Reds Head To Minnesota To Take On The Twins

Reds Head To Minnesota To Take On The Twins

Ryan Knuppel
3 years ago
3 min read
Reds Head To Minnesota To Take On The Twins

The Cincinnati Reds (35-35) start this week on the road with a brief, two-game interleague matchup with the Minnesota Twins (30-41). The Twins will host this series at Target Field starting on Monday.

The Reds are trying to rebound from a brutal weekend as they were swept in a four-game series by the San Diego Padres. In the finale on Sunday, the Reds lost 3-2. In the loss, Luis Castillo picked up his 10th loss of the season despite giving up just three runs (two earned) in six innings of work.

Minnesota had a substantially better weekend as they swept the Texas Rangers in a three-game series. They have now won four in a row heading into Monday’s matchup with the Reds.

Schedule

The schedule for the two-game series at Target Field is as follows:

  • Monday, June 21 – 8:10 pm ET
  • Tuesday, June 22 – 1:10 pm ET

Pitching Matchup

Here is the pitching matchup for each game of the series:

  • Monday: Tyler Mahle (7-2, 3.39 ERA) vs. J.A. Happ (3-3, 6.12 ERA)
  • Tuesday: Wade Miley (6-4, 2.88 ERA) vs. Bailey Ober (0-0, 3.71 ERA)

Looking At Odds

Currently four games out of first place in the NL. Central, the Cincinnati Reds are +600 to win the division this season. The Twins are more of a longshot in the AL Central as they are +4500 to win their division.

In terms of winning the World Series, the Reds have the better odds to do so at +6500. The Twins are currently +10000 to win it all.

By The Number

When it comes to scoring, the Reds have had the better team thus far this season. They currently rank 6th in the majors averaging 4.99 runs per game. The Twins rank 11th, averaging 4.56 runs.

Defensively, these are two of the worst teams in baseball. The Reds currently rank 26th in runs allowed at 5.13. The Twins rank 29th, allowing opponents an average of 5.31 runs per game.

Reds Look To Keep Pace In Division

As disappointed as the Reds were to lose all four games to the Padres over the weekend, they have to be thankful that they find themselves just four games back still in the NL. Central. Trying to get back on track and to stay in the thick of the division race, they will look to sweep the two-game series.

Leading the way offensively for Cincinnati continues to be outfielders Jesse Winker and Nick Castellanos. Winker is currently hitting .341/.412/.610 with a team-leading 17 home runs and 51 runs scored. He is tied for the team lead in runs batted in with 43.

Castellanos has also been impressive hitting .344/.395/.591 this season with 13 home runs, 37 runs batted in, and 46 runs scored.

Twins Try To Stay Hot

In what has been an otherwise abysmal year for the Twins, their current four-game winning streak has been one of their few highlights. While they have a lot of work to cut into their current 12.5 game deficit, they will look to stay hot as they welcome the Reds to town.

The Twins got a big piece of the puzzle back over the weekend as centerfielder Byron Buxton returned to action. On Sunday, he went two for five with a double and his 10th home run of the season.

Buxton is now hitting .366/.402/.772 with 10 home runs, 19 runs batted in, and 21 runs scored in just 101 official at-bats.

While they have struggled to win games this season, they can still hit for power. In fact, they rank fourth in the majors averaging 1.44 home runs per game.

Currently, the Twins have four players with double-digit home runs in Nelson Cruz (15), Miguel Sano (13), Buxton (10), and Josh Donaldson (10).

Reds Need To Get Back On Track

The Reds saw an opportunity to close the gap in the NL. Central slip away as they dropped all four games of their series this last weekend. They have an opportunity to bounce back, though, as they visit a Twins team that has struggled this season.

Still, the Twins come in on a hot streak and won’t be an easy victory for Cincinnati, despite the Twins’ record.

The pitching matchups favor Cincinnati for both games, so the question is whether they can take advantage of it and head into the off-day Wednesday on a high.

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