hoskins said. “Rough stretch. Rough month, let’s call it. That’s not going to charge our mentality at least (as far as) how we prepare every day and show up to compete.”

Patrick, 26, received a no-decision against the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday after allowing two runs on six hits in 4 1/3 innings. He has yet to face the Twins in his young career.

–Field Level Media