Media by Associated Press – Minnesota Twins’ Carlos Correa (4) runs to first base after hitting a single during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Tampa Bay Rays, Saturday, April 30, 2022, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)
Two American League division leaders go head-to-head this week as the New York Yankees (39-15) travel to the Twin Cities for a three-game series against the Minnesota Twins (32-24).
The Yankees have won six in a row while the Twins return home from a 3-5 road trip to Detroit and Toronto. After a Monday off day for both sides, the series begins Tuesday at 7:40 p.m. ET from Target Field, aired in both markets regionally.
The Yankees will start RHP Jameson Taillon (6-1, 2.30) on Tuesday, while the Twins have not announced a starting pitcher. Five of the eight Twins starters are currently on the injured list, and they could turn to a Triple-A prospect or go with a bullpen game.
Last year the Yankees went 6-1 against the Twins, and they are 4-2 at Target Field since the start of the 2019 season.
Twins Hurting, Slumping
For everything that went the Twins’ way over the first six weeks of the season, the last ten days have been rough. In addition to having five starting pitchers injured, Minnesota has been without outfielder Max Kepler, shortstop Carlos Correa, rookie infielder Royce Lewis and closer Emilio Pagan.
Kepler and Pagan were not allowed to travel to Toronto as unvaccinated players but are back for this series, as is Correa, who finally produced a negative COVID test over the weekend.
Minnesota is 17-11 at home this season and 21-17 against right-handed pitchers. They are 8-6 against the AL East and 4-6 in their last ten games. The Twins are second in the AL with a team batting average of .248, and their team ERA of 3.66 ranks fourth.
Luis Arraez leads the Twins with a .358 average and 29 runs scored. Byron Buxton leads the team with 12 home runs and 23 RBI while scoring 27 runs. Former Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez has seven homers and 27 RBI, while Jorge Polanco has six homers and 29 RBI.
If the Twins go with a starter from their Triple-A club, options include RHP Cole Sands and RHP Jordan Balazovic. Sands started May 31 in game two of the double header at Detroit, allowing four runs on five hits over four innings. Balazovic is listed as the Saint Paul Saints starter for Tuesday and is 0-2 in six Triple-A starts this season.
Taillon Has Been Brilliant
The Yankees are streaking again, with six straight wins and the best record in baseball. They are 16-8 on the road this season and 27-10 against right-handed pitching. The Yankees have dominated the AL Central so far this season, going 15-4 with games against every team except Minnesota.
New York dominated the Detroit Tigers all weekend, sweeping the series by a combined score of 21-4. The three starting pitchers, Gerrit Cole, Luis Severino, and Jordan Montgomery, combined to allow just two runs on eight hits over 20 ⅓ innings while striking out 24. The offense hit seven home runs in the series, with two each from Aaron Judge and Anthony Rizzo.
Judge leads the Yankees with a .313 average, 21 home runs, 42 RBI, and 44 runs scored. Giancarlo Stanton returned from the IL on Saturday with a hit, and he has 35 RBI on 11 home runs this season. Rizzo has 13 homers and 35 RBI, while Carpenter has four homers in eight games since joining the team.
Taillon flirted with a perfect game on Thursday against the Angels, settling for two hits and one allowed over eight innings. His previous start against Tampa Bay was eight shutout innings with two hits allowed, and he struck out five in both games. Taillon has gone at least five innings and allowed three runs or less in six straight starts.
Last season he beat the Twins with three runs allowed on five hits over 5⅓ innings. He is 2-1 all-time against the Twins, with only Max Kepler and Jorge Polanco having hits against him. The other four Twins he has faced, including Buxton, are a combined 0-for-8.
Betting Analysis
Having a bullpen game or a minor league call-up start against the Yankees’ powerful lineup is not ideal. This is exacerbated with Taillon on the mound for New York and the Twins roster hurting from top to bottom.
Minnesota should be more competitive later in the series with Dylan Bundy and Chris Archer on the mound, but the Yankees take the opener.
Betting Pick: Yankees Win by 2+
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