13 facts you need to know about the Twins' 13-game winning streak

MILWAUKEE -- Thanks to another great starting pitching performance, this time from Pablo López, another early offensive outburst, and another night of sound all-around baseball, the Twins won their 13th straight game on Saturday night. The 7-0 thumping of the Brewers gives Minnesota its longest winning streak in 34 years.

“It feels incredibly surreal,” said López, “and you don’t want to be the guy that ends that streak. I talk about motivation and a little bit of pressure. You don’t want to be the guy to end that streak.”

Here are 13 facts about 13 wins.

1) It’s the second-longest winning streak in Minnesota Twins history
Two previous Twins teams had won exactly 12 games in a row, including the 2024 club. But before Saturday, the only longer streak by a Twins team came when the 1991 team won 15 in a row from June 1-16. You may recall that team won the World Series.

2) There hasn’t been a longer streak in MLB since 2022
No team topped the Twins’ 12 straight last year, and the longest streak in 2023 was 13 by the Rays to start the season. The last time someone had more? That would be the 2022 Mariners, who won 14 consecutive from July 2-17, en route to their first postseason berth in 21 years.

3) It's the longest shutout streak in Twins history
When Kody Funderburk finished off Saturday night’s win, it was the 33rd consecutive scoreless inning, dating back to the fourth inning of Game 2 on Wednesday in Baltimore -- the longest streak in Minnesota Twins history. The previous longest streak was 32 innings from July 5-8, 2004. The three consecutive shutouts also tie a Minnesota record, set during that same stretch in 2004.

“It's been a pretty nice run the boys have been going on, but I prefer not to talk about it too much,” manager Rocco Baldelli said wryly. “I prefer to just let them keep playing the way they're playing and pitching the way they're pitching.”

4) Kody Clemens has almost a year’s worth of homers
Clemens’ first homer as a Twin came in the streak’s first game, May 3 at Fenway Park. He has hit two more since, including a solo shot on Saturday, giving him three in 14 games. His career high for a season is five.

“Winning is fun,” said Clemens. “That’s all I keep saying. Everyone is firing on all cylinders. It’s been a blast to be a part of.”

5) Second place!
For much of the streak, the Twins could scarcely seem to gain any ground in the standings, as all three teams ahead of them kept winning as well. But thanks to recent stumbles by the Guardians and Royals, Minnesota is now alone in second in the AL Central, four games behind Detroit.

6) The streak represents half of their wins
At the start of the streak, the Twins were 13-20. They have doubled their win total since the last time they lost a game.

7) Lewis and Castro? Undefeated
Late on the last homestand, Royce Lewis playfully noted that the Twins had not lost since he and Willi Castro were activated off the IL on May 6. They still haven’t. Obviously, the team has lost multiple players -- such as Byron Buxton and Carlos Correa -- to injury lately, but they’ve also gotten two key pieces back, and they’re 11-0 since then.

8) This streak is even rarer than you might think
It’s unusual to win 13 in a row at all, of course. But what the Twins have done is even more unusual. They’re the first team since the 1999 Orioles to have a winning streak of at least 13 games that started when the team was at least seven games under .500.

9) A plus-38 run differential
The Twins now have the third-best run differential in the American League at plus-38, behind only the Yankees and Tigers.

10) Larnach and Lee the constants
Only two players have appeared in all 13 games of the streak: Trevor Larnach and Brooks Lee. And both contributed to Saturday’s win, Larnach with a triple, a single and two runs, and Lee with two hits and two RBIs. Lee has started at second base, shortstop, and third base during the streak, while Larnach has started in left field, right field, and at DH.

11) The catchers are raking
As the roster has thinned, Baldelli has taken to starting Christian Vázquez a little more often at catcher while Ryan Jeffers gets reps at DH. Both catchers have thrived under the arrangement, especially Vázquez, who has a .292/.370/.458 line during the streak, with an RBI single on Saturday. Jeffers homered, doubled, and singled twice on Saturday to bring his slash line over the last 13 games to .293/.341/.415.

“[Vázquez] has been swinging the bat good, he's been playing good on both sides of the ball,” Baldelli said. “I don't know [why]. I can't say anything beyond that because I don't know anything beyond that. But he's been productive and good.”

12) So many zeros
Nine relievers have pitched for the Twins during the streak. None of them have an ERA higher than 4.15, and only one has an ERA higher than 2.35. But more remarkable than either of those is this: Of those nine relievers, seven have not allowed a single run over the course of the streak (Jhoan Duran, Danny Coulombe, Jorge Alcala, Louis Varland, Cole Sands, Justin Topa, and Funderburk).

13) So many saves
The 'pen also has nine saves over the course of the streak, three more than any other team in that span. And three different pitchers have recorded at least one -- Duran, Coulombe, and Sands. Two other pitchers, Funderburk and Alcala, have gotten the last out.