August 11, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Twins heart fielder Byron Buxton (25) hits a success ball within the second inning towards the Cleveland Guardians at Goal Area Solo house run. Obligatory Credit score: Jordan Johnson-Imagn Photographs Byron Buxton is again. Royce Lewis is coming off an enormous recreation. Bailey Ober, 6-foot-9, is able to climb to the highest of the mound.
The Minnesota Twins (78-68) know they’re going to have an important weekend sequence towards the Cincinnati Reds (71-77) on Friday evening in Minneapolis, they usually hope they’re prepared , to make it profitable.
Minnesota leads the Detroit Tigers by 3 1/2 video games for the American League’s remaining wild-card spot. The Twins cannot afford to slide with 16 video games remaining.
“It is pressing,” Twins supervisor Rocco Baldelli stated. “Now we have to discover a strategy to win as a lot as attainable.”
Buxton, the thrilling and oft-injured outfielder who has not performed since Aug. 12 as a result of a hip harm, is struggling. The Twins plan to activate him from the injured record on Friday.
The 30-year-old Buxton hit .275 with 16 house runs, 49 RBIs and 6 stolen bases in 90 video games this season. His .862 OPS ranks second amongst certified hitters on the staff, behind the injured Carlos Correa.
Buxton’s arrival has energized Lewis and different Twins regulars.
“It is so thrilling,” stated Lewis, who went 2-for-4 with a double and two runs scored in Wednesday’s 6-4 victory over the Los Angeles Angels. “I feel it is nice for everybody as a result of regardless of how we really feel or what’s occurred previously, it is a glimmer of hope.”
Reds right-hander Julian Aguiar (1-0, 5.06 ERA) will attempt to spoil the Twins’ good really feel. The rookie from Lengthy Seashore, Calif., is predicted to make his sixth profession begin.
Aguilar was held and not using a resolution on Sunday towards the New York Mets. In 4 2/3 scoreless innings, he allowed two hits, allowed two runs and struck out two.
This will likely be Aguilar’s first profession recreation towards the Twins.
Minnesota will go up towards Ober (12-6, 3.77), a burly right-hander who has struck out 162 batters in 155 innings. He has allowed one run in 13 video games over his previous two video games towards the Toronto Blue Jays and Kansas Metropolis Royals.
The 29-year-old Ober confronted Cincinnati twice in his profession and achieved a 0-0 file with an ERA of 5.79.
The Reds will attempt to bounce again from a 6-1 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday. Cincinnati had simply 4 hits and no further bases, and Jonathan India drove within the staff’s single.
Reds head coach David Bell praised Cardinals right-hander Sonny Grey for getting higher leads to Cincinnati’s lineup. Grey was teammates with Ober the earlier two seasons with the Twins.
“Sonny was nice early on,” Bell stated. “We created probabilities early within the innings, however we could not get the large hits. Sonny did a superb job of limiting the injury and bowling the ball.”
If Reds shortstop Eli De La Cruz will get on base, he might check the Twins’ catchers. De La Cruz has 64 stolen bases this season, 16 greater than the second-leading participant within the majors (Shohei Ohtani, 48).
Reds outfielder Will Benson’s standing for the sequence opener is unsure after he left Thursday’s recreation with a finger harm. Benson was hit on his left center finger whereas attempting to bunt.
–Scene-level media
