Minnesota Twins seek revenge in road series with Chicago White Sox
By Chris Schad
Tuesday (7:10 p.m CT)
Michael Pineda (9-5, 4.26 ERA) vs. Lucas Giolito (14-6, 3.20 ERA)
In the third game of last week’s series, the Twins had the momentum coming off a 14-4 win over the White Sox. With the bats rolling, Minnesota figured that a tough test against White Sox ace Lucas Giolito wouldn’t be as daunting as it appeared and the Twins could escape Target Field by winning the series in the matinee.
The complete opposite result happened as Giolito threw one of the best games against the Twins all season. The White Sox ace threw a three-hit shutout that included 12 strikeouts and left fans wondering what happened to the lineup that scored runs at will late in a victory the night before.
Such will be the challenge against Giolito on Tuesday night. The right-hander has had three starts against the Twins this season and outside of a seven-run hiccup back in July, he’s fared pretty well against Minnesota, going 2-1 with a 3.32 ERA and a 23:2 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
The good news for the Twins is they’ll have their top pitcher of late, Michael Pineda on the mound, who has been strong throughout the second half of the season with a 3-1 record and a 3.47 ERA in six starts. The right-hander also has a great track record against Chicago this season, going 3-0 with a 3.15 ERA and a 17:2 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 20 innings.
As is the case with any series, the opening game will be important, but if the Twins can get to Giolito, who allowed seven runs the last time he faced Minnesota at Guaranteed Rate Field on July 25, they should have a good chance of landing the first blow.