The Minnesota Twins and Los Angeles Angels open a three-game set Friday night at Target Field, and both clubs come in carrying plenty of injury baggage. First pitch is set for 8:10 p.m. ET, with Brooks Lee and the Twins meeting Mike Trout and the Angels.
The pitching matchups are already lined up for the weekend. Friday brings Zebby Matthews against Grayson Rodriguez, Saturday features Joe Ryan versus Ryan Johnson, and Sunday closes with Taj Bradley facing José Soriano.
All three games are scheduled for 8:10 p.m. ET on Friday and 2:10 p.m.
ET on Saturday and Sunday, with Twins.TV and ABTV carrying the broadcasts.
Minnesota’s injured list is crowded. Byron Buxton is on the 10-day IL with a hip injury after putting up a .271/.328/.575 line with 25 HR and 45 RBI.
Ryan Jeffers is also on the 10-day IL because of a hand injury, and he has hit .295/.408/.541 with 7 HR and 26 RBI. The Twins also have Bailey Ober, Cole Sands, Marco Raya, Anthony Banda and Mick Abel on the 15-day IL, along with Pablo Lopez, Garrett Acton and David Festa on the 60-day IL.
Zebby Matthews is listed day-to-day with a foot injury.
The Angels are dealing with their own long list of absences. Sebastian Rivero, Gustavo Campero and Adam Frazier are all on the 10-day IL.
Frazier’s entry includes both his hitting line, .210/.297/.333 with 1 HR and 6 RBI, and his pitching line, 0-0 with an 18.00 ERA and 0.0 K/9. Grayson Rodriguez is on the 15-day IL with a back injury, though he is still listed for Friday’s start.
Los Angeles also has Jack Kochanowicz, Yoan Moncada, Robert Stephenson, Travis d'Arnaud, Anthony Rendón and Yusei Kikuchi on the 60-day IL.
The recent form tells a clear story. Over their last 10 games, the Twins are 6-3 with 15 home runs, a .261 average, a .333 on-base percentage and a .455 slugging percentage. Their staff has posted a 3.78 ERA with a .215 batting average against and 10.0 K/9.
The Angels have gone 2-8 in that same stretch. They’ve hit six homers, batted .221, posted a .266 OBP and a .313 SLG, and their pitching has carried a 5.13 ERA with a .243 BAA and 10.3 K/9.
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