Minnesota Twins probable pitchers & starting lineup vs. Boston Red Sox, May 4

It's officially Star Wars Day but the last eleven games have truly felt out of this world for the Minnesota Twins.

Everything seems to be going Minnesota's way, even when it comes to bad news. Byron Buxton was placed on the 10-day IL, but his MRI results revealed no damage to his right knee other than inflammation and soreness.

On the field the winning ways found a way to continue.

The Boston Red Sox aren't a good team, persay, but they're not in the lowly depths where Cleveland and Los Angeles live. Minnesota beating Boston by three runs is exactly the confidence builder the team needed, though, to prove the winning streak isn't a scheduling fluke.

Chris Paddack pitched brilliantly, something he needed to do to keep growing his confidence as he settles into his role in the rotation. The offense came alive again in ways we weren't sure it could against good pitching, and the bullpen was absolutely lights out -- literally, with the return of Jhoan Duran.

Eventually the winning streak will come to an end, but when it does the vibes that have been created over the last 11 games will remain part of the team's DNA.

Twins vs. White Sox probable starting pitchers, May 4

While it's May the Fourth and Star Wars Day to most, it's Pablo Day in Minnesota.

Pablo Lopez (2-2, 4.83 ERA) is going to be starting his first ever Pablo Day, which features both the Twins best pitcher on the mound and a celebration of his Venezuelan roots. The Twins announced earlier this season that a special ticket package was being created that includes a ticket to the game and a Pablo-themed jersey.

Every Twins home game that Pablo is scheduled to pitch will be Pablo Day, and hopefully things get off on the right foot against Boston. Things are lining up that way, though, as Lopez has looked every bit like the ace he was last year for Minnesota. His start also comes on the heels of the Miami Marlins trading Luis Arraez to the San Diego Padres, confimring beyond a shadow of a doubt that Minnesota won that trade.

Fans were already convinced of that, and Pablo has a chance to put an exclamation point on things on Saturday.

It'll be Brennan Bernardino (0-1, 0.73 ERA) on the mound for Boston, who hasn't pitched a ton of innings so far this season but has looked decent when appearing. He has 12.1 innings under his belt but has allowed just one un on four hits.

He's a reliever who will be pitching what seems to be a bullpen game for the Red Sox, although their pitcher usage has been a bit strange this season. Still, the Twins won't have it entirely easy as they try to get to a 12th straight win, but hitters were able to tag Tanner Houck on Friday night despite him carrying some prowess into his start.

Minnesota Twins starting lineup, May 4

Here's today's lineup for the Twins, which features Austin Martin out in centerfield rather than Manuel Margot. One storyline to follow over the next 10 days -- or however long Byron Buxton ends up being out -- is which player Minnesota leans on more as an insurance policy.

1. Ryan Jeffers, DH
2. Jose Miranda, 3B
3. Willi Castro, LF
4. Carlos Correa, SS
5. Max Kepler, RF
6. Carlos Santana, 1B
7. Christian Vazquez, C
8. Austin Martin, CF
9. Edouard Julien, 2B

Boston Red Sox starting lineup, May 4

What time is the Minnesota Twins game today?

• Game time: 1:10 pm CT
• Date: Saturday, May 4, 2024
• Location: Minneapolis, MN
• Stadium: Target Field

How to watch Minnesota Twins game tonight?

Here's how to stream the game today, especially if you've been hit by the Bally Sports North outage on Comcast.

• Bally Sports website and Bally Sports App
• MLB.tv (subscription required)
• fuboTV (which has a free trial)

More Minnesota Twins news and rumors