Twins Set to Host the Dangerous Toronto Blue Jays
The Minnesota Twins are hosting the Toronto Blue Jays this weekend in the team's first series since losing ace Pablo López for two to three months with a shoulder injury. The injury increases the pressure on the offense to continue producing at their recent level, reaching double-digit runs in three of the last seven games. Top performers over that span include Willi Castro and Byron Buxton. Castro has two games with multiple home runs and has hit .434. Meanwhile, Buxton leads the team in runs batted in since his return from the injured list on May 30th.
The pitching staff will also be asked to step up in López’s absence. All eyes will be on Joe Ryan for his start Sunday to close the series. The Twins’ Saturday starter, Chris Paddack, meanwhile, will be looking to build on the momentum he got from his previous start. On June 1st against the Mariners, Paddack pitched eight innings, allowing four hits and only one run while piling on 10 strikeouts. An opportunity to shine in the Twins’ moment of need may have come at the perfect time for Paddack after arguably his best performance of the year.
The competition will be fierce; the Blue Jays have won their last three series and eight of their previous 10 games. They also outscored the Phillies 11-2 in their last two games. Toronto is led into battle by Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who is tied for the team lead in home runs with eight, leading in on-base percentage as well at .380. Bo Bichette has also been hammering the ball all season, hitting .279 with 35 RBIs to go along with it. As for the pitchers, Minnesota won’t get a visit from their former ace José Berríos, but Friday’s announced starter, Kevin Gausman, could be an enticing matchup for the Twins. The last time Minnesota faced Gausman in Toronto, the Twins knocked him out in just three innings. Getting 10 hits and seven total runs in the process on the way to a win.
Both teams enter the series coming off a blowout. The Blue Jays dominated Philadelphia 9-1 on Thursday. On the other hand, the Twins ended up on the wrong side of a 14-3 result against the Athletics. It will be up to the Twins’ Friday starter, Bailey Ober, to respond for Minnesota. So far this season, he’s been the man for the job with a respectable 4-1 record and hasn’t had a decision loss since March 30th. The series will kick off Friday at 7:10 p.m. CST.
