First Pitch: 12:10pm CDT
TV: FS-N
Radio: Twins Radio Network
Know Thine Enemy: Royals Review
White Sox
Coming into this series the Royals were hitting well as a team, hitting a combined .307/.362/.450. Obviously that's not going to continue, but Blackburn still needs to pitch well. Guys on hot streaks are on them for a reason. His keys for today are easy: keep the ball in the park, don't do the Royals any favors by walking them. I know, I know, it all sounds so mundane--but when we're talking about Blackburn, that's exactly what he needs to do. Oh, and he also needs to not give Jose Guillen anything to hit. Dude's been unconscious.
For Meche, it's all about keeping his fastball and pitch counts down and, hopefully, keeping his arm from falling off. He got rocked last weekend in his first start, for any number of reasons. Poor control, missing up, an inability to put hitters away and a little bad luck to boot...it just wasn't a good day.The Twins should probably be patient with Meche to start, to see how his control is. If he's still off there could be baserunners aplenty early on, with an equally early exit for the overpaid Kansas City starter. If Meche does find a way to get himself under control, however, he's the kind of guy who can be very effective at times, particularly when his breaking balls are working.
And that's the biggest key for the Twins: how confident is Meche in his slider, and to a lesser extent his curveball? What pitches does he go to when he falls behind in the count? Watch for yourself to see if you can pick up on how he feels early, and if it changes throughout the course of the game.