The Los Angeles Dodgers will aim for a three-game sweep of the Minnesota Twins when the teams meet in the series finale Wednesday afternoon in Minneapolis.
Los Angeles is coming off a 6-3 win over the Twins on Tuesday night. That followed the Dodgers’ 4-2 win in the series opener Monday night.
The results gave the Dodgers 10 wins in their first 14 games. They already are going for their second sweep of the season after beating the San Francisco Giants in three straight games April 1-3.
Meanwhile, Minnesota is desperate to post a win in front of its home fans. The Twins are off to an 0-4 start at home after losing two games against the Cleveland Guardians before a Sunday rainout and then two games against the Dodgers.
The hiccups at home have surprised the Twins, who went 47-34 at Target Field in 2023.
Dodgers right-hander Bobby Miller (1-1, 5.87 ERA) is set to make his third start of the season and the 25th start of his career. Miller has walked three and struck out 14 in 7 2/3 innings this season.
In his most recent outing, Miller gave up five runs on four hits in 1 2/3 innings against the Chicago Cubs. He threw 32 of 58 pitches for strikes before giving way to the bullpen.
The 25-year-old Illinois native said his struggles at Wrigley Field provided a learning opportunity.
“(I) just didn’t feel the best out of the stretch,” Miller said. “But no worries. Next bullpen, I’m just going to do a ton of work out of the stretch and just treat it game-like, like I always do, and move on to the next.”
This will be Miller’s first career start against the Twins. In seven career interleague starts, he is 3-2 with a 4.76 ERA.
Veteran right-hander Chris Paddack (0-0, 4.50 ERA) is set to make his second start of the season for Minnesota.
Paddack lasted four innings in his season debut against the Milwaukee Brewers on April 3. He gave up two runs on six hits, walked two and struck out two.
The 28-year-old said he was grateful to feel good this season. He has undergone Tommy John surgery twice in his career, and his season debut marked his first major league start since May 2022.
“I’m very blessed to be given another opportunity to prove myself,” Paddack said.
Twins infielder Austin Martin will try to build upon a career milestone. He doubled for his first career hit on Tuesday against the Dodgers, and he followed up with another double later in the game on his way to finishing 2-for-3.
Martin felt bittersweet because the hits came in a loss for the Twins, but he appreciated the fans who acknowledged his achievement.
“I thought that was awesome,” Martin said. “Just going out to left field and hearing everybody cheer, that was a cool moment. I think that was honestly the coolest moment out of the whole thing.”
After the series finale, the Twins will go back on the road to face on the Detroit Tigers. The Dodgers will return home to welcome the San Diego Padres.
–Field Level Media
