Byron Buxton might have an extra jump in his step when the Minnesota Twins take on the San Diego Padres on Saturday evening in Minneapolis.
Buxton is coming off an individual milestone after he secured his first career 20-20 season — at least 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases — on Friday. He became the seventh player in Twins history to accomplish the feat, joining players such as Kirby Puckett, Marty Cordova and Torii Hunter.
Buxton, 31, is hitting .269 with 27 homers, 66 RBIs and 21 steals in 101 games this season.
“He never comes in the office too often by himself, but he walked right in there after the game for some high-fives,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said after his team’s 7-4 win over the Padres on Friday. “He was pretty fired up.”
The Twins, who have lost five series in a row, would earn a series victory with a win Saturday. Their last series win took place Aug. 8-10, when they took two of three games against the Kansas City Royals.
Meanwhile, San Diego is looking to dig out of a slump. The Padres have lost four of their past five games after winning the previous five in a row.
A spate of injuries has created challenges for the Padres. Top players such as Jackson Merrill and Michael King remain out, and this week the team placed Xander Bogaerts on the injured list because of a broken left foot.
Merrill is eligible to be activated Saturday but will not join the team in Minneapolis. He is rehabilitating in Arizona and is close to joining the team, manager Mike Shildt said.
“(On Saturday), he’s going to get some more live at-bats,” Shildt said. “He’s trending (in) a good direction. He was able to do a little bit more running (Friday), a little more aggressive running. Just like always, it’s how he recovers, but he’s in a better spot.”
King also is closer to returning after pitching four innings in a simulated game Friday in Fort Wayne, Ind. He could be on track to rejoin the team next week.
In the meantime, the Padres will look to right-hander Nick Pivetta (13-4, 2.82 ERA) to help them even the series. He will aim to stay hot after going 2-0 with a 1.93 ERA over his past three starts, during which time he has allowed four runs on nine hits in 18 2/3 innings.
Pivetta has struggled in four career starts against the Twins. He is 2-1 with a 6.19 ERA in those outings, although he fared better in his most recent matchup last season when he earned a victory and allowed one unearned run in five innings.
The Twins will counter with right-hander Taj Bradley (6-7, 4.95), who is set to make his 23rd start of the season and his second with Minnesota. He was knocked around in his Twins debut Sunday as he allowed seven runs on nine hits in five innings in an 8-0 loss to the Chicago White Sox.
Bradley has started once against the Padres, and it did not go well. He gave up eight runs on eight hits in 2 1/3 innings last August.