Anthony DeSclafani
vs
Joe Ryan
Day game alert!
If the previous two series are any indication, the Twins either missed their chance at a win yesterday or are due for one today. Ryan better be up for a complete game shutout in order to make it happen.
Sonny Gray
vs
Dustin May
West Coast day game!
That battle of the 'ays today and final game against the Dodgers this season. It's been a competitive series so far, at least per the results for someone not willing to stay up past midnight on the opposite coast.
That figures to continue with Gray pitching today. He's been absolutely excellent this year. His May hasn't been as strong but now is a good time to improve his May stats versus a May.
Seth Lugo
vs
Pablo López
Twins starters are tied with the Mariners for first in fWAR, 5.2. The Rays are third at 4.3. The relievers unfortunately rank 17th. More unfortunately, the batters are way down at 21st. Correa is a big part of that but Miranda has been worse. The success of the starters means it has been nice to know the team will be in the game until late each time. Sure, I also know those 2-0 games very likely could end up at 2-0 or 2-1 but it's nicer than knowing last season it will not stay at only two runs given up.
Louie Varland
vs
Dylan Cease
Overall good pitching last night. Not so much the same for the batting part. The White Sox, through yesterday, have averaged 6.17 runs allowed per game while the Twins have scored an average of 4.53 runs per game. Today is a good day to get closer to those averages. Cease strikes out a bunch and the Twins love strikeouts, ranking fifth in most batter strikeouts. I'd suggest stealing some bases as Cease also walks four per nine, but that's simply not happening with this team.
Domingo Germán
vs
Kenta Maeda
Maeda somehow didn't break anything or sustain anything more than a big ouch from stopping the comebacker with his ankle. Bailey Ober is back with the Saints and Maeda is back in the rotation to finish off the Yankees.
Going back through all the Twins-Yankees season results, the last time prior to 2001 the Twins won a season series was 1992 when they went 7-5. They did manage to tie 5-5 in 2000. Go back another year and you will find the last time the Twins swept a three game series with the Yankees. June 11 through June 13 and September 6 through September 8. They finished 10-2 against the hapless 71-91 Yankees. 1993 and 1994 both had two game sweeps if you want to count those too.
First up in Minnesota men's professional sports, the Twins vs Red Sox.
Joe Ryan
vs
Corey Kluber
Kluber stopped being Klubot last year, maybe 2021. His strikeouts are mostly back this year but he's walking a ton and giving up plenty of home runs to a 6.70 FIP. It's a good game to get back to the scoring frequently thing.
At 8:30, possibly after this game ends, the Wild begin their second game against the Stars. The Wolves follow 30 minutes later.
Game in progress and starting very, very well.
Lucas Giolito
vs
Sonny Gray
Rubber match and final game of this homestand.
Giolito was very good in 2021 and not good at all in 2022. So far after two starts, it's been more 2022 than 2021. He's averaged almost two his per inning.
Still no Correa and still Buxton not in the field. Julien makes his MLB debut. He's been great in his nine games with the Saints so far.
Lineup:
Solano, 1B
Buxton, DH
Miranda, 3B
Gordon, LF
Jeffers, C
Larnach, RF
Farmer, SS
Julien, 2B
Taylor, CF
Pablo López
vs
Jesús Luzardo
López returns to his original park right away this season for a rematch. We will see how well the Marlins remember his repertoire versus López adjusting his pitches this spring.
The Twins did a lot to increase rotation depth and after one turn through, it shows. The starters have a 1.03 ERA after five starts with 10.6 K/9. The relievers too have been great with a 1.53 ERA. The same has not been true for the batters. It was great to win two 2-0 games but I don't recommend it as a long-term strategy.
Another disappointing season for the local nine. Free agency starts on Thursday so it's time to build a team that can do more than win low 90s in a weak division.
I've tentatively written in the more prominent players from 2022 still on the roster. Mix and match as you see it.
Catchers (2): Jeffers, ??
1B: Arraez
2B: Polanco
3B: Miranda
SS:
DH:
Utility/backups (2):
LF: Gordon
CF: Buxton
RF: Kepler
Backup outfielder: Celestino
Starters (5): Gray, Ryan, ...
Relievers (50 8): Duran, ...
Here are the players under contract right now. Roster information from RosterResource.
| Player | 2023 cost (millions) |
|---|---|
| Byron Buxton | $15.143 |
| Sonny Gray | $12.5 |
| Max Kepler | $8.5 |
| Jorge Polanco | $7.5 |
| Kenta Maeda | $3.125 |
| Rodney Dobnak | $1.5 |
| TOTAL | $48.268 |
All figures estimated.
| Player | 2023 cost (millions) |
|---|---|
| Gio Urshela | $9.2 |
| Emilio Pagán | $3.7 |
| Tyler Mahle | $7.2 |
| Caleb Thielbar | $2.4 |
| Jorge López | $3.7 |
| Chris Paddack | $2.4 |
| Luis Arraez | $5.0 |
| Cody Stashak | $0.8 |
| Jorge Alcala | $0.8 |
| Kyle Garlick | $1.1 |
| TOTAL | $36.3 |
Some of these players were on the 60-day IL and will go back to start 2023.
| Category | Amount |
|---|---|
| Guaranteed | $48.268 |
| Arbitration | $36.3 |
| Minimum to fill roster (10, $720k each) | $7.2 |
| TOTAL | $91.768 |
Estimated final payroll for 2022 was $142 million. Estimated current 2023 payroll is $91.8 million. That's $50 million or a little more to spend to fill holes. What trades do you make? How will you spend the Pohlads' money?
