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Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
Two teams, coming off disappointing sweeps, look to right their ships. The Minnesota Twins and Detroit Tigers face off in a weekend series.
Two managers of teams not expected to compete for the division title are upset over their teams' most recent play. Brad Ausmus is disgusted with the Detroit Tigers' defense that led to a sweep at the hands of the Tampa Bay Rays.
For Paul Molitor, he once again got some decent starts from his pitching staff, only to see his offense fail to produce runs, even with lots of scoring opportunities.
The Tigers were outscored 21-9 by the Rays, but Wednesday's game was still in the balance in the ninth inning. Detroit was leading Tampa Bay 8-7, with none out and the bases loaded on a double and two walks by closer Francisco Rodriguez – one intentional.
K-Rod appeared to wiggle off the hook, getting a strikeout, and then inducing a ground ball to second base. The throw to second recorded the second out of the inning, but Jose Iglesias tripped over second base and his ensuing throw flew high over first base allowing the tying and winning runs to score.
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The Twins, meanwhile, faced the defending A.L. champion Indians. But these Indians were scuffling on the mound, coming in with the worst ERA in baseball. No matter, the anemic-hitting Twins let them off the hook repeatedly in getting swept (Wednesday's game was rained out).
Against the one pitcher for Cleveland who came in not struggling, Danny Salazar, the Twins loaded the bases on three hits (none of them of the infield variety) without scoring a run in the first inning.
In the second, with Salazar seemingly on the ropes, the Twins scored a run and had runners at first and third with no outs before a strikeout, pop-out, strikeout ending to the inning failed to score any insurance runs.
Salazar shut the door from there. Meanwhile, Kyle Gibson allowed two runs to score in the next half-inning to give the Indians momentum.
The next day was possibly the worst game of the 2017 season for the Twins. An error by Max Kepler in right field with two outs cost the Twins two early runs and turned a 1-0 deficit into a 3-0 hole.
Phil Hughes threw strikes once again, but couldn't miss enough bats and took the loss. The Twins bullpen, strong until this game, couldn't find a combination to keep Cleveland off the scoreboard as the Indians ran the bases to an 11-4 win.
Minnesota appeared to be ready to cash in their Ervin Santana win chip in Thursday's finale, but Santana's own control problems limited him to just six innings. While he allowed but one run, Deep counts, and three walks contributed to 116 pitches (only 66 for strikes).
Again, the bullpen could not finish. Three relievers threw for the Twins in the seventh inning. All contributed in turning a 2-1 Twins lead into a 4-2 deficit. Infield singles, extra base hits, and two bases-loaded walks were included in the game's autopsy.
Bottom line, both teams are coming in beaten, and angry. Should be a great A.L. Central division series for April.
Friday Night Game
Justin Verlander (1-1, 5.71 ERA vs Hector Santiago (1-1,1.47 ERA)
7:10 PM Target Field
TV: Fox Sports North
Saturday Day Game
Matthew Boyd (2-1, 3.77 ERA) vs Adalberto Mejia (0-1, 4.05 ERA)
1:10 PM Target Field
TV: Fox Sports North
Sunday Day Game
Michael Fulmer (1-1, 3.00 ERA) vs Kyle Gibson (0-2, 6.91 ERA)
1:10 Target Field
TV: Fox Sports North
Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Detroit: The Tigers are still trying to get healthy. One of last year's key contributors, J.D. Martinez, is still rehabbing a foot sprain suffered in mid-March. Good news for the Tigers is that he looks to do some on-field running this weekend after taking batting practice for the first time this month in Tampa.
Better news for Minnesota is that he's not expected to be activated off the disabled list during the weekend series. Meanwhile, Justin Upton has been day-to-day with an injured wrist, but appears set for the series versus the Twins.
Offense: Hitting and scoring isn't Detroit's problem. Pitching and fielding are. The Tigers already have lost four games this season in which they've scored five or more runs. They've scored five or more in eight of their fifteen games this season.
Conversely, the Twins have scored five or more runs five times – winning all five games. They have scored a total of 15 runs in their eight losses. Detroit has no one player (like Miguel Sano) dominating their offense, but they are balanced.
Even Ian Kinsler, who is struggling to a career-low average (.217), still has 13 walks for a .400 OBP and leads the Tigers in runs scored (11), HR's (3), and his aforementioned on base percentage.
Player to Watch: Miguel Cabrera. The venerable All-Star first basemen was in a terrible funk the last time these two teams met.
His average hovered near .100 ten days ago. In the final game (an 11-5 Twins blowout win) of the series, he banged his first home run, collecting his first RBI.
Since, he's hit two more homers, raised his batting average 125 points, and driven in eight more runs.
Cabrera getting on track will help the offense score enough runs to counteract their MLB-worst 5.30 team ERA until they can hopefully regroup.
Pitching: After Justin Verlander having to remake himself after he could no longer touch 98-100 mph due to a body core injury suffered during the 2014 season (surgery in off-season) and suffering his first injury to send him to the disabled list as a big leaguer in 2015 (right triceps).
But he's bounced back, to be sure. After years of declining strikeout totals, Verlander struck out 254 batters in 2016, more than he had in his Cy Young/MVP season of 2011.
As baseball experts awaited Michael Fulmer to ascend to ace status for the Tigers, Verlander battled to keep the title. Fulmer tried to wrest the crown away with a 9-2 start last season, on his way to Rookie of the Year. He settled down to finish 11-7 with an ERA that didn't get above three after June 1st until the season's final day (3.06).
Unfortunately, it's early in the season, and limited pitch counts on starters have the bullpen in ballgames early on, especially if the starters are having control issues.
Ausmus is beginning to loathe the walk to the mound to pull any of his starters, as his bullpen has been horrid so far in 2017. A slightly high 4.43 starters' ERA is compounded by the relievers' 6.85 – including Anabel Sanchez's 11.00 ERA in four outings, covering nine total innings.
You think Joe Mauer's contract is an albatross hanging over the Twins' front office? Sanchez is in the last year of a five-year contract that is paying him $16 million to be a long reliever, usually used in mop-up duty. He earned the same last year as the fifth starter with a 5.87 ERA.
Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
Pitcher to Watch: Matthew Boyd. The third-year lefty starter is quickly making a name for himself this season.
After a short start to begin the season, he threw six one-hit innings of shutout ball against the Twins in their matchup on April 11th to out-duel Hector Santiago for his first win of the season.
Last time out, against Cleveland, he pitched another six innings, allowing just a run, to get the win over Danny Salazar.
Look for the Twins to mix up their lineup against Boyd this time out. Well, as much as they can, anyway – given they only have three bench players. Hopefully, Molitor is able to stack some right handed bats against Boyd the second time out.
Twins: Molitor used the same lineup two games in a row for the first time all season in the final two games against the Indians. It didn't end up scoring the Twins more runs, but he's hoping consistency in the lineup will begin to allow guys to find their place, and hopefully start getting better results because of it.
Regarding getting an extra bat for late-inning matchups, Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press Dispatch tweeted this nugget:
With 13 pitchers and just three bench players, Molitor is handcuffed in tight ballgames. With so few power options to pinch-hit in close games for someone who is struggling (Byron Buxton, for example), the Twins find the hill climb in a comeback nearly insurmountable with the weapons available.
Notes: While every team in the division is between 8-7 and 7-8, technically the Tigers lead the A.L. Central, and the Twins are in last. The Tigers have the 29th-ranked run scoring differential at -21, while the Twins lead the division with a +10.
