First Pitch: 3:10 pm CDT

TV: Bally Sports North / ~ / Radio: TIBN

The buffer day following the season opener is always a cruel twist of fate, pulling the rug out from under fans shortly after giving them the rug in the first place, leaving millions of feet planted firmly on the cold, hard ground of reality, with no fuzzy runner in between.

(It’s especially cruel when the evening leading into April Fools’ Day is cracked over the head with a sudden blizzard.)

But Twins baseball is back today, and a baseball game flashing across the television on a Saturday afternoon — much like a good rug — really ties the room together.

The Royals are running out FA acquisition Jordan Lyles, who has quietly been in the league since the first term of the Obama administration, but who has done so without earning any hardware or making a single postseason appearance. Debuting with the Astros in their Yakety Sax era, Lyles moved onto the Rockies, the Padres, the Brewers, the Pirates, the Brewers again, the Rangers, and the Orioles last season. He led the league in earned runs allowed in both 2020 and 2021, including coughing up an MLB-best 38 homers two seasons ago.

Lyles had above-average control last year, but ranked on the low end in most expected contact quality stats.

His visiting counterpart today is Mr. Sonny Gray, who looks to build on a solid 2022 campaign with a healthier 2023. Still due to hit free agency at season’s end, Gray is as important to the Minnesota rotation as a Pablo Lopez or a Joe Ryan, serving as the starting five’s most veteran presence and bringing a high ceiling to the table.

In the magical land of lineups, it’s another righty matchup for the Twins, who shift absolutely nothing around and run back the same winning squad from Opening Day. Those batters will get rolling just after 3 o’clock central today — can’t wait to have you with us.

GO TWINS GO!