Breaking down the matchups and identifying an x-factor in Game 1 of Twins-Blue Jays.
Boy, wouldn’t it be cool to see them get that monkey off their back?
Either way, we’re about to learn a lot more about these Twins. They breezed to first place in the American League Central, the easiest path for any division winner this season, but also had the second-best record in the AL in the second half. Their three-true-outcomes lineup led the AL in homers and strikeouts while coming in second in walks. Their starting rotation was one of the best in the big leagues, with an AL-best 3.82 ERA, and the bullpen pumps gas.
Gausman won’t win a Cy Young Award this season, but he’ll receive votes for the third consecutive year because that’s just who he’s become: an ace. He’ll dice you up with splitters and catch you snoozing with a 95 mph heater at the top of the strike zone.But here are two worries. First, the Blue Jays have failed Gausman in the run-support department this season, scoring just 3.55 runs per nine innings behind him. . And then there’s the other worry: The Twins might have his number.
The Twins so badly wanted to add a front-line starter this past offseason that they traded away a batting champ , who see the full five-pitch mix and are completely lost against López’s sweeper, batting a collective .173 against that pitch.There’s no doubt the Twins lineup can do damage. They can slug, all right, but are considerably more middle of the pack in on-base percentage. Enter Julien. The rookie was billed as an on-base machine, and he has delivered: a .
“You’ve got some veteran guys in there already who have success in the past,” Correa said, “and then youwho have success right away. You talk about Royce . You talk about Wallner. You talk about Julien. Even the bullpen arms we have, some young guys out there throwing 100. It reminds me a lot of that team.“The win in the wild card that year made that team believe we could beat anyone.
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