Twins make history in blowout win over Brewers as winning streak hits 13

The Minnesota Twins are on a remarkable heater right now.

Rocco Baldelli's club thoroughly dominated the Brewers on Saturday night in Milwaukee, cruising to a 7-0 win to extend their winning streak to 13 games. The Twins got an outstanding start from Pablo Lopez and pitched their third consecutive shutout; they haven't allowed a run in a franchise-record 33 straight innings dating back to Wednesday afternoon in Baltimore. Offensively, they remained without Carlos Correa and Byron Buxton, yet they got contributions from up and down the lineup in an 18-hit barrage that saw them score a run in each of the first six frames.

It's been a truly incredible two-week stretch from a team that appeared to be in deep trouble after starting the season 7-15. They're now 26-20 on the year.

The 13-game winning streak is the first one in Major League Baseball since the 2023 Rays started the year 13-0. It's just the 14th such streak by any team since 2000. It also stands alone in second place in Twins history, breaking a tie with the 1980 and 2024 teams. Only the 1991 Twins, who won 15 in a row, have a longer streak than the one Minnesota is currently on.

Lopez followed Joe Ryan and Chris Paddack in throwing the Twins' third straight gem by their starting pitcher. He struck out six Brewers over six shutout frames, allowing only two hits and two walks. Since April 8, when the Twins began their third trip through the rotation, no team in baseball has gotten better production from its starting pitching.

Minnesota's bullpen has also been sensational during this run. Thanks to scoreless frames from Justin Topa, Jorge Alcala, and Kody Funderburk, the Twins joined the Padres as the only teams with three consecutive shutouts this season. It's the first time a Twins team has done it since July 2004 (in games started by Brad Radke, Johan Santana, and Kyle Lohse). The Twins had a stretch of 32 straight scoreless innings during that series, which stood as the team record for nearly 21 years until it was topped in this game.

And despite the top three hitters in their Opening Day lineup — Matt Wallner, Correa, and Buxton — being on the IL, the Twins' offense looked like a juggernaut on Saturday. Ryan Jeffers launched a 420-foot home run in the second plate appearance of the night and finished with four hits. The Twins' top six hitters — Trevor Larnach, Jeffers, Brooks Lee, Ty France, Kody Clemens, and Royce Lewis — went 15 for 27 and all had multiple hits. Clemens, who hit massive late-game homers against the Red Sox and Orioles during this streak, went yard again.

In the second inning, Lewis doubled for his first extra-base hit of the season and was driven in by Christian Vazquez. France had an RBI knock in the third when Brewers outfielder Sal Frelick lost his glove trying to complete a diving catch. Lee drove in a run with the Twins' third two-out single in a row in the fourth (knocking Milwaukee starter Tobias Myers out of the game after allowing 11 hits). Clemens homered in the fifth. Larnach hit a leadoff triple on a Brewers misplay in the sixth, then scored on a sacrifice fly from Lee.

It was the first time the Twins have scored a run in each of the first six innings since September 2017. DaShawn Keirsey Jr.'s RBI single in the top of the ninth was Minnesota's 18th hit, a season-high.

The Brewers' biggest scoring threat came in the seventh inning, when they loaded the bases with one out against Topa. But because everything is coming up roses for the Twins these days, Topa induced a weak pop out to himself and got a grounder to first base to escape unscathed.

Zebby Matthews will make his first start of the season in the series finale on Sunday, where he'll look to extend the scoreless innings streak and help the win streak reach 14.