Twins try to rebound from series loss, facing Ohtani on the mound
First Pitch: 9:10 CT
TV: Twins.TV
Radio: TIBN
Opposing Website: True Blue LA
It’s game 100!!!!! Twins are 48-51.
Royce looks to head to his home state after his first multi-home run performance on Sunday.
Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images
Twins Lineup
CF: Buxton
2B: Castro
DH: Larnach
C: Jeffers
1B: Clemens
SS: Correa
3B: Lewis
RF: Wallner
LF: Bader
SP: Festa
Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images
Ohtani is on the mound tonight. He’s expected to go three innings.
Dodgers Lineup
SS: Betts
DH: Ohtani
C: Smith
1B: Freeman
RF: Hernández, T.
LF: Conforto
CF: Pages
2B: Kim
3B: Edman
SP: Ohtani
The Minnesota Twins begin a three-game series tonight in Los Angeles against a Dodgers team who is 2-10 and coming off a Milwaukee Brewers sweep. The boys in blue have lost three in a row.
Minnesota enters the matchup fresh off a disappointing series against baseball’s worst, but Joe Ryan pitched a gem of a game Sunday, striking out 11 in seven strong. Twins win 7-1 in Colorado after Friday and Saturday losses.
On the mound for the Dodgers is Shohei Ohtani, who continues his gradual return to the starting rotation following his 2023 Tommy John surgery. Ohtani is expected to pitch three innings in what will be his sixth start of the season. He’s been sharp in limited action, entering tonight with a 1.00 ERA. Ohtani has faced the Twins three times, and fared well, owning a 2.08 ERA and 1-0 record with 27 strikeouts in just over 17 innings,
The Twins will counter with right-hander David Festa, who has won two of his last three starts. Festa is coming off a solid outing against the Cubs on July 9, allowing two runs over 5 1/3 innings. He has never faced the Dodgers.
Offensively, the Twins showed signs of life in Sunday’s series finale against the Rockies. Royce Lewis belted two home runs, the first multi-home run game for him, which I had no idea. When he was hitting grand salamis left and right, I just assumed one came in a game when he had already hit a home run for some reason. Or in the playoffs when it felt like anytime he was up it was going to be gone. Regardless, great day for Lewis in a time when he needed it most.
Hopefully Royce and the rest of the Twins take Sunday’s momentum and keep it going.
Go Twins!