FIRST PITCH: 6:10 pm CDT

TV: Bally Sports North / ~ / Radio: TIBN

What’s up, party people? Hope you’re ready for a sick-nasty demonstration of totally fired-up bat-to-ball mayhem. If you’re anything like me, you love a tight dose of mainlined excitement, and tonight, Devin Smeltzer is going to pump your veins full of straight, righteous action.

Smeltzer will be starting a MLB game for the first time since August of 2020; he came out swinging (or rather, his opponents did) when he debuted with the Twins in 2019, bouncing back and forth between starting and relief appearances. Since then, he hasn’t been utilized much by the major-league squad; tonight will be just his ninth major-league game since the end of the 2019 season.

He’ll be squared up against Shane Bieber, who I feel like has been pitching way longer than he really has. This will be Bieber’s fifth season in the bigs; maybe it’s the never-ending onslaught of Cleveland pitching, but he strikes me as more of a 2013-esque debut than a 2018-esque debut. Just me? Possibly. Give me a call if it’s not.

After last night’s loss, the Guardians dipped a game below .500; the Chicago White Sox got knocked off by the New York Yankees, which means Cleveland retains its second-place tie. Minnesota remains the only team in the division with a winning record.

After another flurry of pre-game transactions, the roster has been updated to clear room for Smeltzer. Alex Kirilloff has been optioned back to the Triple-A St. Paul Saints, and Miguel Sano has been transferred to the 60-day IL.

Moreover, the Twins are hoping both Kyle Garlick and Bailey Ober will return to the active roster sometime next week; meanwhile, Carlos Correa is still ramping up to get back into action, without as clear of a timetable.

So, the Twins will continue to try their best with whatever version of the roster they’re able to field on each given night. With this group of guys, they’ll go for win number two of the series this evening.

GO TWINS GO!