After a day off, the Minnesota Twins will look to keep their potent offense rolling on Friday night when they open a three-game series against the Cincinnati Reds in Minneapolis.
Minnesota won eight of nine games before falling 9-5 to the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday.
The Twins are second in the American League in home runs with 26, and third in runs (103) and RBIs (98).
Austin Martin hit his first home run of the season in the first inning against Boston. Ryan Kreidler added a three-run shot in the bottom of the ninth as the Twins tried to rally.
Even though the team’s four-game winning streak ended on Wednesday, Martin said Minnesota is brimming with belief that it can be a contender. The Twins are tied for the most wins in the AL.
“This stretch has given us the confidence that we’re able to compete with anybody on the field,” Martin said. “It’s just a matter if we take care of what we need to take care of.”
Cincinnati, meanwhile, is tied atop the National League Central with the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Reds managed only one hit in a 3-0 home loss to the San Francisco Giants on Thursday.
Cincinnati will look for rookie sensation Sal Stewart to continue the torrid start to his career. He leads the team in batting average (.303), home runs (seven), RBIs (17) and OPS (1.094).
“He’s a good hitter,” manager Terry Francona said. “First of all, his confidence is very high. He uses the whole field. There are a lot of reasons (for his success). He’ll take a bad swing but regroup. He doesn’t just give an at bat away. … It’s early; let’s let it play out. But he’s done a terrific job.”
It will be a homecoming for Reds left-hander Brandon Williamson (1-1, 5.28 ERA) on Friday. The Fairmont, Minn., native is scheduled to make his first career start against the Twins.
Williamson wasn’t involved in the decision of a 7-3 win against the Los Angeles Angels last Saturday. He racked up a career-high six walks in addition to allowing three runs and three hits over four innings.
Minnesota is set to send right-hander Joe Ryan (2-1, 3.80 ERA) to the mound. In 2023, Ryan yielded four runs on five hits in four innings to take the loss in his lone career start vs. Cincinnati.
In his previous outing, Ryan’s commanding performance set the tone in a 7-4 win over the Toronto Blue Jays. He threw a tidy 91 pitches over seven innings, surrendering two runs on two hits while striking out five.
Ryan got ahead in the count and was pleased to let Toronto swing away.
“If (hitters) want to hack early, get out early and (I get) to go more innings, please,” Ryan said about a lineup taking an aggressive approach against him. “That’s fine. I’m here to win baseball games.”
–Field Level Media
