Interleague play has created some exciting and interesting matchups, but it would be a real stretch to put the Twins vs. Padres on that list.
Dating back to 2003 the teams have faced each other just 12 times. Minnesota has won the past six and have never lost at Petco Park. The Padres last win was a 5-1 victory at Minnesota back in 2005.
Their two-game series begins Tuesday at Petco. The Twins send Kevin Correia (1-5 / 6.80 ERA) to the mound to face Ian Kennedy (2-5 / 3.60 ERA). And despite a lack of history between the clubs, Correia is quite familiar with the Padres. He's a San Diego native, born and raised. Correia went to Grossmont High School and pitched for the Friars in 2009 and 2010, compiling a decent 22-21 record.
The Twins enter the series with a 21-21 record. Offensively they rank 7th in runs scored, but their pitching has been miserable. Minnesota is 28th in team ERA (4.65). The Padres are just the opposite. The Friars are 3rd in the majors with a 3.10 team ERA, yet have managed to score just 139 runs, which puts them ahead of only the Atlanta Braves.
The teams do have something--clubhouse stability. Ron Gardenhire, the Twins skipper, is the longest tenured manager in the majors. He's been with Minnesota since 2002. Bud Black ranks second in that category in the National league only behind Bruce Bochy, the man he replaced in 2006.
First pitch is scheduled at 7:10 PDT.
