The Minnesota Twins hope their good vibes last longer than one day as they approach the most important few weeks of their season.
Minnesota will face the Los Angeles Angels in the decisive contest of a three-game series on Wednesday night in Minneapolis. The Angels won the series opener 6-2 on Monday before the Twins prevailed 10-5 on Tuesday.
The victory snapped a four-game skid for Minnesota (77-68), which remains in a playoff position. The Twins sit three games ahead of the Detroit Tigers in the chase for the third and final American League wild-card berth.
Minnesota is six games behind the first-place Cleveland Guardians in the AL Central and 2 1/2 games behind the second-place Kansas City Royals with 17 games to go in the regular season.
Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said he was proud of his players for staying positive and ending their losing streak on Tuesday.
“It was a very good day,” Baldelli said. “There were a ton of positives out there for a number of guys in the lineup and our pitchers that went out there and threw the ball well, too. It’s something really nice that you can jump off of going into (Wednesday).”
Baldelli said the feeling in the dugout gave him hope that the win represented more than just one good game. He will look for more of the same in the series finale.
“The emotions in the game were very good,” Baldelli said. “The guys were really getting into it. The support in the dugout and things like that, I think, is very, very important in keeping this rolling, keeping it going.
“It starts with the enthusiasm and energy and work before the game, and then you bring it into the game. And then you see the fruits of your labor paying off, and it excites you. I think a lot of the guys were pretty pumped watching their teammates go out there and swing the bats really well.”
Angels right-hander Jack Kochanowicz (2-4, 4.89 ERA) will try to quiet the Twins’ bats in his eighth start of his rookie season. The 23-year-old from Philadelphia has pitched at least six innings in each of his past five starts.
In his latest outing, Kochanowicz allowed three runs on eight hits in six innings during a 3-1 loss to the Texas Rangers on Thursday. He walked one and struck out none.
This will be Kochanowicz’s first career appearance against Minnesota.
The Twins will counter with another rookie right-hander, Zebby Matthews (1-3, 7.36 ERA). This will be his sixth career start and his first against the Angels.
Matthews most recently pitched on Friday, when he allowed four runs on nine hits in five innings en route to a 5-0 loss against the Royals. He walked one and struck out four.
The Angels (60-85) will play the series finale — and potentially the rest of the season — without a couple of high-profile players. The team placed rookie reliever Ben Joyce (inflamed right shoulder) on the 15-day injured list and third baseman Anthony Rendon (strained left oblique) on the 10-day injured list Tuesday.
Joyce, 23, is 2-0 with a 2.08 ERA and four saves in 31 games (one start). He has 33 strikeouts in 34 2/3 innings.
“I’m not concerned, just kind of inflammation right now,” Joyce said. “I’ve been dealing with it for a few days. It’s improving. I just don’t feel like I’m at the point where I’m ready to come in and pitch yet.”
The oft-injured Rendon is on the IL for the third time this year.
–Field Level Media
