Minnesota Twins outfielder Max Kepler blasted three home runs in Cleveland on Thursday, but that wasn’t enough to get him into Friday’s starting lineup. He’ll be on the lineup card for the second game of the series against the Tigers on Saturday.
With Detroit’s left-handed ace Matthew Boyd on the mound Friday, Kepler was left on the bench, though it has nothing to do with how he has been playing lately.
“With the way that we’re kind of configured right now, everyone’s going to have their day and it was pre-planned,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli told MLB.com of keeping Kepler out of the starting lineup. “We talk about our lineups well beforehand and it doesn’t always hold true 100 percent day to day what you plan to do. … But yeah, you kind of almost laugh to yourself and go, ‘This guy just went deep three times.’”
Designated hitter Miguel Sano has not made Baldelli’s lineup card two straight games but is also expected to return on Saturday.
The Twins’ scheduled starter for Saturday, right-hander Kyle Gibson (6-2, 3.75 ERA), has won four of his last five starts. He didn’t give up an earned run in a five-inning outing against Tampa Bay on Saturday and allowed just one earned run in seven innings to the Chicago White Sox his previous start on May 25.
Gibson feels he has a greater margin for error this season, thanks to his team’s formidable offense.
“We’ve talked a lot this year about it really being the confidence-driver for the team,” Gibson told MLB.com. “When the offense is going to score three or four runs a game, you show up to the park knowing — especially as a starting pitcher — one or two runs probably isn’t going to beat you, and if it does, it’s going to be rare. When the offense goes out and scores five or six a game, that’s ultimately what gives this team the life and the confidence that we have today.”
The Tigers are quite familiar with Gibson. He’s started against them 19 times in his career, posting an 8-8 record and 5.13 ERA.
Detroit will use a committee approach on Saturday, though left-hander Nick Ramirez is expected to eat up some of those innings. Ramirez most recently pitched an inning against Tampa Bay on Wednesday.
Whoever takes the mound, manager Ron Gardenhire knows his former team will turn mistakes into long balls. The Twins, who are on pace to set the major league record for most homers in a season, went deep three times in their 6-3 win on Friday.
“Every report I read and everything I highlighted (on the reports) said about the same — a very aggressive team in the zone and they can swing out of the zone and hit them out, too,” he said. “I watched a lot of these guys grow up and they can swing it. And they’re very athletic. This team comes to play and they don’t leave anything on the table.”
Minnesota has a 5-2 lead in the season series. The Tigers went 7-12 against the Twins last season.
Twins shortstop Jorge Polanco will carry a 22-game on-base streak into the contest.
The weekend series begins a stretch where the Tigers will play 12 of 14 games against Central Division teams.