Minnesota Twins at Chicago White Sox series preview
The Minnesota Twins are banged up heading into this weekend, but they run into a wounded American League Central foe in the Chicago White Sox.
The Minnesota Twins have done a great job at avoiding the injury bug this season, but it appears that their luck has run out. Although they picked up a series win against the Tampa Bay Rays this week, the Twins didn’t come out unscathed as several starters including Max Kepler and Eddie Rosario got banged up while others such as Willians Astudillo joined a growing injured list that already includes Marwin Gonzalez and Byron Buxton.
Mix in an 18-inning marathon finale against the Rays on Thursday afternoon and the Twins aren’t in great shape heading into this weekend’s three-game series against the Chicago White Sox.
If there is good news for the Twins, it’s that the White Sox have also been bitten by the injury bug recently as they look to hover around the .500 mark. While they’ll be a deceptively tough opponent, they’ll be down one of their best players in shortstop Tim Anderson and will be looking for its young core to continue to learn on the fly.
The Twins have done a great job of manhandling the AL Central this year, but have ran into some recent issues that have turned their hot start into a smoldering one. While Minnesota still has a stranglehold on the division, the White Sox are an opponent that could cause problems this weekend.
About the White Sox
Much like the Twins’ current situation, the White Sox will be coming into this weekend nursing a pair of injuries that will make a major impact on this series. In the last series against the Boston Red Sox, the White Sox were able to avoid a sweep by winning the third game and coming away with a victory over Red Sox ace Chris Sale. While the White Sox had to be pleased with the way they played at Fenway Park, it didn’t come without a cost.
The biggest blow for the White Sox is the loss of shortstop Tim Anderson. Much like the Twins are experiencing with Jorge Polanco, Anderson is having a coming-of-age season hitting .317 with 11 HR and 37 RBI. While Chicago’s 2013 first-round pick was well on his way to earning his first All-Star selection, he suffered a high ankle sprain in the second game of the Boston series and will not be taking the field against the Twins.
Third baseman Yoan Moncada also landed on the shelf after being hit by a pitch on Wednesday. The Cuban import is also having a breakout season, hitting .299 with 13 HR and 42 RBI and is looking like one of the players Chicago can build around moving forward. Unlike Anderson, Moncada’s knee contusion seems like a minor injury and currently has him listed at day-to-day.
As a team, the White Sox have made a jump from last season when they went 62-100 and finished in fourth place in the AL Central. With Anderson and Moncada leading the way, the White Sox still have Jose Abreu at first base and are starting to get some pitching with Lucas Giolito leading the way.
Chicago has dropped seven of its last 10 games, but don’t let their 37-41 record foo
l you. With a young nucleus starting to find its way, the White Sox could be a formidable opponent for the Twins if they can find their health.
About the Twins
After a week that many spent wondering if the sky was falling, the Twins responded with a series win over a scuffling Tampa Bay team. Although Minnesota took two out of three games from Tampa Bay, the 18-inning marathon on Thursday afternoon left a bad taste in the mouths of Twins fans and left an already banged up team looking for reinforcements.
Byron Buxton could be one of those reinforcements as he comes back from a wrist injury, but after having a slight setback prior to the Tampa Bay series, there are whispers that he’ll need a quick rehab assignment before he rejoins the team. Such a development would be bad news for the Twins who already have a banged up Kepler (elbow) and Rosario (ankle) leaving holes in their lineup.
In addition, Buxton’s absence has left the potent Minnesota lineup gasping at straws as they haven’t been able to get the clutch hit that was found so easily in the first couple months of the season. With Jake Cave and Miguel Sano struggling, the Twins need to find answers, but it may not come until a couple days of rest at the All-Star break.
Regardless, even with holes in the lineup, the Twins should be able to take advantage of a Chicago team that comes in reeling from their own injuries this weekend.
Probable Pitchers
Friday: Jose Berrios (8-3, 2.84 ERA) vs. TBD
The Twins will send their ace to the mound in the opener of the three-game set as Jose Berrios will look to continue his recent stretch of dominance. In his last four starts, Berrios has compiled a 1.63 ERA and has struck out 25 batters in 27 2/3 innings. While his line was fudged by a blister that forced him to leave his June 22 start against the Kansas City Royals, the right-hander should be good to go for the opener.
Meanwhile, the White Sox will be making a call-up after designating Odrisamer Despaigne for assignment earlier this week. The exact identity has been kept a secret, but the Chicago Tribune’s Paul Sullivan speculates it could be Dylan Covey, who went on the injured list with shoulder inflammation earlier this month or lefty Hector Santiago.
Saturday: Michael Pineda (4-4, 5.02 ERA) vs. Ivan Nova (3-6, 5.91 ERA)
Michael Pineda‘s stats don’t show it, but he’s been a solid back-end starter for the Twins this season. His last start against the Royals on Sunday saw him get tagged for five runs in the third inning, but outside of that, he was able to silence the Kansas City bats to go five innings. That start was the first one in his past nine where he allowed three or more runs, so he’ll look to get back on track on Saturday.
His opponent is another journeyman in a White Sox rotation that has been ravaged by injuries. With Manny Banuelos and Carlos Rondon already on the IL, Chicago has had to dive into its depth and stick with Ivan Nova despite an ERA just south of six. Nova has also struggled at Guaranteed Rate Field, going 0-3 with an 8.79 ERA in six starts this season.
Sunday: Kyle Gibson (8-4, 4.21 ERA) vs. Lucas Giolito (10-2, 2.87 ERA)
It remains to be seen whether Kyle Gibson will make this start after coming out of the bullpen in emergency duty on Thursday afternoon. In the likely event he does, he’ll be looking to channel the good parts of his start against Tampa Bay on Monday, where he held the Rays to just one run through seven innings before allowing three runs in the eighth. In a May 25 start against Chicago, Gibson went seven innings, allowing one run on five hits and a walk while striking out nine.
Lucas Giolito has been the one bright spot for the Chicago rotation this year as he seems to have figured it out. The 24-year old is currently sixth in the American League in strikeouts per nine innings with 10.9 and is seventh in ERA coming into Sunday’s start. Despite the overall success, he’s allowed nine runs in his past two outings including three runs in 5 2/3 innings against the Red Sox on Tuesday.
Outlook
With the White Sox down Anderson and possibly Moncada, they’ll have to rely on their battered pitching staff to keep the Twins down. Even though the Twins are dealing with numerous injuries of their own, they still have enough firepower to take a series on the road before heading to Oakland.
Next. Polanco to start in MLB All-Star Game. dark
If the Twins can get strong starting pitching, they should have a chance to save their bullpen and win two-of-three games.