Minnesota Twins: What to watch for against the Detroit Tigers
After dropping two of three games in Cleveland, the Minnesota Twins will try to get back on track against the Detroit Tigers this weekend.
The Minnesota Twins came into the week feeling good about themselves with the best record in baseball, an 11.5 game lead in the American League Central and the returning services of Mitch Garver and Nelson Cruz. Add in the Twins traveling to Cleveland for a three-game series and Minnesota could have really put the rest of their division in a stranglehold.
Instead, the Twins dropped two of three games to the Indians and are looking to regain some momentum as they head into another divisional series against the Detroit Tigers this weekend.
Last time the Twins saw the Tigers, they were able to battle their tails off and split a four game series at Target Field in early May. Since then, Detroit has been in a tailspin losing nine straight games after splitting with the Twins and posting a record of 5-16.
The brutal stretch has put the Tigers out of contention in the AL Central, as they sit 16.5 games behind the Twins coming into this weekend. Even with the large gap in the standings, this series needs to be a bounce back series for Minnesota as dropping two out of three to the lowly Tigers would sound even more alarms after the rough performance in Cleveland.
The Twins offense vs. Matthew Boyd
Everybody knows how good the Twins offense has been this year. After coming into Thursday night’s game with the Indians averaging 5.93 runs per game, Minnesota’s lineup got even stronger with the previously mentioned returns of Cruz and Garver. While the Twins offense has grabbed most of the headlines this year, many may not know about the type of year that Tigers ace Matthew Boyd is having.
Boyd comes into Friday’s start with a 5-4 record and 3.02 ERA, but that’s not an indication of how well he has pitched. The lefty has struck out 97 batters in 77.2 innings and owns a 1.01 WHIP that would be the lowest of his career.
While the Tigers haven’t given Boyd adequate run support, he still has posted a career year to date and has the stuff needed to shut down any lineup. Against the Twins, Boyd has gone 6-5 with a 4.38 ERA in his career, but hasn’t faced the Twins potent lineup this season.
The Twins will be throwing out a starter to be determined against Boyd, but if Minnesota’s lineup can get to the 28-year old, it will represent a great start to the weekend.
Can the Twins bullpen turn things around?
The Twins would like to turn things around as a team in Detroit this weekend, but more importantly, Minnesota would also like to get more out of a bullpen that has struggled on this road trip. After the Indians played Home Run Derby with the Twins relivers in the first two games of the series, they were able to hold on in the third game, but things seemed a lot closer than the final 5-4 margin.
Coming to Detroit, the Twins will need to get the solid performance that back end relievers Taylor Rogers and Blake Parker have given them this season. While those two have been solid, it has been more of a concern getting to them as Matt Magill, Trevor May and others have had a collective hiccup over the past week.
With pressure mounting after the Twins failed attempt to land Craig Kimbrel, the Twins bullpen needs a quick rebound until reinforcements arrive. Perhaps facing a Tigers lineup that has scored an MLB-worst 3.56 runs per game could be what the doctor ordered.
Can Jake Odorizzi keep it going?
One of the best storylines this season has been the dominance of Jake Odorizzi. After having a disappointing 2018 season, the 29-year old currently leads the American League in ERA at 1.96, is third in wins (8) and fourth in WHIP (0.96). Such stats are nice to have when Odorizzi will run into one of the league’s worst lineups on Sunday afternoon.
As of now, Odorizzi is positioning himself not only for an All-Star bid, but potentially pitching his way into the American League Cy Young race. While all that is nice, Odorizzi needs to take things one start at a time and if he can put another great start together in Detroit, it will be one less game that the Twins will have to rely on their shaky bullpen.
If Odorizzi can pick up the win, it will be another step forward in what has been the ultimate rebound year for the Twins right-hander.
Will the Twins continue their dominance in the AL Central?
Even after dropping two of three games to the Indians this week, Minnesota still has a commanding lead in the American League Central. The Twins are 12-5 against their division this season and with the other four teams in flux, now is the perfect time to put a team toward the bottom of the standings to bed in early June.
With former Twins manager Ron Gardenhire leading the way, there’s sure to be some talk about how scrappy the Tigers are. However, the Twins are simply a better team and should be able to take care of business this weekend in Detroit.
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If the Twins can do their job, they’ll cap off the road trip with a winning record and be in great position to open a nine-game homestand against the Seattle Mariners on June 11. In addition, a strong finish to the road trip will help solidify their status in the AL Central and continue marching toward an exciting summer (and maybe fall) in Minneapolis.