Twins pursue sweep of 4-game set against Tigers

The Minnesota Twins already have secured their first series victory of the season.

Now they are eager to complete a four-game sweep.

Minnesota will aim for its fourth straight win when it faces the Detroit Tigers on Thursday afternoon in Minneapolis. The Twins are coming off an 8-6 win over the Tigers on Wednesday night, which followed a 4-2 victory on Tuesday and a 7-3 triumph in the series opener on Monday.

Meanwhile, Detroit is eager to stop an early-season slide.

The Tigers have lost eight of 12 games to start the season, including each of their past four contests. They are 2-7 on the road.

Detroit manager A.J. Hinch knows that something needs to change for his team, which has ambitions to win the American League Central and competing for the World Series after making the playoffs each of the past two years.

"Team-wise, you're always pushing to play winning baseball," Hinch said. "Right now, we haven't done that. We're trying to find ways to get back to our brand of baseball that produces those wins without overreacting."

Colt Keith and Kevin McGonigle have fared well at the plate, but many Tigers hitters have struggled to open the season. Hinch acknowledged that players who have a slump at the start of the season receive disproportionate attention as someone who hits a midseason lull.

"It's a tricky time when you look at guys coming out of the spring," Hinch said. "They're hot or they're cold, or they run into some bad luck or don't get something to fall, and there's the psychology that comes with the big board putting your numbers up there."

Tigers right-hander Jack Flaherty (0-1, 7.56 ERA) will try to help his team avoid the sweep. He is looking to improve his command after issuing four walks in each of his first two starts of the season.

In his 2026 debut, Flaherty allowed three runs (two earned) in 4 1/3 innings in a loss to the San Diego Padres on March 29. He did not last any longer on Saturday in his start against the St. Louis Cardinals, who touched him up for five runs on three hits in four-plus innings.

Flaherty is 0-1 with a 4.37 ERA in four career starts vs. Minnesota.

Twins right-hander Mick Abel (0-2, 11.05 ERA) will try to bounce back from a turbulent start to the season when he gets the ball on Thursday.

Abel gave up five runs in 3 1/3 innings in a long-relief appearance against the Baltimore Orioles in his season debut on March 29. He allowed four runs in a four-inning start against the Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday.

Abel, 24, never has faced the Tigers in his brief career.

Twins manager Derek Shelton praised his players for their success so far against Detroit, especially for putting up eight runs on 10 hits in five-plus innings on Wednesday against two-time All-Star Framber Valdez.

"A four-game series, winning the first three against a team that's a really good team in our own division (is great)," Shelton said. "Yeah, it was a little bit closer than we expected, but I was really proud of our group."