Series Preview: Twins @ Angels (Hot or not)

Angels 22-14
Twins 15-17

Don’t let their record fool you, the Twins may be below .500 but have been hot and are coming off a 5 game winning streak (6 of their last 7) that also included taking out the Cardinals 13-1 over 2 games.

In terms of runs scored, these two teams are #2 and #3 in all of baseball over the past week

Know your foe:

Twins - who’s hot (last 7 days):
Eddie Rosario .438 AVG, 3 home runs, 10 RBIs
Eduardo Escobar .438 OBP, 3 home runs, 4 walks
Entire bullpen: 0.78 ERA, 2 saves, 28 Ks, 22 IP

Injury Update: Byron Buxton will be coming off the DL in time for this series

GAME 1

Garrett Richards (3.93 ERA) v. Jose Berrios (3.98 ERA)
Thursday, May 10th @ 7:07PM

Pitcher vs. Batters

Relevant Stats

N/A

Summary:

Richards bounced back from a terrible outing against the Yankees with a 4 hit, zero run performance facing the Mariners. He’s been good - but not great this year and prone to walks.

Pitch Arsenal:

Berrios has been all over the board with 3 scoreless outings but also 4 in which he’s allowed 4 or 5 runs. Overall it’s worked out okay for him as he boasts a 0.984 WHIP and a 0.7 WAR, thanks in part to his lethal curveball.

Pitch Arsenal:

Verdict: If I had to go out on a limb, I’d say Richards is starting to figure things out and should have the edge in this game.

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GAME 2

Tyler Skaggs (3.08 ERA) v. Lance Lynn (7.28 ERA)
Friday, May 11th @ 6:07PM

Pitcher vs. Batters

Relevant Stats

N/A

Summary:

Skaggs is 7 starts into the season and hold on to a 3.08 ERA, 1.184 WHIP, and 1.0 WAR. Outside of a bad game against the Red Sox, he’s been as solid as can be for the Angels. His ERA is just 1.86 in those 6 non-Boston starts.

Pitch Arsenal:

Lance Lynn has had better years, but lest we get too lively, remember Jon Gray was not off to a great start before he beat the Angels on Tuesday. Still, Lynn has been just short of terrible were it not for a few bright spot in his outings against the Astros and White Sox. He’s kept Angels bats quiet over the years but Cozart has 3 bombs off him and Simmons, Valbuena, and Young have all gone long as well.

Pitch Arsenal:

Verdict: This game easily leans Angels so hopefully there aren’t any surprises.

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GAME 3

Nick Tropeano (3.42 ERA) v. Kyle Gibson (3.49 ERA)
Saturday, May 12th @ 7:07PM

Pitcher vs. Batters

Relevant Stats

Summary:

Tropeano had a pair of not so great starts, but he was sharp his last time out with 1 hit and zero runs allowed over 6.1 innings. He’s not yet announced for this game - but is likely. Those slider and splitter starts are sexy and the Twins will be in for a rough one if he has those pitches working.

Pitch Arsenal:

The back half of this series is where the Angels will perhaps face their biggest hitting challenge and that starts with Kyle Gibson - though they have historically hit him well. Over his last 3 starts, Gibson has a 2.62 ERA and has struck out 24 over 17.2 innings. He faced the Angels twice last year and held them to only 2 runs both times.

Pitch Arsenal:

Verdict: This one could be a battle between these two starters and we’ll probably see a high number of whiffs.

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GAME 4

Shohei Ohtani (4.10 ERA) v. Fernando Romero (0.00 ERA)
Shoday, May 13th @ 1:07PM

Pitcher vs. Batters

N/A

Relevant Stats

N/A

Summary:

The Angels are 4-1 when Ohtani takes the mound. He threw his 3rd quality start of the year agains the Mariners, allowing only 2 runs over 6 innings. He’s held hitters to a .161 AVG in his two home games.

Pitch Arsenal:

Romero has only made 2 big league starts but has impressed in both of them. He’s thrown 11.2 innings and has yet to allow a run while striking out 14. He’s got good stuff and uses his big slider for that knockout blow.

Pitch Arsenal:

Verdict: The battle of the rookies is on!! This pair of 23 year olds is going to be a must watch pitching matchup on Sunday and we could see quite the duel.

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Overall Verdict: Games 1 and 2 are the “easiest” shots of a win but 3 and 4 will definitely pose a challenge for the Angels. Hopefully they at least come out of the series with a split.

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