DETROIT — Make it three times this season the Twins have been waylaid by bad weather … forecasts.
Rain has cleared in Detroit; Twins make two moves in bullpen
Charlie Barnes will make his big-league debut vs. Tigers
July 17, 2021 at 3:34PM
The rain finally relented in eastern Michigan an hour or two before sunset on Friday, and it likely would have been possible to play the second of two scheduled games. But the Tigers had already made an understandable call several hours earlier, when heavy rain appeared set to stick around all day.
It was the third time this season that the Twins have had games postponed, only to watch the skies clear up. But the sun is burning through clouds above Comerica Park today, and Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said he's confident that they'll get a long day of baseball in today, starting at 12:10 p.m. Central time.
Charlie Barnes, the team's fourth-round pick in 2017, makes his major-league debut in the first game, with Kenta Maeda starting the second game.
Behind those starters, Baldelli will employ a bullpen that's been shuffled yet again. Derek Law was placed on the injured list this morning with a right shoulder impingement, though Baldelli said the Twins don't believe the injury to be especially serious. And Danny Coulombe has not yet returned to the team from Texas, after his wife gave birth over the break. He's on the paternity list, with Coulombe expected to rejoin the team in Chicago on Monday or Tuesday.
In their place, the Twins have recalled right-handers Juan Minaya and Beau Burrows from Class AAA St. Paul. Burrows was claimed off waivers from the Tigers in June, and has a 1.59 ERA for the Saints in three appearances. Minaya has a 3.41 ERA at Triple-A, and has appeared in four games for the Twins this season.
The news isn't good for Randy Dobnak and Devin Smeltzer, though. Both we placed on the 60-day injured list in order to free up roster spots for Minaya and Burrows. Dobnak's finger injury still causes him pain, Baldelli said, and while Smeltzer's elbow is no longer a problem, a back injury has continued to sideline him.
Here are the lineups for today's first game:
TWINS
Arraez LF
Donaldson 3B
Larnach RF
Cruz DH
Kirilloff 1B
Polanco 2B
Kepler CF
Rortvedt C
Simmons SS
Barnes RHP
TIGERS
Grossman RF
School 1B
Haase LF
Cabrera DH
Candelario 3B
Paredes 2B
Short SS
Rogers C
Hill CF
Urena RHP
Gerrit Cole gave up his opt-out right on Monday and will remain with the New York Yankees under a contract that runs through 2028 rather than become a free agent.
