On Thursday afternoon in Minneapolis, the Minnesota Twins will take on the Kansas City Royals in an attempt to win the series.
Going into the last game of the four-game series, Minnesota leads the Royals by a score of two out of three games. Prior to losing 6-1 on Wednesday night, the Twins triumphed 6-5 on Monday and 4-2 on Tuesday.
Rocco Baldelli, the Twins manager, expressed his desire to see more timely hitting during the game.
“We had some opportunities with some guys on base,” Baldelli remarked following the defeat on Wednesday. “We need to figure out how to get some of those runs back home. Simply put, while they were out there, we were unable to bring them home.
Not the best day we’ve had thus far. We need to perform some tasks more effectively. However, I believe that in certain realities, things appear slightly differently, and we’re still in the game.”
The Royals, meanwhile, are trying to put together a winning streak after ending a three-game losing streak. The Royals’ players have not been startled by Kansas City’s stellar start to the season, which has seen them sit 13 games above.500. This has astonished many outside observers.
Nelson Velazquez claimed that he and his colleagues possessed a great deal of tenacity. On Wednesday, Velazquez hit two home runs to give the Royals the victory.
“We play the whole nine innings, the 27 outs together,” Velazquez stated following the game on the Royals broadcast network. “Never give up. helping one another out. It seems to be working well for us thus far.We simply must continue playing that way. We have a pretty strong bullpen and lineup. Everything we require is here.”
Velazquez is also starting to find his swing at the plate for the Royals. He has hit four home runs in his last seven games, including his two on Wednesday.
Velazquez and the Royals coaching staff have been putting in a lot of effort behind the scenes, according to manager Matt Quatraro of the team.
“They’ve been working on some of the mechanics, trying to get him back closer to where he was last year, a little more stable on his legs,” Quatraro stated. “You witness superior takes and swings. Usually, the foundation comes first. firm legs provide a firm base, which allows you to often execute stronger swings.”
In the series finale, Twins right-hander Chris Paddack (4-2, 4.39 ERA) will take the mound. Paddack is looking for his first win since May 8 against the Seattle Mariners after two straight no-decisions.
In five innings against the Texas Rangers, Paddack gave up two runs on four hits in his most recent appearance. In his one career encounter against the Royals, he is 0-1 with a 3.60 ERA.
Brady Singer (4-2, 2.63), a right-hander, will counter for Kansas City. In addition, he is coming off a no-decision against the Tampa Bay Rays where he gave up two runs (one earned) on four hits in five innings.
Singer has made 12 career starts versus the Twins and is 3-6 with a 5.18 ERA. He won his first start back on March 31 after pitching seven scoreless innings in their first match against Minnesota earlier this season. He was impressive.
