Plenty of intriguing division rivalries will be renewed this weekend.

The defending World Series champion Astros will head to Seattle in a rematch of last year’s American League Division Series. In San Diego, the Padres will host the Dodgers in a National League Division Series grudge match. And the Yankees will visit the red-hot Rays in an AL East showdown.

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But one such division rivalry has been flying under the radar.

There are plenty of big storylines to follow as the Twins and Guardians meet this weekend at Progressive Field in Cleveland.

The AL Central matchup begins at 7:10 p.m. ET Friday on Apple TV+, with games on Saturday (6:10 p.m.) and Sunday (1:40 p.m.) to follow.

Here’s why the first series of 2023 between the Twins and Guardians is one of the most important matchups in baseball so far this season.

They’re the top two teams in the AL Central

A lot can change over the next five months, but right now, these two teams appear to be the top contenders for the AL Central crown.

The Tigers, White Sox and Royals have all struggled to begin the season, posting a combined record of 30-61. Meanwhile, Minnesota is in first place with a 18-14 record, and Cleveland isn’t far behind at 14-17, although the Tigers are half a game behind the Guardians.

Thanks to a 30-21 record in April and May, the Twins spent 108 days in first place in the AL Central in 2022. They led the division as late as Sept. 4. But an 11-22 mark in September and October sent Minnesota into freefall, and they finished at 78-84, in third place behind the Guardians and White Sox.

Cleveland, meanwhile, was red hot down the stretch. The Guardians went 40-21 from August until the end of the regular season, shooting past the Twins and White Sox and finishing with a 92-70 record. They won the division by 11 games, beat the Rays in the AL Wild Card Series and took the Yankees to five games in the AL Division Series.

It’s still early, but 2023 is shaping up for another tight race between these two clubs.

They’re still close in the standings

A three-game series can mean a lot when contenders close together in the standings square off. Just ask the Braves, who swept the Mets in a three-game set late last season to take hold of the NL East after being as many as seven games back in early August. The Twins know it, too, getting swept by the Guardians at home last September before going 1-4 in a five-game series in Cleveland. Minnesota’s 6-13 record against its rival in 2022 was a key reason the Twins missed the playoffs.

With how close the Twins and Guardians are so far this year, this weekend’s series will be crucial for both teams.

Should the Twins sweep the set, they can take a six-game lead in the AL Central -- far from insurmountable but a nice edge to have early in the year.

If the Guardians pull off the sweep at home, they’ll pull within a half-game of the Twins. After a 12-14 record in April, Cleveland would be on the cusp of first place .

Regardless of the results this weekend, the series winner will gain at least one game in the standings -- and one game can make all the difference at the end of a long year.

They have fewer head-to-head opportunities

Thanks to MLB’s new balanced schedule, this weekend’s Twins-Guardians series means even more.

With each team playing all 29 others for the first time, division foes will face off 13 times this season. That’s down from the previous number of 19 matchups, meaning two fewer series a year between division rivals. It means every game between teams like the Twins and Guardians is even more critical.

The two teams will meet again for a four-game series in early June at Target Field in Minneapolis, but after that, it’ll be a while until their third matchup of the year. The Twins and Guardians will face off again from Aug. 28-30 in Minnesota and finish their season series from Sept. 4-6 in Cleveland.

With fewer opportunities to do head-to-head damage against one another, both teams will be extra motivated to play their best this weekend.

The pitching matchups should be interesting

Another reason to tune in? The pitching talent on both sides, even though neither team enters the weekend with an intact pitching rotation.

Sonny Gray, who leads MLB with a 0.77 ERA in 2023, will start Saturday’s game for the Twins. Bailey Ober (Friday) and Joe Ryan (Sunday) will also start against Cleveland. The Guardians’ rotation this weekend will feature a pair of rookies in Peyton Battenfield (Friday) and Logan Allen (Saturday) as well as Cal Quantrill in the series finale.

The Twins put right-hander Kenta Maeda on the injured list on Saturday with a right triceps train, and righty Tyler Mahle will be shut down for four weeks after exiting an April 27 start with elbow soreness. Mahle was placed on the IL on Wednesday with posterior impingement in his right elbow and a flexor pronator strain.

For the Guardians, promising young righty Triston McKenzie has yet to pitch this season due to a right teres major strain. Cleveland hopes McKenzie will be able to come off the 60-day IL at the end of the month, but he won’t be available this weekend. Neither will Aaron Civale (left oblique strain), who is rehabbing in Cleveland and threw off a mound Wednesday for the first time since landing on the IL.