The Minnesota Twins will hand out Hall of Famer Kirby Puckett No. 34 jerseys to the first 10,000 fans who arrive for Saturday’s game against the Athletics.
Expect the team to play some highlights on the scoreboard of Puckett’s biggest hits, regardless of whether or not the Twins’ lineup is able to deliver some of their own in real time.
Minnesota will try to bounce back from a sleepy performance at the plate when it faces the Athletics in the second contest of a three-game set in Minneapolis.
The Twins are coming off a 2-0 loss against the Athletics in Friday’s series opener. Minnesota managed only two hits in the game: a double by Austin Martin and a single by Ryan Jeffers.
Twins manager Derek Shelton hopes that his hitters can bounce back one day later.
“We had (seven) walks, we had two hit-by-pitches, and we hit into (three) double plays,” Shelton said. “I think that was the story of the game. We just couldn’t get a big hit to break it open.”
Athletics right-hander Mason Barnett (1-0, 4.64 ERA) will try to maintain his team’s hot pitching in the second game of the series. He is slated to make his first start of the season and the sixth of his brief career.
Barnett has 21 strikeouts in 21 1/3 innings out of the bullpen this season. This will be his first career appearance against the Twins.
Minnesota had not named its starting pitcher as of early Saturday morning. The Twins plan to save ace right-hander Joe Ryan for Sunday’s series finale.
Martin could get another turn in the Twins lineup after being one of the few players to stand out in Friday’s series opener. Shelton praised his patience at the plate as well as his contributions in left field, where he started alongside center fielder Byron Buxton and right fielder Luke Keaschall.
Martin is hitting .241 this season and boasts a .356 on-base percentage. He hit leadoff Friday with Buxton in the No. 2 spot and Jeffers batting third.
“Good at-bats tonight,” Shelton said. “Two walks and a double. He made two really good plays in the outfield. It was a good game from Austin.
“We played well defensively, too. We did a nice job. But, again, we couldn’t break through offensively.”
Athletics left fielder Tyler Soderstrom will look to stay hot at the plate. He went 1-for-3 with a double and an RBI on Friday, and he has three homers and eight RBIs in his past nine games.
Athletics manager Mark Kotsay praised Soderstrom for his recent approach.
“‘Sody’ is a big part of this group,” Kotsay said. “He puts a lot of pressure on himself. He expects to get hits every time he’s up. (That was) a big hit.”
Another player who has stood out for the Athletics is left-hander Hogan Harris, who picked up his eighth save Friday. He has 61 strikeouts in 45 2/3 innings.
Minnesota will try to gain ground in the American League wild-card race on Saturday as the team’s front office continues to evaluate whether to buy, sell or stand pat at the upcoming trade deadline. The Twins are three games out of the last wild-card spot.
–Field Level Media
