Byron Buxton has solidified his status as a two-time All-Star for the Minnesota Twins.
Buxton agreed to participate in the Home Run Derby, as well. He cannot wait for the week to start in Atlanta, which is about 200 miles from where he grew up in Baxley, Ga.
“Going back home to do something like this is a once-in-a-lifetime thing,” Buxton said. “I know I’m not going to play 30 more years to get back to (the All-Star Game in) Atlanta.”
Buxton would like to rack up some more big hits before he turns his attention to the festivities. He and the Twins will square off against the Chicago Cubs for a three-game series that starts Tuesday night in Minneapolis.
Minnesota is coming off a series victory at home against the Tampa Bay Rays, which included back-to-back games that ended with walk-off winners. The Twins remain four games below .500 and hope to gain ground before the All-Star break as they look to determine whether they might buy, sell or hold at the trade deadline.
The Cubs sit in a much better position with six games remaining before the break. They are 18 games above .500 as they set out on a six-game road trip that includes three games against the Twins and three against the New York Yankees.
Chicago has won five of its past six games, including a series victory against the St. Louis Cardinals over the weekend. They took two of three games in the series and outscored the Cardinals 28-11, including an 11-0 rout in the series finale.
Pete Crow-Armstrong, Kyle Tucker and Matthew Boyd all earned All-Star selections from the Cubs. Other players on the team were left out, barring injury replacements.
Those snubbed include Seiya Suzuki, who is hitting .263 and leads Chicago with 25 homers and an MLB-best 77 RBIs.
“As a DH, looking across the league, there’s a lot of great DHs,” Suzuki said. “Looking at how they’re doing, it really pushes me to (be) better. So, no (hard) feelings.”
Michael Busch is another Cubs hitter who was left out of the initial All-Star selections. He is hitting .297 with 18 homers and 56 RBIs.
“We have a number of other guys in this room who are deserving of being there,” Cubs outfielder Ian Happ said. “Some of the performances you’ve seen across the diamond are special and deserve to be represented in that game. Hopefully in the next week or so, some of those guys get in because they deserve it.”
Twins right-hander Simeon Woods Richardson (4-4, 4.41 ERA) will try to subdue the Cubs’ high-powered lineup in the series opener. He has won back-to-back starts against the Seattle Mariners and Miami Marlins, and he has allowed only one run in his last 10 innings.
This will be Richardson’s first career start against the Cubs.
Chicago will counter with left-hander Shota Imanaga (5-2, 2.78). He also will vie for three straight victories after earning wins against the Cardinals and Cleveland Guardians in his last two outings.
Imanaga has faced the Twins once in his career. He limited them to two runs on two hits in seven innings last August, and he earned the victory to go along with a 2.57 ERA.
–Field Level Media
