Interleague play sends the Twins on the road this week to two destinations they haven't seen in a while, two cities along the Ohio River that have been together in the National League since 1887.
With all that tradition, Pittsburgh and Cincinnati are home to some of the sport's longest-suffering fans. The Pirates haven't finished above .500 since 1992. The Reds haven't won a playoff game since 1990. But this year, in both cities, hope is in the air again.
During the trip, the Twins will see two of baseball's brightest stars -- Pirates center fielder Andrew McCutchen and Reds first baseman Joey Votto. They'll face two of the NL's best starting pitchers, in Pittsburgh's James McDonald (2.32 ERA) and Cincinnati's Johnny Cueto (2.46).
They could see two of the game's hardest-throwing closers, too: Pirates righthander Joel Hanrahan and Reds lefthander Aroldis Chapman. These two teams have taken on the passionate personalities of their managers, in Pittsburgh's Clint Hurdle and Cincinnati's Dusty Baker.
On Tuesday, the Twins make their first appearance at Pittsburgh's delightful PNC Park since 2006. The Pirates teased their fans last year, holding first place in late July before finishing with a 19-43 thud. They bolstered their starting pitching staff with two reclamation projects -- A.J. Burnett and Erik Bedard -- and entered Saturday with the fourth-best ERA in the majors, at 3.52.
That's how you explain their success this year, despite ranking last in the majors in runs scored, at 3.24 per game. Well, that and the fact McCutchen entered Saturday leading all NL center fielders with a .321 batting average, .382 on-base percentage and .543 slugging percentage.
Pittsburgh fans are buying in, as attendance is up nearly 3,000 fans per game over last season. In Cincinnati, it's up by more than 3,500.
The Twins haven't been to Cincinnati since 2000, so they've never visited Great American Ballpark, which is in its 10th season.
