Join us on this off day, as we take our weekly walk through the Twins' news from last week and their upcoming schedule. It's a chance to reset, to review what's just happened, and to look at the upcoming game times and say, "Hey, I think I'll be home to watch that one!"
What Happened Last Week?
- The Twins drafted Byron Buxton with the second pick in the draft, a player that some thought had the most upside of any player available this year. By yesterday, the Twins already looked to be close to signing him. Jesse broke down the demographics of the Twins' draft here.
- Chris Parmelee returned to the roster, after a decent 15-game trip to Triple-A. Cole De Vries was the player to make way.
- Last night, Jesse wondered if maybe Liam Hendriks should be the next return to the roster.
This Week's Schedule
It's a week of home games, and a week of interleague play. After an off day today, the Twins open a three-game set with Philadelphia, the first Minneapolis visit for the Phillies since 2004. (The two Twins losing pitchers in the series? Terry Mullholand and Aaron Fultz. Ah, memories.) It will not be a happy crew that arrives from Philly; the Phils are propping up the NL East standings, trail the surging Nationals by eight games, and have lost eight of their last nine. Keep an eye on: third baseman Ty Wigginton. Filling in for the injured Placido Polanco, who is nursing an injured left wrist, Wigginton has made four errors in four games, another insult to Philadelphia's injury-wrecked season.
This weekend, it's time to break out the tailgating to welcome Milwaukee to town for the annual Brewers-Twins series. The club to the east is four and a half back of... no, I'm sorry, this can't be right. My notes say Pittsburgh leads the NL Central, but I'm pretty sure that's wrong. The Brewers are coming off a slightly disappointing 4-2 stretch, disappointing in the sense that it was against the Cubs and Padres. Keep an eye on: Ryan Braun, baseball's mishandled-sample king, leads Milwaukee in pretty much every offensive category. He'll be hard to miss, especially amongst the likely hail of not-very-funny steroid jokes from the Twins fans around you at the park.
The schedule:
- Monday: Off! See your families.
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Tuesday: vs. Philadelphia, 7:10 pm. TV: FSN. Probables: Nick Blackburn vs. Kyle Kendrick
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Wednesday: vs. Philadelphia, 7:10 pm. TV: FSN. Probables: P.J. Walters vs. Cole Hamels
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Thursday: vs. Philadelphia, 7:10 pm. TV: FSN. Probables: Scott Diamond vs. Joe Blanton
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Friday: vs. Milwaukee, 7:10 pm. TV: FSN. Probables: Francisco Liriano vs. Michael Fiers
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Saturday: vs. Milwaukee, 1:10 pm. TV: FSN. Probables: Blackburn vs. Yovani Gallardo
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Sunday: vs. Milwaukee, 1:10 pm. TV: FSN. Probables: Walters vs. Zack "Zach" Greinke