With the American League’s Central Division title wrapped up, the Minnesota Twins can spend the final seven games of the season getting their pitching staff lined up for the playoffs.
All-Stars Pablo Lopez (11-8, 3.61 ERA) and Sonny Gray (8-8, 2.80) are locks to pitch the first two games for manager Rocco Baldelli’s squad. But who gets the ball if there is a Game 3 in the wild-card series remains to be seen.
Right-hander Joe Ryan (10-10, 4.30) seemed like the probable choice after going 7-1 with a 2.21 ERA to begin the season. But Ryan, who will start Sunday afternoon’s rubber match of a three-game series with the Los Angeles Angels (70-85) in Minneapolis, has sputtered down the stretch.
Ryan is just 1-4 with a 5.85 ERA in his past seven starts, including a 7-3 loss at Cincinnati in his most recent outing on Monday night when he allowed four runs on five hits over five innings while striking out five.
With playoff-proven veterans such as Kenta Maeda, who is 3-0 in his last seven starts and arguably has been the team’s best starter down the stretch, and 2015 AL Cy Young Award winner Dallas Keuchel, who helped pitch the Houston Astros to the 2017 World Series title, on the roster, Ryan could be auditioning for a spot in the playoff rotation.
Ryan is 0-0 with a 4.50 ERA in two career starts against the Angels. He picked up a no-decision in a 5-4 loss in Anaheim, Calif., on May 19 when he allowed two earned runs on seven hits while striking out nine.
Minnesota (82-73), which clinched the AL Central with a 8-6 victory in Friday night’s series opener against the Angels, managed just five singles with a patchwork “hangover” lineup in a 1-0 loss on Saturday.
Gray was the hard-luck loser, allowing just one run — a solo homer to Jo Adell leading off the fourth inning — on four hits. He didn’t walk a batter and struck out eight.
Not bad considering Gray and his teammates celebrated well into the night after Friday’s win.
“A little tired. I’m not going to lie,” Gray said. “I’ve been a part of game-clinching stuff before and coming into a day game after that. It was nice. We had a fun night. Everything was great. We came in and just got beat, but it wasn’t for anything. Gave up a solo homer, and that ended up being the difference in the game.”
The 428-foot drive into the back of the bullpen in left-center was the third homer in just 31 at-bats this season for Adell, who was the 10th overall pick of the 2017 MLB Draft.
“I had a pitch in mind and a location in mind, and I was able to get it done, so I was happy about that,” Adell said.
“He got into one against a really good pitcher,” Angels manager Phil Nevin said. “I think Sonny’s going to be in the top-whatever for the Cy Young Award and showed why today. He’s really good and just gave Jo a pitch that he can handle.”
Sunday will mark the final road game of the season for the Angels, who will finish with a pair of three-game series in Anaheim against Texas and Oakland.
Left-hander Tyler Anderson, who was scheduled to start Sunday for Los Angeles, instead will be placed on the injured list with left knee soreness. Nevin didn’t announce his replacement after Saturday’s win.
–Field Level Media