Monday night’s Twins-Braves matchup at Target Field won’t begin on schedule, with the first pitch pushed back because of inclement weather. The game had been set for 6:40 p.m. CDT before the delay was announced.
Minnesota said, “We will be starting tonight's game in an @uponor
rain delay and we will provide more details when they become available pic.twitter.com/qCWJerkf5g”
At the outset of the delay, there didn’t appear to be rain falling at Target Field. The hourly forecast in Minneapolis, as of 6:40 p.m. CDT, called for partly cloudy conditions at 6:40 p.m., an 85% chance of rain at 7:00 p.m., and 15% mostly cloudy weather at 8:00 p.m.
The Twins later said the game is expected to start at 7:30 p.m. CDT, posting: “Estimated first pitch is 7:30pm https://t.co/WfxvxyUPWa”
Minnesota comes into the night needing a win after getting swept by the Philadelphia Phillies in three games. A loss here would mean four straight defeats, which would be a rough stretch for a club still in the middle of the playoff chase. Even with the skid, the Twins are only 1 1/2 games behind the Baltimore Orioles for the final American League Wild Card spot.
The challenge is steep. Atlanta has the third-best record in MLB at 74-50 and holds a 7 1/2-game cushion over second-place Philadelphia in the National League East.
Here’s how the Twins lined up before the delay:
Luke Keaschall RF
Byron Buxton CF
Ryan Jeffers C
Josh Bell DH
Royce Lewis 1B
Kody Clemens 2B
Brooks Lee 3B
Kaelen Culpepper SS
Alan Roden LF
The Braves’ lineup:
Drake Baldwin C
Ronald Acuña Jr.
RF
Matt Olson 1B
Michael Harris II CF
Mauricio Dubón LF
Ozzie Albies 2B
Mike Yastrzemski RF
Austin Riley 3B
Jim Jarvis SS
Bailey Ober was slated to start for Minnesota. The right-hander is 7-4 with a 4.64 ERA, a 1.23 WHIP and 69 strikeouts in 99 innings over 18 starts this season. He’s coming off a rough outing against the Baltimore Orioles last Tuesday, when he gave up five earned runs across six innings.
Martín Pérez, a former Twins left-hander, was lined up to take the ball for Atlanta. The 35-year-old has been excellent this year, owning a 2.96 ERA, a 1.15 WHIP and 80 strikeouts in 106 1/3 innings. In his last start last Tuesday, Pérez threw six scoreless innings against the New York Mets.
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