Game 28: Royals at Twins

Immaculate conditions once again grace themselves upon Target Field, by which I mean only a 15% chance of rain on a 50-degree April afternoon. It’s been a bit of a soggy weekend, with that loathsome humidity creeping into the equation — but as the weather warms, so too do the Twins’ bats.

After a mid-month lull, the Twins have won five of their last six and are the only Central team over .500.

As mentioned on the telecast, they’ve scored at least six runs in each of their last five games, including their one loss in the series finale with New York. And it’s not even Joe Ryan Run Support Day yet!

Instead, the Twins hope it’s Bailey Ober Run Support Day.

Such is the fluidity of a pitching rotation, particularly when more than one member had an oft-injured 2022 (or beyond.) We all knew Bailey Ober would be a part of the mix this year; some might say it’s sooner than expected, but I think this is pretty much right on target in the 2023 MLB starting pitching landscape.

Ober got the win in his April 23rd start against Washington, allowing just three hits but walking another three, all while pitching into the sixth. He chucked a plurality of four-seamers in around the 92-mph range, but touched 95. The Nationals squared up some contact, but Ober’s elite extension produced some late-recognition chases in his outing less than a week ago.

This will be Byron Buxton’s 25th game of the year — the Twins have played 27. In fact, he’s played more games than Carlos Correa has; both are in the lineup this afternoon, sandwiching a red-hot Jorge Polanco (his stats above from ‘22) and setting the table for Joey “Get Some” Gallo.

Enjoy the ballgame! GO TWINS GO!