Reusse: Minnesota Twins, leaking fans and competing with NBA, NHL playoffs, needed prospect Luke Keaschall

The Timberwolves and the North Stars shared the Twin Cities as the fall-to-spring major league sports for four seasons from 1989-90 to 1992-93. The Timberwolves and the Wild have held that portion of the calendar for a quarter-century, with the NHL not having a season because of an owners lockout in 2004-05.

Margaret Downey was a stickler for math at St. Gabriel’s Grade School in Fulda, Minn., and my calculations have this being the 28th spring we have had representatives in both the NBA and NHL.

There is a strong possibility that this will be the first spring in which both our basketball team and hockey club advance to the second round of the playoffs.

On Friday night, the Timberwolves took a 2-1 lead in the first-round series with a 116-104 win over the Los Angeles Lakers and the magnificent 40-year-old, LeBron James. On Saturday afternoon, the Vegas Golden Knights had to feel lucky getting out of St. Paul with the series tied 2-2 after a 4-3 overtime victory over the Wild.

The Twins have a tendency to offer best wishes on Target Field’s big board on important occasions for other local sports entities. That might be classy, although the reality of this playoff hysteria is that it has not arrived at a favorable time for the ballclub.

The Twins were already on probation with potential customers, before all that fan interest and those dollars were funneled into a pair of potential playoff runs.

A vocal share of the sporting public turned on the Twins and their ownership when they went from a 95.4% chance to make the playoffs on Sept. 5, 2024, into a free fall that sent them into fourth place (ahead of the White Sox) in the AL Central.

The Pohlad family announced the team was for sale — nothing has happened on that front — and then the Twins started the season 7-15. There were crowds for the White Sox earlier this week that made the description “smattering” seem boastful.

And for all the venom aimed at the Pohlads, and player acquisition, the oft-used phrase does apply to these Twins:

“If they didn’t have bad luck, they would have no luck at all.”

As the Timberwolves were taking a spectacular Game 3 a couple hundred yards across the plaza, the incredible was happening Friday night at the ballpark:

Luke Keaschall, perhaps the most promising young hitter the Twins have unveiled since Luis Arráez, managed to suffer a broken right forearm on an 87-mph heater from the Angels’ Kyle Hendricks, the veteran soft-tosser.

On a checked swing that appeared harmless, the ball avoided Keaschall’s front left arm and hit his trailing forearm. He walked to first base, gave a thumbs-up, ran the bases, went to the batting cage and then the injury was discovered.

The scouting report on Keaschall was this: Much work required at second base, with a quick and potent righthanded bat. In seven games, there was also a dynamic knack demonstrated for stealing bases.

Keaschall came up ahead of schedule when Matt Wallner went on the injured list. In six games he was 7-for-19 with three doubles, only two strikeouts, and five steals. It was extra early, but Keaschall was a bit of positive to spin for the Twins.

For slightly more than a week.

The Twins’ response to losing Keaschall was trading for infielder Kody Clemens, Roger’s son, after he was designated for assignment by Philadelphia during the week. He goes with Jonah Bride, an infielder similarly acquired from Miami after being DFA’ed, and utility player Mickey Gasper, picked up this winter in a trade with Boston.

Clemens turns 29 in a couple of weeks. Bride and Gasper are both there. Quite a collection of unexpected journeymen on what is a four-player bench for today’s big-league rosters.

The Twins had a victory this week when they had 11 baserunners in the first three innings and scored one run (before beating the White Sox 6-3). Saturday, they had 14 baserunners in the first three innings and scored four runs against the Angels.

They picked apart L.A. starter Yusei Kikuchi for nine hits, four walks and those four runs. Simeon Woods Richardson had a strong start, then came the four righthanded bullet throwers from the bullpen: Brock Stewart, Griffin Jax, Louie Varland and Jhoan Duran.

The final was 5-1, guaranteeing the Twins will win a second consecutive series for the first time since Aug. 12-18.

In the third game of a four-gamer in Texas on Aug. 17, the Twins reached the high point of the 2024 season — 17 games over .500 (70-53). Then, looking for a sweep on Aug. 18, Jorge Alcala turned a 4-0 lead into a 5-4 deficit almost instantly.

That started the collapse that led to the current fans crisis.

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Or maybe not a crisis.

Saturday’s crowd was announced at a solid 23,905 — second to Opening Day so far this season.

This is not to suggest you’ll be struggling to get baseball tickets in the weeks of hockey and basketball ahead, but these Twins did get 11 singles in the first four innings to jump in front.

The Bomba Squad of 2019 transformed into the Buzz Bomb Squad of 2025.

Who knows? If those four right arms in the bullpen hold up, perhaps all is not lost.