Facing White Sox on a record losing streak, Twins manager Rocco Baldelli skittish

There was a line of questioning Twins manager Rocco Baldelli was not interested in having media members pursue before Friday night’s contest. That was anything to do with the 17-game snag the opponents, the Chicago White Sox, found themselves stuck with on arrival at Target Field.

Asked if he had ever experienced such a losing streak, Baldelli said: “I don’t know. I’ve probably been there.”

Come on, Rocco — a wonderful youth player in the Providence, R.I., area, the sixth overall draftee by Tampa Bay in 2000. We don’t believe you ever approached losing 17 in a row.

“I’ve been part of all kinds of teams,” he said.

OK, Tampa Bay did lose 15 in a row as the Devil Rays in 2002, but you only heard about it, Rocco. You arrived the next season and finished third in American League Rookie of the Year voting.

There was no doubt Baldelli was feeling a touch of pressure for the start of this final series of the season with the White Sox. And who could blame him? The only satisfactory outcome for the weekend was a sweep — and the Mighty Whiteys are required to win a game eventually.

The middle of the lineup, 3 through 6: Luis Robert Jr., Gavin Sheets, Andrew Vaughn and Andrew Benintendi — those guys all have been dangerous for periods in their careers. And Baldelli assured his pregame audience the Twins would be facing back-to-back starters with talent, first righthander Davis Martin and then All-Star lefty Garrett Crochet.

“No one cares about a team’s record, really,” Baldelli said. “I say that most of the time when we play the guys that are in first place or anybody else. It really does not matter. … We need to prepare for the players we’re going to face on the other side of the field, and nothing else right now.

“We’re going to face a guy with good stuff today, we’re going to face a guy with exceptional stuff tomorrow in Crochet.”

Kansas City, a 56-106 team from 2023 that is incredibly improved, pushed the Sox streak to 17 with a three-game sweep this week in Chicago.

The White Sox date to 1901 and the start of the AL. And this was the second time this season they set a franchise record for longest losing streak — first 14 from May 22 to June 6, and now this.

The White Sox were hoping to get some top prospects for Crochet, who moved from the bullpen to starting excellence this season. He’s 6-8 with a 3.23 ERA, averaging 12.6 strikeouts per nine innings.

He had Tommy John elbow surgery in 2022, came back for 13 relief appearances last season, and he’s up to 114⅓ innings in 22 starts this season. And about that trade possibility: Crochet and his agents let it be known that he would not return to the bullpen and would not pitch in the playoffs for a new team without a contract extension.

Which made him come off as a horribly spoiled ballplayer, except a talented 25-year-old pitcher in his first full season after Tommy John for a team 57 games under .500 … the White Sox should be shutting him down anyway.

On Friday, Royce Lewis started the Twins with a two-run home run in the first, drove in two more runs with a double in the third, the Twins scored six in the eighth and that was it:

Twins 10-2, and 18 in a row for the Sox..

Don’t get too comfortable, though, you Comcast subscribers now getting to see the team again.

These are trap games, dang it.

This was not the first time the Twins had faced this situation. A memorable moment came in April 1988, with the Twins as reigning World Series champions.

The Baltimore Orioles arrived at the Metrodome with a record-busting 0-18 humiliation to start the season. This had been accomplished by an Orioles lineup that included Cal Ripken Jr., Eddie Murray and Fred Lynn.

There were three close games, with the Twins winning twice by 4-2, and holding on 7-6 in the middle game. Keith Atherton had to retire Murray with Ripken Jr. at third to finish that one.

The hero of the sweep: Kent Hrbek came in without a home run in his first 15 games, then hit four in the Orioles series.

Baltimore then went to Chicago and pounded the White Sox and Jack McDowell 9-0 to get its first victory in 22 games.

Now that was a bummer for a new ball season.