Twins and Tigers Will Battle for Second Place in the Central

The Minnesota Twins head to Detroit for a three game series with the Tigers. The Twins are currently one game back of the Tigers for second place in the American League Central.

The Twins are 8-2 in the month of May and have won three straight series. The last series loss they suffered was at the hands of the Tigers. In fact, five of their 14 losses have come against the Tigers.  If the Twins want to be taken seriously as a contender, they are going to have to find a way to beat the Tigers.

The good news for the Twins is that they won’t have to face David Price. The lefty has made two starts against the Twins this season and has gone 2-0 with a 1.80 earned run average.

3 Players to Watch

1. Kyle Gibson hasn’t given up a run in 17 innings. Since giving up six earned runs in his first start against the Tigers, Gibson has given up just six earned runs in his other five starts. Gibson will get the ball for the first game of the series and he’ll have a chance to set the tone of the series with a solid outing.

2. Aaron Hicks is back in the big leagues and he’s hoping for better success the third time around. Hicks is hoping his success at Triple-A will translate to the big league. He was hitting .336 with ten doubles, four triples and a pair of homers. Will he be in the starting lineup tonight? A week after watching Eddie Rosario have success during his big league debut, Twins fans will get to see how far Hicks has come in his development in Detroit.

3. Speaking of Eddie Rosario, he’s had quite the week. With his first big league swing he hit a home run. In five games he’s driven in five runs. He’s hit safely in four of five games and he’ll look to keep the momentum going against the Tigers.

The Tigers embarrassed the Twins during the opening series of the season, outscoring them 22-1. This is a different Twins team. They are averaging six runs per game in the month of May and their pitching has been better. It should be an entertaining series in Detroit as they battle for second place in the Central.