Eight days and nearly half a team later, the Minnesota Twins finally return home.
Much has changed for the Twins, who last played a home game on July 30 — one day before the front office executed a fire sale at the trade deadline. By the time Minnesota regrouped for its six-game road trip starting Aug. 1, the Twins had shipped away 10 players representing almost 40 percent of the big-league roster.
A slew of replacements from other organizations and the minor leagues helped Minnesota go 3-3 on its road trip. The Twins aim for another win when they meet the Kansas City Royals on Friday night to start a three-game series in Minneapolis.
Alan Roden, one of several young players who joined the Twins last week, said he and his teammates are eager to prove themselves.
“We kind of all are at that stage where we’re trying to get our feet wet in the big leagues and all trying to figure it out,” Roden said. “It’s pretty fun to go through that with guys. Hopefully, we can build each other up.”
Outfielder Austin Martin is a key part of that group. He waited at Triple-A St. Paul all season for another shot at the big leagues — and it finally arrived after the Twins’ trades opened up roster spots.
Martin has tried to provide a spark at the plate and in the field. He tried to make a diving catch this week and came up short, but he said the missed catch will not subdue his all-out effort.
“I’m just trying to play with confidence and (trying) to get as many balls as I possibly can,” Martin said. “I want to play aggressive, but not reckless. Sometimes, you have to test the waters to see what you can get to and what you can’t.”
The Royals took the opposite approach at the trade deadline as they fortified their roster and signed one of their top pitchers, Seth Lugo, to an extension. But Kansas City also has posted a 3-3 mark since that point and finds itself one game below .500.
Royals veteran Jonathan India will try to put together back-to-back quality performances at the plate. He helped Kansas City finish a weekday series with a 7-3 win over the Boston Red Sox as he went 2-for-4 with three RBIs on Wednesday.
India said he hoped that he was hitting a groove after a tough start to the season.
“It’s nothing to do with the organization, they treat me with such respect,” India said. “It’s very structured, and it’s a winning organization, which I love. So, it’s me. I just need to get built in here and figure it out.”
Lugo (8-5, 3.06 ERA) is set to make his 22nd start of the season. The right-hander has won two of his past three starts but is coming off a no-decision against the Toronto Blue Jays, who scored two runs on four hits in 4 2/3 innings against him.
In eight career games (six starts) against the Twins, Lugo is 1-2 with a 3.53 ERA.
The Twins will counter with right-hander Joe Ryan (10-5, 2.83). He has reached double-digit victories for the third time in four full seasons in the majors.
Ryan has shined against the Royals in his career. In nine starts, he is 7-0 with a 1.30 ERA.