Baseball’s best team in May — the Minnesota Twins — will wrap up a six-game homestand Sunday afternoon in pursuit of a three-game sweep of the Kansas City Royals in Minneapolis.
However, to do that, Minnesota will need to beat one of this season’s best pitchers.
The Twins, who have won 16 of their last 18 games, rallied to win the first two contests against their American League Central rivals — with both victories coming on walk-off hits. Brooks Lee’s two-out RBI single in the ninth inning gave Minnesota a 5-4 victory on Saturday in a game in which it trailed by four runs.
On Friday, Kansas City led 1-0 after the first inning but lost 3-1 when Ty France hit a game-ending, two-run homer.
“Frustrating, yeah, I mean there’s no doubt,” Kansas City manager Matt Quatraro said after Saturday’s defeat. “We’re competing like crazy, and you want to come out on top of these games. … To get walked off both days in a row, it’s really a gut punch.”
Right-hander Bailey Ober (4-1, 3.68 ERA) will start for the Twins on Sunday.
Ober received his third straight no-decision after pitching three innings of one-run ball against the Cleveland Guardians on Monday. He threw 42 pitches, 35 for strikes, but a rain delay led to the game being suspended.
The 29-year-old has had his share of struggles against the Royals. He’s 0-4 in 11 starts with a 5.90 ERA, allowing Kansas City to hit .305 with 10 homers against him.
Ober, however, gave up just one run to the Royals while pitching into the seventh inning on April 10. He scattered five hits and struck out four but received a no-decision in a 3-2 road loss.
The Royals hope Kris Bubic (5-2, 1.47 ERA) can continue his stellar play on Sunday and serve as a stopper, as they have lost three of their last four games.
Bubic, 27, has been challenged by the Twins during his career. He’s just 1-5 with a 5.27 ERA, and Minnesota has hit .333 and posted a .902 on-base-plus-slugging percentage on him in 10 games.
Minnesota’s bullpen has been the key in the weekend series. Through 8 1/3 innings, Twins relievers have given up just two runs on seven hits and four walks while striking out 10. Four of those hits and both runs came in Saturday’s fifth inning.
“If you give yourself a chance by keeping it close, things can work out,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said Saturday. “We’re confident offensively. Even if we’re not rolling, we still feel like we’re about to get rolling.”
Minnesota has continued its strong play despite missing its best hitter, Byron Buxton, who has been out since May 15 after suffering a concussion when he collided with teammate Carlos Correa.
Correa, too, had been out with a concussion but returned to action Friday. He hit the tying homer in Friday’s game and scored the winning run Saturday after leading off the ninth with a pinch-hit walk.
Royals first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino has seen his batting average jump 24 points since May 16 to .244. He’s hit safely in eight straight games and is 5-for-8 with two runs and an RBI in this series.
–Field Level Media
