First Pitch: 7:10pm CDT
TV: Robby Ichycrotchsky
Radio: Twins Radio Network
Know Thine Enemy: Camden Chat
Say what you want about beating teams at the bottom of the standings. But the Twins have traditionally won the central division by beating teams like the Orioles, when other teams in the division have not. Simply put, the Twins can't make the playoffs if they don't at least win series against teams like the Orioles.
Probable Pitchers
As major league debuts go, this one is about as unlikely as any. A former minor league Rule 5 draftee, Gabino has spent nearly nine years in the minors waiting for his opportunity. In those nine years, he's made 12 starts. He has been a reliever for most of his career, a career highlighted by a 3.21 ERA, a 1.23 WHIP and 13 saves. For a guy on nobody's prospect list in any year for any team to be starting in the majors is a freak of baseball. On the plus side, nobody knows him, so maybe he'll surprise some hitters tonight.
Unlike Gabino, Matusz is a much heralded prospect. A former first-round draft choice, the lefty went 7-0 with a 1.55 ERA and a 0.9 WHIP in the AA Carolina league this year. But as you can see from his major league numbers, he's not doing so well since his debut. Let's see if the Twins can treat him worse than they treated the much heralded prospect who pitched for the Orioles last night.
Lineups
According to LEN III, Joe Crede had an MRI on his back today. Not a good sign. Delmon faces the lefty with Kubel sitting down. That's a pltoon I can live with.