Our 24-14 Giants are in the Twin Cities, to play 3 in the 18-20 Twins attractive outdoor baseball only Target Field. Details:
• Friday, 5:10, Jordan Hicks (1-3, 6.03) vs. RHP Chris Paddack (0-3, 5.57), on AppleTV
• Saturday, 4:15, Logan Webb (4-2, 2.61) vs. RHP Joe Ryan (2-2, 2.93), on FOX
• Sunday, 11:10 🍳🥞🥓⚾️, Landen Roupp (2-3, 4.89) vs. RHP Pablo Lopez (3-2, 2.18)
Sixth year manager Rocco Baldelli plays this team:
♊️ 1B Ty France (21), 2B Brooks Lee (7), SS Carlos Correa (12), 3B Royce Lewis (0)
♊️ RF Trevor Larnach (17), CF Byron Buxton (25), LF Harrison Bader (16)
♊️ C Ryan Jeffers (15), DH Willi Castro (5)
♊️ rotation: Joe Ryan, Pablo Lopez, Simeon Woods Richardson (2-2, 4.01),Bailey Ober (4-1, 3.50), Chris Paddack
♊️ closer Jhoan Duran (6 saves), set ups Cole Sands and Griffin Jax
Carlos Correa appears to come as close as anyone on the Twins roster to being an ex-Giant. Correa has been on the active roster all season, so far. He is in the third season of a 6/$200M deal, that the Twins have the option of extending by up to 4 more years.
The Twins got back both Willi Castro and Royce Lewis last weekend. That puts them pretty much at full strength, except for RF Matt Wallner (hamstring).
The hitting against the Cubs was spread around by game and players, for example Lee was 3-6 in the middle game, Flores 3-4 in the final game, etc. Of particular note was Heliot Ramos getting two doubles in that magnificent 11th inning of the middle game. That’s the rare way of getting four total bases in an inning! But Picture of the Post goes to Erik Miller, who has been the only lefty in the bullpen all season, until Harrison’s promotion. Miller was very effective in the middle game, getting the final out in the 9th to get the game to ghosts, and then not allowing a run in the 10th. Four outs, 2 by strikeout, allowing a hit and a walk while facing all the Cubs biggest hitters and justly getting the W when our hitters put up a 9-spot in the top of the 11th.
Miller was drafted by the Phillies organization in the 4th round, back in 2019. He worked his way up to their Lehigh Valley IronPigs team (AAA) by 2022. That winter, Farhan Zaidi sent Yunior Marte to the Phillies for Miller, in a shrewd deal. Marte put up ERAs of 5.03 and 6.92 ERA for the Phillies in ’23 and ‘24, and is now pitching for the Nagoya Dragons. Meanwhile, Miller spent 2023 at AA and AAA, and made the MLB team for Opening Day of 2024. He has been in 87 games now, 79.2 innings, just 30 earned runs, putting his ERA at 0.545. 59 hits and 46 walks, so guys do get on base, but 98 strikeouts gives him that stellar ERA. This is his second career PotP award, but the other was in an early 2024 season review of all the pitching, whereas this one was earned in action. Well done, Erik!
