The Twins open another AL Central series at Target Field on Monday night, and the matchup brings a familiar kind of pressure. Minnesota and Detroit both entered the second half hoping to chase October baseball, but now the two clubs are lining up to battle for third place in the division.
Minnesota turns to right-hander Taj Bradley in the opener. Bradley is 9-6 with a 3.97 ERA this season, and his history against the Tigers has been a mixed bag: he’s 1-1 with a 5.06 ERA in two career outings.
The immediate task for him is simple enough - keep runs off the board. He hasn’t picked up a win in his last seven starts, and over that stretch he’s posted a 4.31 ERA.
Detroit counters with right-hander Jackson Jobe, who comes in at 1-1 with a 3.93 ERA. Jobe has already seen the Twins once and didn’t allow a run in that appearance, while Minnesota’s current lineup has never faced him. That makes this a fresh test on both sides, with neither club able to lean on much recent history.
First pitch is set for 6:40 p.m. CT.
At the plate, Dillon Dingler stands out as the Tigers’ most dangerous bat. He’s had success against Bradley before, going 3-for-5 with a home run in his career against him. Detroit’s offense hasn’t made much noise this season, but Dingler has been one of the bright spots and figures to be an important out for Minnesota in key moments.
For the Twins, Lee has been swinging a hot bat lately. Over his last seven games, he has eight hits, three home runs, and five RBIs, giving Minnesota a possible spark near the top of the order. If Sunday hinted at the kind of offensive tone this series could take, Lee will need to stay locked in against a division rival.
Minnesota also needs Ryan Jeffers to find his rhythm. Since returning from the IL, he hasn’t looked like himself, especially with the power game, and Saturday was one of his roughest performances of the season on both offense and defense. The Twins need his bat to wake up, and getting that started tonight would go a long way.
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Minnesota has liked what it has seen since then. Keaschall has reached base safely in each of his seven games atop the order, giving the lineup a steadier start and a better chance to build innings around him. The bigger question now is whether this is a short-term spark or the beginning of a longer answer for a position the Twins have been trying to settle. [Read more 🡒]