The decibel level is increasing in the Minnesota Twins’ dugout.
For the Twins, that’s a good thing.
“We’re yelling in the dugout, the locker room is phenomenal, everybody is having a good time,” Twins right-hander Taj Bradley said after the team’s third consecutive win Tuesday. “Bus rides, plane rides, everything is just all smiles.”
Minnesota will look to keep smiling when it faces the Cleveland Guardians in the second contest of a three-game series on Wednesday evening in Minneapolis. The Twins won 3-1 Tuesday in the opener.
Twins left-hander Connor Prielipp (2-5, 4.96 ERA) will take the mound for the 13th start of his rookie campaign. The Wisconsin native has 65 strikeouts in 61 2/3 innings.
Prielipp will try to snap a four-game winless drought. In his most recent outing, he drew a no-decision on June 28 despite striking out 10 batters in six innings against the Colorado Rockies as Minnesota won 3-2.
This will be Prielipp’s second start against Cleveland. In his first meeting, Prielipp lost 6-4 on May 8 after giving up four runs (one earned) and four hits over five innings.
Cleveland, which has lost three straight games, will counter with right-hander Slade Cecconi (4-6, 4.44 ERA), who will make his 19th start of the season. He is 4 2/3 innings away from reaching 100 innings for the second season in a row and the second time of his four-year career.
Cecconi will try to bounce back from a bumpy performance Thursday against the Chicago White Sox. He drew a no-decision but surrendered five runs on nine hits — one shy of his season high — in five innings as Cleveland won 6-5.
In his only career start against the Twins, last September, Cecconi earned the win after firing seven scoreless innings. He held Minnesota to two hits, walked one and struck out eight.
Guardians outfielder Chase DeLauter will look to stay hot at the plate Wednesday. He struggled to start the season and ended up on the injured list after a rib fracture in early June but returned a couple of weeks later and has hit well.
In Tuesday’s series opener, DeLauter went 2-for-3 with a double and a walk. He leads the club with a .276 batting average and 41 RBIs despite playing in 75 of 92 games.
DeLauter said his time on the injured list helped him move past his early season slump.
“You never wish or hope you get a break, of course, midseason like that,” DeLauter said. “But that definitely is somewhat of a reset. …
“We have all the stuff in the world to be prepared. But I think it’s when you get away from here and you have a little bit of time away, how do you make sure you’re keeping yourself well-rested and fueled for the next day and stuff like that?
“I think it’s easier when you’re looking ahead and stacking good days than it is to really just focus on how to be prepared one day at a time. That’s kind of what my approach has been so far this year. I feel like it’s working pretty well.”
The Twins are 23-23 at home this year, and the Guardians are 23-23 on the road.
–Field Level Media
