Twins-L.A. Angels series preview
April 16, 2021 at 2:49AM
Friday, 8:38 p.m. • BSN Plus, 830-AM: LHP Lewis Thorpe (first appearance) vs. LHP Andrew Heaney (1-1, 7.00 ERA)
Saturday, 8:07 p.m. • FS1, 830-AM: RHP Matt Shoemaker (1-0, 4.09) vs. LHP Jose Quintana (0-1, 16.20)
Sunday, 3:07 p.m. • BSN, 830-AM:
LHP J.A. Happ (0-0, 3.12) vs. RHP Alex Cobb (1-0, 4.63)
Twins update
Thorpe was called up to start after the rotation backup caused by Wednesday's doubleheader. Shaun Anderson's one-day call-up ended when he was sent down. … SS Andrelton Simmons (COVID-19) will miss the series against his former teammates. Simmons played the previous five seasons for Los Angeles. Shoemaker and RHP Hansel Robles are also former Angels. … Twins leadoff hitters are 20-for-56 (.357) with seven walks. … DH Nelson Cruz has a 10-game hitting streak and CF Byron Buxton, who missed the past three games because of a hamstring strain, has a nine-game streak. … Cruz has three homers in 17 at-bats vs. Heaney.
Angels update
The Angels (7-5) are second in the AL West. … Shohei Ohtani has four homers, 12 RBI and is hitting .340; he isn't scheduled to pitch in this series. … CF Mike Trout is hitting .381 with four homers. … L.A. has two former Twins, C Kurt Suzuki and P Aaron Slegers. … 3B Anthony Rendon (groin) is on the 10-day IL and RF Dexter Fowler (knee) is on the 60-day IL. … Quintana is 7-8 with a 4.05 ERA in 21 starts vs. the Twins. … Cobb had 17 Ks in 11⅔ innings in his first two starts. … 41-year-old 1B Albert Pujols is hitting .226 with one homer in nine games. He is fifth all-time with 663 HRs and third with 2,104 RBI (he needs 194 to pass Hank Aaron for the major league record).
Chris Miller
about the writer
Grumbling about the Timberwolves’ inconsistency and Twins’ lack of offseason activity can dominate the narratives. But both teams could be in better shape than some might think.
