In the Twins' quest to reverse course from four consecutive seasons with at least 92 losses, a good start might be a big help.
If they are going to do that, though, they'll really have to work for it, according to an analysis of early-season schedules for AL teams by ESPN.com's Buster Olney.
Olney ranks the Twins' early slate as the third-toughest among the 15 teams in the league. He writes (Insider):
Games against teams that had records over .500 in 2014: 30 of their first 40.
Home/road: 20 of their first 40 are at home.
Noteworthy: Not only do the Twins have their share of in-division games against rivals from the AL Central early, but they also have a four-game series against Oakland and a two-game series against the Pirates. Before the All-Star break, the Twins will see the Tigers in 13 games and the Royals in 13 games. Good luck with that.
We should probably remember that as we watch the first 40 games of the season. The likelihood that most fans will be forgiving if there is a slow start, though? Not so good.
On the bright side, if the Twins do get off to a strong start after 40 games, their schedule should ease up as the season goes along.
