Tom Froemming

TODAY Twins at Tigers Game 1: 12:10 pm CT Game 2: 30 minutes following We’ll see another 2020 special today, as the Twins and Tigers play two seven-inning games today in Detroit. The pitching matchup in Game 1 will be Randy Dobnak vs. Matthew Boyd. The Twins have not yet officially announced their starter for Game 2, but the Tigers are going with rookie Tarik Skubal. Both of Detroit’s starters are left-handers, so it’ll be interesting to see how the Twins fare when faced with one of what’s been their biggest weaknesses so far. In 324 plate appearances against lefties, the Twins have hit .251/.327/.359 (.686 OPS). That .359 slugging percentage ranks 23rd in the league for that split. I’m sorry, isn’t this the Bomba Squad we’re talking about here? In 2019, the Twins led all of baseball by slugging .521 against lefties. Maybe today’s the day things turn around. Boyd has an 8.48 ERA and leads the league with 27 earned runs allowed and Skubal, who is making his third career start, has given up five runs on 10 hits over 4 1/3 innings. Lewis Thorpe has been recalled to serve as the 29th man for this doubleheader. Again, no Game 2 starter has officially been announced, but it seems logical to assume Thorpe will shoulder the load. Reliever Juan Minaya was added to the active roster and Danny Coulombe was designated for assignment. Minaya pitched 125 games for the White Sox over the past four seasons. NEWS & NOTES — Yasmani Grandal hit a walk-off homer last night to give the White Sox a share of the AL Central lead. Chicago has won 10 of its last 11 games. https://twitter.com/whitesox/status/1299546594765934595 — Fellow AL Central leader Cleveland is not expected to trade Mike Clevinger, despite a rocky past few weeks in the clubhouse. Jon Heyman reported that the asking price is ridiculous. — Among the items discussed on SKOR North’s trade deadline show was Darren Wolfson reporting that the Reds are not expected to deal Trevor Bauer. — Jason Isbell Tweeted about Randy Dobnak. See, not everything about 2020 is bad. https://twitter.com/JasonIsbell/status/1299709926735065088 AROUND THE AL CENTRAL CHW 6, KCR 5 CLE 14, STL 2 1. CLE 20-12 (+44 run differential) 1. CHW 20-12 (+42) 1. MIN 20-12 (+36) 4. DET 13-16 (-30) 5. KCR 12-20 (-19) SEE ALSO Twins Up the Middle Players Lead Offensive Struggles Predicting the Twins' Final 28 Games 4 Right-Handed Relievers the Twins Should Target Before the Trade Deadline 4 Left-Handed Relievers the Twins Could Target This Week

Tuesday night’s game was so insane, the twists and turns after Maeda’s exit nearly overshadowed his brilliant performance. Make sure to check out the excellent game recap from Andrew Thares if you haven’t already. Maeda gave up just one hit, walked a pair of batters and recorded 12 strikeouts while throwing 115 pitches, 78 of which were strikes. Maeda’s record-breaking strikeout streak started in the third inning and carried all the way into the sixth. He was untouchable. Here’s a video I recorded that takes a closer look at each one of those at bats: Before last night’s game, Cody Christie wrote a great article asking who the current staff ace was on the Twins. Maeda has certainly staked his claim, make sure to swing over to that article and weigh in with your take in the comments. Click here to subscribe to Tom's YouTube channel. MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email

Box Score Home Runs: Cruz 2 (8) Win Probability Chart (via Baseball Savant): Nelson Cruz hit a pair of solo bombas tonight, giving him eight on the season. This was Nelson’s 23rd game played of 2020, it took him 37 games to hit eight homers last year. Sergio Romo, Mr. Excitement, managed to catch Cruz’s second home run in his cap. https://twitter.com/betsyhelfand/status/1295573945882685441 How fun is that? In addition to Cruz, both Jorge Polanco and Eddie Rosario both had two-hit nights. Cruz blasting baseballs is nothing new, but the Bomba Squad seems to be turning in a web gem every game so far in 2020. Tonight it was Rosario, who once again played a ball off the left field wall perfectly and threw a strike to second base to retire the runner. https://twitter.com/TFTwins/status/1295538603016192001 This was a bullpen game for the Twins, and they nearly turned in a shutout. Matt Wisler opened the game with two no-hit innings to lower his ERA on the season to 1.50. What a find he’s been so far. Devin Smeltzer was the primary pitcher, delivering 2 2/3 innings of scoreless ball while striking out three batters. From there, Tyler Clippard recorded four outs before Tyler Duffey and Trevor May each turned in a scoreless frame. Zack Littell gave up a solo homer in the ninth. All told, the Twins combined to give up seven hits and two walks while striking out nine batters. Speaking of bullpens, what’s going on here? https://twitter.com/AirGeeky/status/1295559605582520321 The new rules regarding video weren’t made crystal clear before the start of this season — there were plenty of other rule changes to catch up on — but Kansas City is clearly trying to cover up the TV that’s playing video. Here’s what Sports Illustrated’s Tom Verducci wrote about the new regulations on July 21: “Every player and staff member will be assigned a personal tablet to use during games. In past years teams shared a few tablets. But the tablets are preloaded with information and video commonly associated with scouting reports and are “locked down” with no connectivity once the game starts. There is no capacity to review at-bats in the course of a game.” So it’s not clear to me whether the Royals were doing something wrong or not … but they sure looked like they were up to no good. Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet Postgame Pint Immediatey following the game, John Bonnes, Nash Walker and Ted Schwerzler discuss the 4-1 win over the Royals and compete for the Postgame Pint Pooh-bah title. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMtRSXrwuXY&feature=youtu.be Download The Postgame Pint Podcast You can also listen to the Postgame Pint and never miss another one. Just head over to our iTunes page and subscribe. Every morning you'll have a new episode waiting for you. Or listen wherever you download your favorite podcasts.

Here’s a review of what went down in the ninth inning yesterday: So in addition to one really terrible strike call, the Royals were also not pleased with Romo gesturing toward their dugout a couple times, including shouting “keep talking” after he recorded the save. These two teams faceoff once again tonight at Target Field. Click here to subscribe to Tom's YouTube channel. MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email

TODAY Twins vs. Royals Game 1: 12:35 pm Jake Odorizzi vs. Ian Kennedy Game 2: 30 minutes following the conclusion of Game 1 José Berrios vs. Danny Duffy GAME 1 LINEUP https://twitter.com/Twins/status/1294625575928307719 Baseball is resistant to change, and that’s a good thing for the most part. The traditions and familiarity that go along with the game are comforting. Every once in a while, however, it’s nice to see something new. We’ll be seeing something new this afternoon, as the Twins and Royals play a doubleheader of games scheduled for seven innings. A negative traditionalist might look down their nose at the plan to play abbreviated games, but coming into today’s tilt with an open mind may help uncover a fun element to this. These games are more immediate and intense. Earlier this month, the Reds and Tigers became the first teams to take part in a doubleheader this season. The Reds swept, taking Game 1 after scoring the go-ahead run in the top of the seventh (and final) inning before riding a (seven-inning) complete game shutout from Trevor Bauer in Game 2. The bottom hitters in Detroit’s lineup got just two plate appearances in that second game. Time’s short, you’d better make the most of your opportunities. Here’s what Nick Senzel of the Reds had to say about the experience, as reported by The Sporting News: “Those seven innings, everyone’s really locked in to every single pitch,” he said. “Because you erase two innings, so much is going on. I think the intensity is there, for sure, in both those seven-inning games. “The seven-inning doubleheader, we kind of liked.” This odd 2020 season has created opportunities for all sorts of new, weird baseball math. Every game is essentially the equivalent to 2.7 games compared to the 162-game season. Well today, every out will be like it’s worth the equivalent of 1.286 outs compared to a nine-inning game. Embrace the weird. NEWS & NOTES — Sometime this morning the Twins are expected to announce the 29th man added to their roster for this doubleheader. UPDATE: It's Sean Poppen. — Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported that a Reds player has tested positive for COVID-19. Tonight’s Reds-Pirates game has been postponed. — Josh Norris of Baseball America reported that MLB is considering increasing the alternate site player pool by roughly 15. AROUND THE AL CENTRAL CLE 10, DET 5 1. MIN 12-7 (+33 run differential) 2. CLE 11-9 (+16) 3. DET 9-8 (-7) 4. CHW 10-9 (-1) 5. KCR 8-11 (-5) SEE ALSO The Only Trade The Twins Need to Consider Before the Deadline Byron Buxton’s Aggressive Approach at the Plate Is Paying Off The 5 Best Bets to Win Twins MVP How Can the Twins Get Miguel Sano Going?