The Guardians won yesterday and the Twins did not, falling further back in the division. The Orioles have a better record. MLB released its 2023 schedule and for the first time, every team will play all other 29 teams in a season. There's still a bias towards intradivision games, but it's less than it used to be. The AL Central has a chance for everyone to be below .500 next year.
Valdez is having his best season yet. He's also left-handed. Insert everything free wrote yesterday into this game log.
Finally a beatdown of a bad team. After a great start last night by former and again current teammate Gray, it's Mahle's turn to continue the great pitching. Especially if it means pitching deep in the game and removing the need for Pagán to enter the game.
Twins now tied with the Guardians in the division. BR ranks them both as average teams. Finishing 81-81 does feel like an accomplishment considering how the season has gone after May. FanGraphs projects them for 84 wins. Keep it close fellas and I'll find out in the morning.
Burnes won the Cy Young last year. He's been almost as good this year. This will be a tough game, just like last year. Fortunately Colomé isn't on this year's team but neither is Rogers or Berríos (though maybe that's fortunately this year).
Ashby is in his second year with a long cup of coffee last year, spent mostly in relief. This year it's been mostly starts. He strikes out a bunch (10.7 K/9), walks slightly more than is comfortable (4.1 BB/9), but keeps the ball on the ground (60% career groundballs). If the Twins can hit some flyballs though, they have a good chance of leaving the field.
Lynn's first start against the Twins this year. He missed the first two months and was not good when he returned in June. That changed with his July 1 start against the Giants where he went six scoreless. Last year he was very good versus the Twins, surrendering only four runs across four starts. Thankfully the Twins still managed to go 2-2 in those games. Today is as good as any to reverse that luck and bring back the Lance Lynn the Twins experienced in 2018.
Game 3 4 of this long series. Since the disappointing series against Cleveland last week, the Twins continued to do okay while the Guardians were swept by Boston. Here's to adding to the losing and the Twins increasing their divisional lead.
Day-ish game alert! The starters keep returning and today we get Gray back. No rehab start for Gray and he had a simulated game with all of 30 pitches so I don't know how much to expect out of him today.
Today's game is on YouTube so you can watch right here.
