Minnesota Twins: Seeking Redemption at Turner Field
In a continuation of July’s series and 1991 World Series rematch, the Minnesota Twins will this time travel to Atlanta to take on the Braves for another set of two.
The aforementioned July series did not go the Minnesota Twins way as the Braves took the first two games at Target Field.
This time, Ervin Santana will once again go up against his former employer hoping for better results after being a tough luck loser in a 2-0 loss.
Kyle Gibson will then take the mound for Game Two and also hope for better results after struggling against the Kansas City Royals.
Matchups
Minnesota Twins Atlanta Braves
Ervin Santana (5-9, 3.62) vs. Joel De La Cruz (0-5, 4.09)
Kyle Gibson (4-7, 5.09) vs. Mike Foltynewicz (6-5, 4.50)
Once again, it will be a battle of who wants it more as neither team is playing for a postseason spot but rather for pride.
The Minnesota Twins are sitting at 47-71 while the Braves are 44-74.
Currently these two teams are in a race for the top draft picks between the Los Angeles Angels (49-68), Arizona Diamondbacks (48-69), Tampa Bay Rays (48-69) and Cincinnati Reds (48-69).
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The Twins will bring their strong offense and rough pitching to Atlanta but will at least feature their top starter in Santana.
Santana will hopefully last longer than his previous start against the Houston Astros (2 1/3 Innings) after rain essentially wiped out the game’s stats and the Twins’ 5-0 lead.
Santana has not fared well against former teams going 0-3 with another no decision against the Royals.
Gibson will hopefully start pitching more consistently as the Twins just don’t quite know what they’ll get with him.
After two great starts against two very potent offensive teams in the Boston Red Sox and Baltimore Orioles, Gibson struggled against the Cleveland Indians and allowed six runs.
Then he rebounded with a win over Tampa Bay before giving up five earned against the Royals.
With the rosters about to expand and a couple of potential starting pitchers possibly getting the call, Gibson may need to prove his worth to the rotation or face being sent to the bullpen.
Offensively, the hope is to see Brian Dozier continue his hot hitting in the month of August. Dozier will enter Tuesday’s game with seven homers in August including three in his last three games.
Dozier is also hitting .311 with an on-base percentage of .354 and an .803 slugging percentage.
The 2015 All-Star has been on an absolute tear since starting the season off in an abysmal slump.
He has picked up a large amount of the offensive slack after the Minnesota Twins traded leading hitter Eduardo Nunez.
But Dozier won’t be able to do it alone and hopefully the team will see several players put together strong performances.
With the breakthrough hitting of Jorge Polanco and Rookie of the Year candidate Max Kepler, perhaps the Minnesota Twins can send their final regards to Turner Field in style.
And maybe flip the script and get a win a game in Atlanta for a change.