Grapefruit League action rolls on, as the Minnesota Twins are making the 111-mile trek to Lakeland to take on the Detroit Tigers on Wednesday, with the first pitch scheduled for just after noon Central time.
This will be another chance for Twins fans to break out Twins.tv, which will be carrying the game.
Twins batters will have their hands full to start, with defending Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal getting the ball for the Tigers. Andrew Morris, who has yet to make his big-league regular-season debut, gets the nod for the Twins.
There are a few items to note in the Twins lineup for Wednesday. Edouard Julien is leading off, which is especially notable given Detroit's starting pitcher (a southpaw) and how manager Rocco Baldelli has laid out his lineups thus far (Matt Wallner batting leadoff twice, for instance).
Mickey Gasper, whose entire case for inclusion on the roster this season lies in his defensive versatility, gets the start at second base. Jair Camargo batting third is perhaps slightly eyebrow-raising, but it is also possibly just to more easily get him an extra plate appearance before he's subbed out.
Twins (2-1) starting lineup
- Edouard Julien 1B
- Mickey Gasper 2B
- Jair Camargo C
- Jose Miranda 3B
- Brooks Lee SS
- Austin Martin CF
- Mike Ford DH
- DaShawn Keirsey Jr. RF
- Jeferson Morales LF
Starting pitcher: Andrew Morris (first start of Spring Training)
Morris career vs. Tigers: Morris has never faced the Tigers in the major leagues
Twins last time out: Won 5-4 over Yankees on Wednesday
Tigers (2-1) starting lineup
- Wenceel Perez CF
- Hao-Yu Lee 3B
- Gleyber Torres 2B
- Thayron Liranzo DH
- Dillon Dingler C
- Spencer Torkelson 1B
- Bligh Madris RF
- Ryan Kreidler SS
- Jahmai Jones LF
Starting pitcher: Tarik Skubal (first start of spring training)
Skubal career vs. Twins: 4-3 record (12 games/12 starts), 3.52 ERA in 64.0 IP, 8.7 K/9, 1.03 WHIP
Tigers last time out: Lost 8-7 to Orioles on Wednesday
TV/Radio: twins.tv | MLB app/TIBN (affiliate list)
First pitch: 12:05 PM (Central)
Location: Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium in Lakeland, Fla.
Weather conditions: 76 degrees, sunny, 0% chance of precipitation
Notes:
- Wednesday is Trevor Larnach's 28th birthday
- Hall of Famer Grover Cleveland Alexander was born on this date in 1887
- Edouard Julien is playing first base vs. the Tigers; he's played just five games (two starts) spanning 19.1 innings at the position in his big-league career
- DaShawn Keirsey Jr. is starting in right field vs. the Tigers; he told Phil Miller of the Minneapolis Star Tribune that he prefers to play the corners in spring training so he can learn the nuances of those positions in addition to his ability to play a solid center
- The Twins have a .574 OPS this spring, worst in MLB
- Detroit has a team slash line of .307/.363/.491 through three spring games (sixth in OPS in MLB)
- The Twins have a 3.46 team ERA this spring, fifth in MLB, and are also third in WHIP (1.08) and fourth in batting average against (.212)