Baldelli says Twins must be strong amid poor start: 'We're being tested'

After finishing last season with a 12-27 collapse that saw them throw away a playoff spot, the Twins came into this year hoping to start strong and put last year's struggles in the rearview mirror. 11 games into the season, the opposite has happened. They've gotten off to an awful, lifeless 3-8 start, looking much like the woeful team that fell apart last August and September.

The Twins blew a six-run lead in Sunday's series finale against the Astros and have now lost the first two games of this week's series in Kansas City. On Tuesday night, they fell 2-1 despite out-hitting the Royals seven to three, as a trio of errors made the difference and led to both Royals runs. Minnesota also saw ace Pablo Lopez leave that game with a hamstring injury.

It's been ugly in every phase of the game. The Twins rank 29th in OPS (.578), 22nd in ERA (4.50), and 29th in Defensive Runs Saved (-9). They haven't done anything well so far, and the struggles of Carlos Correa, Byron Buxton, and basically their entire offense (outside of Harrison Bader and Matt Wallner) might be the most concerning.

After Tuesday's game, manager Rocco Baldelli preached the importance of mental toughness and staying the course.

"We're being tested right now," Baldelli said. "We have to be exceptionally strong. When things don't go well, that's not when you start to question everything and you start to tear certain things down or premises that you believe in. You have to be even stronger mentally, you have to continue to work hard just as you've been working the entire time. And you trust that the players and their ability are gonna go out there and get the job done like they've done so many times for us. That's what's gonna happen."

Yes, it's a long season that's less than seven percent complete. But the Twins are now 15-35 in their last 50 games, dating back to last season. That's a significant sample size, especially when you consider that this year's roster is largely the same as the 2024 version, with a few minor changes. And until something changes with the results on the field, the Twins simply appear to be a bad baseball team despite possessing a talented group on paper.

This season is threatening to unravel pretty quickly for Minnesota. Fans are increasingly frustrated (or apathetic, which might be worse). But all the Twins can do is try to stay positive and focus on the next game in front of them. They have to remain confident amid poor results.

"We've got tons of baseball to play here, months and months and months of baseball to play," Baldelli said. "And there are times when you're gonna have a week or two where you don't feel or look like yourself. As a team and as an individual, that can happen. But I'm gonna continue to show belief and trust in our guys is what I'm gonna do. And they have to believe and trust in themselves to go get the job done."

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