Twins have hands full against juggernaut Dodgers

The Dodgers make a rare visit to Target Field Monday-Wednesday.

Apr 8, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (17) slugs a homer against the Twins. | Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

The juggernaut Dodger gave the Twins a taste of dominance at Target Field Monday night and it was a sight to see for Minnesota fans who have watched their hometown team swing wimpy bats to start the 2024 season.

It's so early in the season that it's impossible to judge a team for what it could be, but the Dodgers are living up to the hype and the Twins are not. On Monday night, the Twins mustered just three hits and the last 18 batters that came to the plate were retired in order. The Dodgers, meanwhile, scored just four runs but electrified with star power as Shohei Ohtani clubbed a homer and two doubles.

Minnesota has four homers in eight games while the Dodgers have launched an MLB-leading 17 homers, though they have played 13 games thanks to their earlier start to the season with games against the Padres in South Korea. But that doesn't take away from the fact that they're raking...

Mookie Betts is slashing .376/.508/.841 with five homers and 11 RBI. Shohei Ohtani is hitting .345/.383/.673 with three bombs. Will Smith is slashing .415/.444/.512. Freddie Freeman is slashing .348./466/.457. Teoscar Hernandez has four homers and 14 RBI while rocking a .893 OPS. Will Smith is batting .400 with a .917 OPS.

Add it all up and they have four starters with a .900+ OPS. How does that compare to the slumping Twins ? Only Alex Kirilloff (1.086 OPS) is posting comparable numbers.

Byron Buxton owns a .656 OPS and hasn't homered yet. Eddy Julien is slashing .125/.222/.292, Max Kepler has just one hit in 20 at-bats, Rayn Jeffers has only two hits in 22 at-bats and Carlos Santana has started his stint with the Twins with four hits in 29 at-bats and just one RBI.

The Twins are striking out 26.3% of plate appearances. That's bad. And those strikeout numbers are highly likely to get worse as they have to face Dodgers starters Tyler Glasnow and Bobby Miller the next two days. Glasnow is a strikeout machine and Miller, a 25-year-old up-and-comer, has 14 strikeouts in just seven innings.

With just 12 hits in the last three games, manager Rocco Baldelli is hopeful that the Twins' luck will start to change.

“We just have to keep preparing and keep trying to barrel some balls up,” Baldelli said.

Can the Twins right the ship against baseball's best?