3 things to know about last San Diego Padres trip to face Minnesota Twins

On Tuesday, the San Diego Padres open a three-game series at Target Field against the Minnesota Twins. It marks the first visit for the Padres to the Twin Cities since the 2017 season ... and a pair of games San Diego fans would rather forget.

3 things to know about last San Diego Padres trip to face Minnesota Twins at Target Field

First, San Diego Padres have improved tremendously

Of course, six seasons will change the look of a franchise completely. San Diego, however, was in the midst of a 71-91 campaign and fielded this lineup when the two teams met in 2017.

It's a reminder of just how far the Padres have transformed the roster from one that isn't feared to one that is filled with plenty of All-Star type of talent.

Second, the long ball was the enemy of the San Diego Padres

The mid-September set in 2017 was a two-game series, and the Padres couldn't get out of Minnesota fast enough. San Diego lost both games by a combined 19-1 score in brutal and complete opposite ways. The first game was a 16-0 Twins blowout as Minnesota blasted seven home runs, one per inning for the first seven frames to make sure the rout was really on. In the second game, it was the home run that once again doomed the Padres, but this time it was of the walkoff variety. Minnesota's Eddie Rosario blasted a two-out homer off Phil Maton in the 10th inning to provide the winning runs.

Third, the hits were hard to come by for the San Diego Padres

In each of the two games, no Padres player registered more than one hit. In the 16-0 loss, San Diego had just four hits. The next night, Minnesota pitchers scattered seven San Diego hits, with one of those being a solo homer in the eighth inning by Austin Hedges.

Of course, this week's games in the Twin Cities will have a completely different feel for the Padres, and San Diego fans are certainly hoping for better pitching and hitting this time around.