First Pitch: 6:10 pm CDT
TV: Twins.TV
Radio: TIBN / WCCO 830 / The Wolf 102.9 FM / Audacy
One night after what many are already calling the dumbest game of all time, Target Field is playing host to the Battle of the Mikes. Mike check, one-two, one-two. Heh. Hilarious.
For the Twins, it’s Mike Paredes, who has five major-league games under his belt and has somehow accidentally become a starting pitcher. Throwing roughly 60 or so pitches as a quasi-opener, Paredes went five innings his last time out
— regular starter numbers — and has yet to give up more than three earned runs in a game, holding opponents to either one or two in all but a single start against the Kansas City Royals. Today, he has his best chance so far to look like a real real major-league arm.
His opponent is a certified Real Major-League Arm, with 12 seasons of big-league experience and a consistent presence in the league since 2015. Lorenzen, possibly the highest-profile non-Ohtani two-way hopeful, has almost 150 big-league at-bats and has put together 1.6 career bWAR from hitting, playing the occasional outfield for the late-teens Cincinnati Reds, and bopping 7 career homers. Now, with his hitting days behind him, he’s posting a -.1.2 bWAR for the Rockies, with a 2-9 record, 7.11 ERA, and obscene 13.4 H/9 in 17 games this year.
The Twins ended last night tied with the New York Yankees for the team runs lead in the American League (404), and have been reaping the rewards of post-demotion Royce Lewis (.296/.346/.521, four doubles, four homers, 9 RBI, four steals since his recall.) They remain 4.5 back at 39-44, which is somehow still good for a game and a half out of the Wild Card. The 32-50 Colorado Rockies should be an easy punching bag, and a much-needed one in the wake of the Los Angeles Dodgers, but Minnesota will need to keep the pressure on if they want a potential bounceback sweep.
They failed to keep the pressure on last night, and it almost cost them. We’ll see if they can make the adjustment this evening.
GO TWINS GO!
