The Minnesota Twins sent RHP Jose Berrios to the mound and there is a possibility of rain 
*Josh Donaldson’s Twitter handle is @BringerOfRain20 because he’s a huge fan of the show Spartacus: Blood & Sand and one of Spartacus’ nicknames in Bringer of Rain.
INF Ildemaro Vargas was Designated for Assignment (DFA’d) or Release to make room on the roster.
Here’s how the lineup looks for tonight’s Rubber Game against their White Sox, who send RHP Reynaldo Lopez to the mound. He faced the Twins in the 3rd game of the season in Chicago and was removed after getting only 2 outs in the first inning, as he allowed 4 earned runs (all scored with 2 outs in the 1st) on a 2 walks, a double off the bat of Nelson Cruz and a Grand Slam from Jake Cave. Does that bode well for the Twins tonight? That’s difficult to know but he did allow 4 runs in 7.1 innings on 7 hits and 4 walks while striking out 8 in his last 2 starts, lowering his Earned Run Average(ERA) from 54.00 to 9.00. We’ll see if the Twins raise that ERA back up again.
CF Byron Buxton is getting a regular day off so Jake Cave is in the lineup.
Time to start a Winning Streak, fellas!!!
Twins Lineup:
RF Max Kepler
3B Josh Donaldson
SS Jorge Polanco
DH Nelson Cruz
LF Eddie Rosario
1B Miguel Sano
2B Luis Arraez
CF Jake Cave
C Ryan Jeffers
White Sox lineup:
SS Tim Anderson
3B Yoan Moncada
C Yasmani Grandal
1B Jose Abreu
LF Eloy Jimenez
DH Edwin Encarnacion
CF Luis Robert
RF Nomar Mazara
2B Nick Madrigal
Are the Twins back, now? After a nice win last night, will they start having fun and play like they and their fans expect them to? Let’s find out!
Jose started the game by setting the Chicago White Sox down 1-2-3 in the top of the 1st with a groundout to short, a bunt attempt that Jose pounced on, barehanded and threw out Moncada at 1st and a strikeout looking on a foul tip on Yasmani Grandal. After the bunt attempt, Jose Berrios half-heartedly looked over at the White Sox dugout like you’re really going to try to bunt against me? Haha
In the bottom of the 1st, it looked like the Twins came to play as they got back-to-back singles from Max Kepler and Josh Donaldson then got a walk from Jorge Polanco to load the bases but Nelson Cruz struck out on a foul tip and Eddie Rosario grounded into a 4-6-3 inning-ending double play. The Twins challenged the out at 2nd base because it appeared that Anderson didn’t have his foot on the bag but they stayed with the call on the field to end the 1st.
The White Sox got a leadoff single from Jose Abreu then a 1-out single from Edwin Encarnacion but Jose struck out the side to get out of that jam. The Twins led off the bottom of the 2nd with a Miguel Sano strikeout looking then Luis Arraez flew out to left field. Jake Cave then came up to the plate and he must really like hitting against Reynaldo Lopez because he hit his 2nd HR of the season out to center field to put the Twins up 1-0. Both of Cave’s HRs have come off of Lopez, his first one in the 3rd game of the season on a Grand Slam in the 1st inning.
Ryan Jeffers walked then Max Kepler reached on an error and Josh Donaldson hit a beautiful line-drive to right center field that scored both Jeffers & Kepler and that was it for Lopez. He lasted an inning longer than the last time he faced the Twins. Progress.
LHP Ross Detwiler came in for the White Sox and walked Polanco on 5 balls. 1 of them was called a strike as the homeplate ump had a rough night calling pitches. Cruz then grounded out to end the 2nd. 3-0 Twins
Marwin Gonzalez replaced Max Kepler in the top of the 3rd due to a left groin injury.
Berrios allowed a lead off single to Nick Madrigal then got a double play ball off the bat of Tim Anderson but the throw from 2nd was offline and may not have beaten Anderson anyway. Moncada then walked. Twins Pitching Coach Wes Johnson went out to talk to Jose Berrios then Berrios walked the bases loaded and, with the Twins infield in to cut down the run, he induced a groundball but Sano may have taken his eye off the ball for a split second to look at the runner at 3rd. The run scored but he still got the out at 1st and Berrios struck out Jimenez swinging for the 2nd time to end the top of the 3rd. 3-1 Twins
We’ve said this a lot on here but we’ll keep saying it. The 2019 Twins had a resilience about them that came out whenever they were scored on or lost a game or a series so we wondered if they are getting back to that and after being scored on in the top of the 3rd, would they respond to it in the bottom of the 3rd.
Rosario grounded out to 1st for the 1st out. That brought up Miguel Sano and he appeared to have swung on a check swing but they 1st base coach said he didn’t so it was Ball 3 and a full count. The very next pitch went off the facing of the 2nd deck in left center field for Miguel Sano’s 8th HR of the season.
Arraez singled afterward but Cave struck out and Jeffers popped out to 1st to end the 3rd but respond they did. 4-0 Twins
The White Sox went down 1-2-3 in the top of the 4th on a lineout, a groundout and Jose Berrios’ 6th strikeout. The Twins had Polanco reach on an error from the 3B and Cruz followed with a single but Rosie fouled out on a popup to 1st to end the 4th.
The White Sox got a baserunner on a Luis Arraez fielding error and that baserunner advanced to 2nd on a wild pitch but Moncada struck out and Grandal flew out to left to end the threat. RHP Zack Burdi replaced LHP Ross Detwiler to pitch the 5th for the White Sox and he gave up a Miguel Sano double(12) high off the right center field wall. Arraez then grounded into a forceout at 1st. Jose Abreu saw Sano off of 2nd so he got Sano in a rundown and Sano just wanted to stay in it long enough to allow Arraez to get to 2nd but a throw from SS Tim Anderson got past 3rd base, allowing Sano to score. Arraez was already at 2nd so they could’ve just chased Sano down. Jake Cave hit an RBI-single on a line-drive to right field to score Arraez from 2nd. Zack Burdi then struck out the side but did allow another walk. 6-1 Twins
Berrios began the 6th by hitting Jose Abreu with a pitch then struck out Jimenez for the 3rd time. He then got Encarnacion to fly out to right field and Luis Robert to line out to right field. RHP Jimmy Cordero replaced Zack Burdi to pitch the 6th & he walked Nelson Cruz. Eddie Rosario then hit his 8th HR of the season over the center field wall.
Sano struck out for the first out. Luis Arraez then reached on a fielding error in left field but limped out of the batter’s box after he hit the ball and he came off the field favoring his left leg. He was replaced by Ehire Adrianza but both Cave & Jeffers struck out to end the 6th. 8-1 Twins
Twins RHP Jorge Alcala replaced Jose Berrios who had a line of 6IP 3H 1R/ER 2BB 8K 1 HBP & 1 WP. Alcala went the next 2 innings allowing just 1 hit, a double to CF by Yasmani Grandal in the top of the 8th that maybe should’ve just been a single but Jake Cave tried to catch it by diving forward and missed but got enough of it to hold Grandal to a double. Up 7 runs in the 8th, do you need to dive to try to make a catch there? I don’t know. It’s up for debate. I’d be interested to hear your ‘Takes on that. Alcala got Abreu to strike out and pinch-hitter Jarrod Dyson to ground out to end the top of the 8th so it didn’t matter.
Twins LHP Devin Smeltzer got the 9th and struck out Edwin Encarnacion swinging for the 1st out then got a ground out to short & a lineout to center to end the game.
#MNTwins 8, #ChangeTheGame 1 | F
W-Berrios(3-3) L-Lopez(0-2)
Berrios:6IP 3H 1R/ER 2BB 8K 1 WIN #LaMaKKKKKKKKina
#MNBP:3IP 1H 0R/ER 0BB 3K…
Alcala:2IP 1H 0R/ER 0BB 2K
Smeltzer:1IP 0H 0R/ER 0BB 1K
HR:
MN:Cave(2) Sano(8) Rosario(8)
2B:
MN:Donaldson(1) Sano(12)
Kepler: H, R Left game in 2nd (left groin)
Arraez: H, R Left game in 6th (left foot/leg?)
Donaldson: 2-5-2-run 2B(1)
Sano: HR(8) 2B(12) 2 R
Cave: HR(2) RBI-1B
Rosario: HR(8) 2 RBI
Polanco: 2 BB
Cruz: H, BB, R
Jeffers: BB, R
Marwin: BB
Day off tomorrow.
5-Game Series vs DET begins on FRI w/Game 1 considered a DET home game because of the postponed game last week.
Game 1: 1:10pm – RHP Dobnak vs LHP Boyd
Game 2: TBD – I believe since it’s a doubleheader, it’s 2 7-inning games and the 2nd game will start 30 minutes after Game 1 ends.
We’ll let you know if anything happens with the injuries to RF Max Kepler & 2B Luis Arraez. Arraez looked to be pretty upset so who knows how much that tells of the seriousness of it. He’s been dealing with left knee soreness off & on this season and he had the look of “Not again” so INF Ildemaro Vargas, who was Designated For Assignment so the Twins could activate Josh Donaldson, may be making a quick return to the roster. As for Kepler, it’s his groin & those are sometimes slow to heal so that could mean either a return recall of OF LaMonte Wade, Jr, or maybe OF/1B Brent Rooker who a lot of people have been saying the Twins need to call up.
Thanks for reading our ‘Takes! We’d love to see your ‘Takes. That’s why it’s…
