The Twins are currently riding a three game winning streak fresh off two strong pitching performances from newcomers Homer Bailey and Rich Hill, which led to a short sweep of the Cardinals. The Indians sit at 4-2 and just took 2 of 3 from the Chicago White Sox, but were shutout last night by Giolito and the rest of the Sox bullpen. Tonight features the best arm the Twins will go up against all year in Shane Bieber, with Jose Berrios taking the bump for Minnesota. This is a key 4 game set that will set the tone for the Central. The Pitchers: RHP Shane Bieber (1-0, 0.00 ERA, 6 IP, 14 K's) vs RHP Jose Berrios (0-0, 11.25 ERA, 4 IP, 1 K) Bieber was outstanding on Opening Day for the Indians against a sneaky Royals lineup that should've put up more of a fight than they did, but that shows how good the Indians righty is. He struck out 14 in just six innings of work, and didn't allow a run. Bieber relies on a fastball that sits at 93, and pairs it with a knockout slider and a put-away curveball. Berrios was roughed up by the White Sox on Opening Day but appeared to get in a groove as the game went along. Berrios' fastball velocity was way up, even hitting 96 and 97 a few times, which shows he is loose. If he comes out again throwing hard, but has more command, expect a pitchers duel. The Lineups Twins RF Max Kepler L 3B J. Donaldson R SS J. Polanco S DH Nelson Cruz R LF E. Rosario L C Mitch Garver R 2B Luis Arraez L 1B Miguel Sano R CF Byron Buxton R Indians 2B C. Hernandez S 3B Jose Ramirez S SS F. Lindor S 1B C. Santana S DH F. Reyes R LF B. Zimmer L RF D. Santana R C Sandy Leon S CF O. Mercado R The Twins roll into tonights lineup with the best lineup they can assemble on paper, and that is no surprise with how big of an impact this 4 game series can have in a sixty game season. Some Twins have enjoyed facing Bieber, including new signee Josh Donaldson, who is 2-2 in the his lifetime, both being long balls. Rosario has also had success against the 25 year old, hitting .353, including 3 home runs. Miguel Sano, Marwin Gonzalez, and Lamonte Wade Jr. have all also launched a ball into the seats against Shane Bieber. On the other hand, the Indians have had a tough time against Jose Berrios. The best two hitters in the lineup, Lindor and J-Ram, are hitting .231 and .172 respectively, both with nearly 30 at-bats. Carlos Santana has hit .333 including the only Indian in tonights lineup with a homer off La Makina. The Indians are without starting catcher Roberto Perez, as he was placed on the disabled list a few days ago. Mill's Mullings 1. Switch to Start The Cleveland lineup features 4 switch hitters at the top of the ordering, including the previously mentioned Jose Ramirez and Fransisco Lindor. Cesar Hernandez is a quality leadoff hitter, and Carlos Santana, who will hit clean-up, is a quality veteran. Normally this would be a key advantage for a lineup, but not against Jose Berrios. Berrios had almost identical splits last year versus righties and lefties, allowing only a .003 difference in OPS, favoring the right handed batters. I expect Berrios to attack these switch hitters with a strong dose of the two-seam/sinker, as well as the changeup against left handed batters. 2. Miguel Missing Roy Smalley pointed out a very good (or bad) hitch in Miguel Sano's swing last night on the braodcast, and in case you missed it, the hitch is that Sano is dipping his hands when he is loading up. This is causing the swing to become longer and is probably a key reason why he is missing on balls that he normally hits last year. I think this should be a fairly simple fix for the hitting coaches and we see Miguel hammer some baseballs here pretty soon. Despite the struggle, we have seen him lay off some pretty decent sliders thus far, and it will be something he needs to continue doing tonight. This Day In History: 2017 - Texas third baseman Adrian Beltre collects his 3000th hit when he doubles in the fourth inning in the Rangers' 10-6 loss to the Orioles at Globe Life Park in Arlington. The twenty-year veteran, who has also spent time with the Dodgers, Mariners, and the Red Sox, is the first-ever Dominican-born player to reach the coveted milestone. Pick to Click: Berrios throws 6 strong innings, striking out at least 8 Cleveland hitters Note: Tonight's game is nationally televised on FOX, not FSN Go Twins!!!
Buxton and Zimmer are not in the same situation at all, Amin. Buxton has 10 WAR in his career, while Zimmer, a yaer older, has 1.5 WAR in his career.
