It is common for any team to look to bounce back from a loss.
The Minnesota Twins know the feeling, although it might be a bit unfamiliar. Minnesota will try to recover from its first loss since May 2 when it welcomes the Cleveland Guardians to start a three-game series on Monday night in Minneapolis.
The Twins ended their 13-game winning streak with a 5-2 loss against the Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday afternoon. Royce Lewis nearly hit a game-tying home run but was robbed by Brewers center fielder Jackson Chourio in the eighth.
Now, the Twins will return home to take on a top rival in the Guardians.
“An amazing run over the last two weeks,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. “I had to tell the guys that after the game (Sunday).
“There is a lot of work to be done, and I told them we’re just scratching the surface as far as what we’re capable of this year. This was just a great run of baseball. One of the best two-week spans of baseball I’ve ever been a part of in my life.”
Meanwhile, Cleveland is eager to snap a four-game losing streak as it travels north.
The Guardians are looking to recover from being swept in a three-game series against the host Cincinnati Reds, including 3-1 on Sunday. Cleveland previously lost its series finale against the visiting Brewers last Wednesday.
Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said he felt good about his team as it traveled north for a series against the Twins.
“I thought our pitching was great all weekend, outside of a couple home run balls,” Vogt said. “I think that was really the tale of the weekend. They got a couple big hits and we didn’t. Frustrating weekend, no doubt. Three games you feel like you could have won that you didn’t.”
Cleveland left-hander Logan Allen (2-2, 3.70 ERA) will try to snap his team’s skid. Allen is looking to build upon one of his best starts of the season in which he limited the Brewers to zero runs on three hits in six innings on Tuesday for a 2-0 victory.
Allen has made three starts against the Twins in his career. He is 2-0 with a 2.04 ERA in those starts, and he has struck out 14 batters in 17 2/3 innings.
Minnesota will counter with right-hander Bailey Ober (4-1, 3.72) in the series opener. Ober is coming off back-to-back no-decisions but is looking to earn his fifth straight win since taking the loss in the season opener against the St. Louis Cardinals on March 30.
The 29-year-old Ober has 40 strikeouts in 48 1/3 innings on the season. He is 3-2 with a 2.05 ERA in nine career starts against the Guardians.
The Twins hope to see more progress at the plate from third baseman Lewis, who missed more than a month because of a spring training injury (left hamstring strain). Lewis belted a solo homer on Sunday but picked at himself for not helping the team maintain its winning streak.
Baldelli said Lewis was heading in the right direction.
“He’s rounding himself into form,” Baldelli said. “He looks really twitchy at the plate. The bat looks like it’s really whistling through the zone. I think he feels good just by judging his mannerisms and swings.”
–Field Level Media
