The Minnesota Twins will go for back-to-back wins over the team with the best record in baseball when they face the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday night in Minneapolis.
The Twins are coming off a 7-2 win in the series opener on Monday. That marked Minnesota’s first victory since the All-Star break after back-to-back losses against the Milwaukee Brewers.
Twins catcher Ryan Jeffers said it took a team effort to beat the Phillies. He spoke after Minnesota scored three runs on seven hits in 5 1/3 innings against Philadelphia starter Ranger Suarez.
“The way to beat him is kind of how we did,” Jeffers said. “You’ve got to put together a couple of hits. You’re not going to go out there and hit three homers off him.”
Manuel Margot and Willi Castro drove in two runs apiece to lead Minnesota at the plate. Carlos Santana and Max Kepler added one RBI apiece.
Twins manager Rocco Baldelli hoped his players would build off a strong start in the contest from right-hander Bailey Ober.
“The way the game started, you’re not sitting there going, ‘This guy’s going to pitch seven innings for you,'” Baldelli said. “But he didn’t just throw seven innings. He threw seven great innings.”
For their part, the Phillies will try to bounce back behind ace Zack Wheeler (10-4, 2.70 ERA). The 34-year-old right-hander was selected an All-Star for the second time this year, though he didn’t see action for the National League team last week.
In his most recent outing, Wheeler held the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers to one run on three hits in five innings to get the win on July 9. He walked two and struck out seven.
Wheeler has never faced the Twins in his career. He is 16-13 with a 3.80 ERA in 45 career starts against interleague opponents.
Minnesota will turn to Simeon Woods Richardson (3-1, 3.51 ERA) on Tuesday. The 23-year-old right-hander is coming off three straight no-decisions, including his most recent start in which he gave up two runs on seven hits in 4 1/3 innings against the San Francisco Giants on July 13.
This will be Woods Richardson’s first career start against the Phillies.
On Monday, the Phillies benefited from Bryce Harper’s 23rd homer of the season — and his first career home run at Target Field — but could get nothing else. Harper’s two-run, first-inning blast was the only extra-base hit of the evening for Philadelphia.
The Phillies are 1-3 since the All-Star break but are still 2 1/2 games clear of the Baltimore Orioles for the best record in the majors and 3 1/2 ahead of the Los Angeles Dodgers for the top mark in the National League.
The Twins are hoping Royce Lewis (adductor) can start a rehabilitation assignment with Triple-A Saint Paul beginning Tuesday. The 25-year-old third baseman is hitting .292 with 10 home runs and 18 RBIs in 24 games on the season.
Minnesota is 28-20 at home this season. Philadelphia is 26-21 on the road.
–Field Level Media
