Homer-happy Twins on verge of setting another record
The Minnesota Twins rank second in all of baseball with 87 homers, just three behind Seattle.
Just about everyone on the roster is getting in on the fun.
Eight -- yes, eight -- different players have hit at least seven dingers already this season, making Minnesota one of three teams in Major League Baseball history to have that many players with 7+ homers before the calendar switches to June.
The other two? This year’s previously mentioned Mariners team, as well as the 2010 Toronto Blue Jays. The 2009 New York Yankees, 2003 Atlanta Braves and 1999 Mariners all had seven players with 7+ homers before the end of May.
Eddie Rosario is leading the way with 13 home runs, followed by C.J. Cron (12), Mitch Garver (9), Max Kepler (9), Jorge Polanco (8), Jonathan Schoop (8), Jason Castro (7) and Nelson Cruz (7).
Minnesota could make history if one of its rising sluggers hits a few more homers, too. After his grand slam in the Twins’ 18-5 destruction of Seattle on Saturday, Byron Buxton is sitting at four homers on the season. If he clobbers three more over the Twins’ final 10 games in May, Minnesota will be the first team in MLB history to have nine players with 7+ homers.
Buxton has three moonshots over his past five games, so it’s definitely not out of the question. He’ll have a chance to add to his homer total in the Twins’ three-game set with the Los Angeles Angels this week, a pitching staff that has yielded the sixth-most long balls to opponents (67).
NOTABLE
-- The Twins have a 12-3 record following losses this season. It’s early, but the .800 winning percentage after a loss ranks third all-time, behind the 1906 Chicago Cubs (.833) and 1929 Philadelphia Athletics (.804).
-- The Angels average more runs against teams with a record above .500 (5.14) than teams with a sub-.500 record (4.69).
-- Minnesota fares much better when facing a right-handed pitcher. The Twins are 26-11 against right-handed starters and 4-5 against lefties.
-- After struggling his way to a .167 batting average in March and April, Twins infielder Marwin Gonzalez is hitting .355 in May. The +.188 differential is the biggest improvement in baseball.
-- Jonathan Lucroy, who has played for Milwaukee, Texas, Colorado, Oakland and now the Angels, owns a career .968 on-base plus slugging mark against the Twins, the third-highest clip among active players.
