FIRST PITCH: 6:40p Central
TELEVISION: Twins.TV, “presented by Progressive”
RADIO: ‘CCO 830 AM, KMNB 102.9 FM “The Wolf”, Treasure Island Baseball Network, Audacy Application
KNOW THE FOE: Royals Review
Your Minnesota Twins continue their stretch of games against American League Central enemies, hosting the Kansas City Royals for a four-game set tonight through Sunday before a much-needed day off on Monday. The last time these two teams met was in K. C. for the Twins’ second series of the season in late
March/early April when the Royals took the series 2-1. They’ve fallen on hard times since then, limping to a 23-38 record, good for the cellar of the Central. The offense has been off to a slow start, but is starting to pick up steam. Their pitching, like the Twins, have been hit hard with injuries and has an ERA of 4.62, good for 25th in MLB.
The Royals will send veteran righty Seth Lugo to the mound. He’s got a lot of pitches, but throws his slider the most and will mix in his sinker, four-seam fastball, curve, and cutter as well. He’s also known to throw a change from time to time and – very rarely – a splitter. He had a rough-ish month of May but his overall numbers this season so far shows a dip in homers and walks allowed while giving up more hits compared to past campaigns.
With Minnesota’s injury woes to their starting rotation, Derek Shelton has opted for a bullpen game. Multiple beat writers have noted last night that not-veteran Andrew Morris will take the mound first for the Twins. However, the Twins submitted a lineup with newly-called-up right-hander Mike Paredes as the starting pitcher, so maybe everyone’s lying. Either way, someone will be pitching for the local nine tonight and it will be a bullpen effort.
Morris started the season as a long-reliver but he’s only gone more than one inning once in his last 11 outings. He’s started the lone bullpen game for the Twins this season back on May 10 in a 5-4 win against the Spiders in Cleveland, throwing a clean first frame before passing the baton. (Kendrys Rojas started a game for the Twins and maybe that was bullpen game too, but he went four innings. Does that really count as a bullpen game then? I don’t know.)
Paredes has been part of the new-age starting pitching method that Minnesota has been using in the minors. Starting pitchers will go only four innings and pitch every fourth day instead of every fifth day, usually with another starting pitcher piggy-backing or piecing it together with multiple “classic” relievers. Paredes has done a bit of both the starting and the piggy-backing in St Paul, leading to a 3.38 ERA in 34.2 innings of work. He also owns a 1.125 WHIP across his nine appearances.
As a side note, it’s been a while since I’ve written and I forgot that our real-deal names are in the bylines now, so I am Imakesandwichesforaliving and will be taking care of you on Thursdays. Please sit back, crack open a cold one, and GO TWIMS GO. Also, Happy Prince Night!
