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Pittsburgh Pirates look to finish homestand strong against the Twins
After taking two of three from the Los Angeles Dodgers this week, the Pittsburgh Pirates will look to finish their homestand off on the right foot against the Minnesota Twins.
After taking two of three against the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Pittsburgh Pirates will hope to make it a winning homestand this weekend as they take on the American League Central's Minnesota Twins.
The Twins come to Pittsburgh losers of four of their last five games after being swept out of New York by the Yankees over the course of the midweek. The Twins were outscored in the series 22-11.
On the season, the Twins are 33-29, sitting in third place in the AL Central. The Twins have been quite consistent over the first two months of the season, going 14-12 in April before picking up a 16-12 record in May. So far in June, they're 1-4.
Notably, the Twins have been a bit better at home this season than on the road, holding a 16-13 record at Target Field while posting a 17-16 record when wearing their road greys.
Last season, the Pirates fell in their only series against the the Twins in mid-August, losing two of three matchups in Minneapolis.
As previously mentioned, the Pirates are now 29-33 on the season, and are coming off an encouraging series win against the Los Angeles Dodgers, as young star pitchers Jared Jones and Paul Skenes shut down the Dodgers' dangerous lineup.
While the Twins on paper are not as dangerous as the mighty Dodgers, this is still a Twins lineup that the Pirates will have to be careful with this weekend.
Let's take a look at this weekend's pitching matchups and Twins to watch at the plate.
Minnesota Twins vs. Pittsburgh Pirates series preview
FRIDAY: Mitch Keller vs Joe Ryan
Mitch Keller has been one of the hotter pitchers in baseball over the last few weeks, allowing two runs or less in each of his last five starts. Overall, in his last seven games, he's 5-1 with a 2.47 ERA in 43.2 innings pitched.
Taking on Keller will be the Twins' own ace, Joe Ryan. The 28-year-old right hander is 4-4 this season with a 3.38 ERA in 72 innings pitched. He is, however, coming off a very poor start against the Houston Astros, allowing five earned runs on eight hits and two walks in five innings pitched. He allowed four home runs in that start.
SATURDAY: TBD vs Simeon Woods Richardson
The Pirates have not announced who their starter will be on Saturday, but it wouldn't be surprising to see third-year righty Luis Ortiz get the spot start. He's 2-2 this season with a 2.94 ERA in 33.2 innings pitched. He is also currently posting a career-best FIP of 3.61.
Woods-Richardson is in his first full MLB season after appearing in one game each of the last two seasons. He's been solid for the Twins with a 3.05 ERA, 3.57 FIP, and 128 ERA+ in 44.1 innings pitched, striking out 36 while walking 11. He has allowed just four home runs so far this season. That being said, don't expect him to go deep in the game, as he's averaging just under five innings per start this season.
SUNDAY: Jared Jones vs Bailey Ober
After his tremendous start against the Dodgers, Jones will look to stay on the right path on Sunday when he takes on the Twins. Jones is now holding a 3.25 ERA in 69.1 innings pitched this season with 76 strikeouts and 15 walks.
For the Twins, right-handed fourth year starter Bailey Ober will take the mound. Ober has struggled this season across 12 starts, holding a 4.94 ERA coming into this weekend across 62 innings. His FIP suggests he's been a bit unlucky, with a 4.43 mark sitting well below his ERA, but he has been giving up the long ball at a poor rate, allowing 1.6 home runs per nine innings.
TWINS AT THE PLATE
The Twins at the plate this season have been neither great nor bad. Their team hitting slash of .229/.302/.396 won't impress anyone, but the Twins do have a bit of pop in their bats, with their 69 home runs this season ranking seventh-best in the AL. Their 271 runs scored this season also puts them in the middle of the pack in the American League.
DH Ryan Jeffers
The most dangerous hitter throughout the season for the Twins has been Jeffers. He's hitting .239/.329/.511 this season with 12 home runs and 36 RBI in 184 at-bats. He also holds a team high OPS+ of 138 while also being the only Twin with a OPS above .800.
3B Royce Lewis
When healthy, Lewis has proven to be one of the game's brightest young hitters. That being said, he's unfortunately rarely been healthy over the last two seasons.
After missing mostly all of April and May with an injury, Lewis recently returned to the Twins lineup and will be active in Pittsburgh this weekend. In three games this season, Lewis has three home runs and three RBI. If you need a little bit more of a sample size, through his first 73 career games, Lewis has 20 home runs and 70 RBI while posting a .314/.374/.583 slash and 162 OPS+.
RF Max Kepler
The 10-year veteran has been one of the Twins' best hitters throughout the last decade and is putting together a solid season thus far. In 43 games played, the German-born outfielder is hitting .261/.325/.444 with four home runs and 21 RBI.
1B Carlos Santana
Yes, Carlos Santana is still around and yes, he's still a productive major league hitter. In 57 games this season, Santana has nine home runs and 25 RBI with a 101 OPS+. He's not nearly the hitter he used to be, but he can still get it done at the plate, as Pirates fans know well.
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