Remember how well, relatively speaking, the Twins had played as recently as the series in Cleveland at the beginning of the month? Since their off day on August 9, the Twins are 2-13. They're about to lose their fifth consecutive series, and if they lose today they'll have been swept in three of them.
On the plus side, I saw Batman & Robin this past week and was reminded how amazingly awful it was. Mr. Freeze is all "I'm cold and my wife is in water and you should all be cold too," and Alicia Silverstone is like "Maybe I can fit into my suit today" and George Clooney wobbles his head back and forth every time he opens his mouth. And Bane looks downright hilarious compared to his visage in The Dark Knight Rises.
Twins: Span (CF), Revere (RF), Mauer (1B), Willingham (LF), Morneau (DH), Plouffe (3B), Carroll (2B), Butera (C), Florimon (SS)
Rangers: Kinsler (2B), Moreland (1B), Hamilton (LF), Beltre (3B), Cruz (RF), Murphy (DH), Soto (C), Gentry (CF), Hernandez (SS)
Feldman is pitching better than his very mediocre ERA suggests, but he's still having problems stranding base runners which leaves him susceptible to big innings. Now that he's back to the rotation full time, that strand rate sits at a very much below average 61%. If the Twins can have some success with his moving fastball, today could be a good day.
The peripherals for De Vries are all pretty solid, with the exception that he's an extreme fly ball pitcher who is allowing gopher balls at a very high ratio (14.5% HR:FB). The Rangers are a notoriously potent lineup. Can De Vries keep the ball in Arlingon?