First Pitch: 1:20pm Central
TV: FSN, possibly also on WGN for Wrigley purists
Radio: Twins Radio NetworkKnow Thine Enemy: Bleed Cubbie Blue
There's nothing like a Friday day game at Wrigley to release the inner Ferris Bueller in us all. We here at TwinkieTown would like to wholeheartedly encourage you to lower the American GDP this afternoon; play hooky from school, shirk your work, do whatever you have to do to get in front of a TV. Today is baseball as it was played decades ago, perhaps the way it was meant to be. Friday afternoon at Wrigley. What could be sweeter?
Probable Pitchers
Slowey has been the prototypical "guy who gets wins despite not pitching exceptionally well" for the Twins - sort of the anti-Johan-in-New-York type. He's had decisions in ten of 12 starts, including a pair of wins in which the righty gave up five runs in six or fewer innings but got the win anyway. Slowey got shellacked his last time out, though - he kept throwing nice, fat, high gopher balls, and the Mariners helped by depositing them in various corners of the outfield and bleachers. Seattle hit three home runs and got ten hits off of Slowey in 4.2 innings, and he eventually took the loss. He'll be trying to right the ship in this one.
Wells has been almost the exact opposite of Slowey. The rookie starter has made six starts this year. All six have been quality starts (using Game Score); at least two verged on being gems. Wells is yet to allow more than three runs in a start. He's allowed two or fewer runs in five of six starts. He has a 1.86 ERA. He's striking out more than 7 batters per nine innings. The league's got a sub-.600 OPS against him. He has been good. He has been near-masterful.
And folks, he cannot buy a win.
He's lost games 3-2, 3-1, and 2-1 already. The bullpen blew a four-run lead against the Astros to give him a no-decision in another one, and blew another one with your garden-variety one-run blown lead.
So, as Twins fans, I guess we hope his luck - or lack of luck, I suppose - holds for at least one more day. The scouting report: Wells is big ol' 26-year-old righty who came up through the Cubs' system before getting claimed in the Rule 5 draft by the Blue Jays last year. He stuck with the Blue Jays for about the first week of April, made one relief appearance, then was DFA'ed and sent back to Chicago.
Wells will throw a fastball that generally hangs right around 90, and sticks with a changeup and a slider for the off-speed stuff.
Lineups