After back-to-back starts against the White Sox, I'm sure Baker is looking forward to facing an offense that isn't quite as familiar with him. Having said that, the Angels did take him out early on opening day: 4.2 innings, 5 hits, 3 walks and four runs. He'll need to do better than that tonight in front of a national audience.
Hopefully the Twins got all the bad luck out of their system yesterday.
In the midst of his best season yet, Weaver is striking out more hitters than ever and allowing fewer hits than ever. Sure, he allowed six runs in five innings his last time out, but in his previous 12 starts compiled 81.1 innings of 2.55 ERA baseball. In that period: 13% swinging strikes, .198 opponent batting average, an an average game score of 64...a number Baker has topped four times all season.Weaver's tends to be much more of a fastball-slider pitcher to right-handers, throwing both his curve and changeup less than 10% of the time. Against left-handers he'll use his curve and changeup along with the fastball, while the slider almost disappears.
Oh yeah, remember when Jered's brother Jeff lost his job as a starting pitcher for the Angels? To his brother Jered? You can't write drama like that.
Lineups
Angels
Abreu, LF
Kendrick, 2B
Callaspo, 3B
Hunter, RF
Matsui, DH
Aybar, SS
Napoli, 1B
Mathis, C
Bourjos, CF
Twins
Repko, CF
Hudson, 2B
Mauer, C
Kubel, RF
Cuddyer, 1B
Thome, DH
Young, LF
Valencia, 3B
Casilla, SS