Is the 2021-22 version of Ty France back?
After France’s monster spring training, where he hit .467/.500/.733, the former Reds infielder started the regular season off on the wrong foot.
However, he put all concerns to rest with his performance in the Twins’ final two games of their four-game set with the Kansas City Royals this week.
France entered Wednesday’s matchup with the Royals holding a .205 batting average and .544 OPS and ended the game on Thursday with a .266 batting average and .777 OPS.
After a 3-for-4 showing at the plate with a home run in the Twins’ 4-0 win against the Royals yesterday, France hit the ball over the fence in fair territory once again and collected a walk as Minnesota lost 3-2 to Kansas City on Thursday at Kauffman Stadium.
Given the Twins’ offensive struggles this season, France’s step in the right direction is just what Minnesota needed. Now it’s time for the rest of the offense to pick up the pace if the Twins want to compete in a tough American League Central.
Bailey Ober has strong outing in Twins' loss to Royals
Despite entering the matchup with a 6.50 career ERA against the Royals, Bailey Ober pitched well in Kansas City, striking out six while allowing five hits, one walk and one run across six innings en route to earning a no-decision in his third start of the season. The strong outing for Ober came after a solid four innings of one-run ball in his last outing against the Houston Astros on April 5 at Target Field.
It seems Ober is back to being one of the more formidable arms in the league after the Twins righty’s ugly start against the Cardinals while suffering an illness on March 30.
Twins set to face Detroit Tigers
The Twins head back home for a three-game series with the Tigers this weekend. Detroit won two of three in its most recent series against the New York Yankees.
Reese Olson is slated to start for Detroit in Game 1. No one is listed for the Twins, but David Festa will probably earn the call back to the majors and take the mound for the home team.
Game 1 of the series between Minnesota and Detroit is scheduled to start at 7:10 p.m. on Friday at Target Field.