Game 3: Mariners at Twins

First Pitch: 1:10 PM CDT

TV: Bally Sports North

Radio: TIBN, twinsbeisbol.com

Know Thine Enemy: Lookout Landing

The Twins’ high-profile offseason led to high hopes for the season. Through two games (which I know is a small sample size), that could have gone better.

A pair of one-run losses have been highlighted (lowlighted?) by a lack of offensive production and small numbers in the hit column. Outside of home runs by Gio Urshela, Luis Arraez, and Byron Buxton, Minnesota has not pushed any runs across the plate.

But again, small sample size.

Bailey Ober takes the mound for Minnesota today. The tall righty was named one of Foolish Bailey’s five potential breakout pitchers for 2022, so for followers of certain baseball YouTube channels, Ober’s expectations may be creeping up. Ober is part of the Twins’ upcoming youth movement, the 25-year-old starter making his debut last year and posting a 4.19 ERA across 20 starts.

Twins batters will be up against the pitching of Marco Gonzales, about whom I know little except he is a rare member of the single-digit pitcher club, his having donned No. 7 since 2019. But Gonzales has posted a sub-4.00 ERA in each of the past three seasons (and in 2018, his ERA was exactly 4.00), so he is no slouch as Seattle’s third starter.

It’s time to base ball once again.