Carlos Correa is feeling reflective amid one of the hottest stretches of his career.
The veteran shortstop has eight hits in his past two games. He is batting .404 (21-for-52) with two homers and 16 RBIs in his past 13 games.
“I’m glad it’s here with the Minnesota Twins,” Correa said. “Ever since I got here, they made me feel like I’m one of their own. I feel part of this big family already. I’m going to be here for a long time. It just feels right.”
Correa will try to keep it going as the Twins play the Oakland Athletics on Friday night in Minneapolis. It will be the second game of a four-game series after the Twins’ 6-2 victory on Thursday.
Twins manager Rocco Baldelli praised his hitters for their approach in the series opener. It is something he wants to continue.
“It was a good one,” Baldelli said. “The offensive at-bats that we had (Thursday), everywhere we looked in the lineup, were thorough, pointed. They were good, disciplined at-bats. They were at-bats that made the opposing pitcher really have to work. …
“We swung at good pitches. We hit a lot of balls hard. I thought it was a very good day all the way around offensively.”
The Athletics are looking for more consistent production at the plate. They have lost six games in a row, and they have been outscored 34-14 during that span.
One bright spot for Oakland is the recent performance of Tyler Soderstrom on offense. The 22-year-old first baseman clubbed a two-run homer in the series opener, which gave him three home runs in his past four games.
“(Minnesota’s Joe Ryan) kind of left one up in the middle and I put a good swing on it,” Soderstrom said. “I’m just trying to go day by day, enjoying being up here and enjoying the process. I put my head down and keep working hard.”
Oakland manager Mark Kotsay praised Soderstrom for his efforts.
“The at-bats have been better,” Kotsay said. “He’s showing signs of maturity, signs of growth and becoming the hitter we know he can be.”
Twins right-hander Simeon Woods Richardson (2-1, 2.84 ERA) will get the ball on Friday. He will look to build upon a quality start in his most recent outing, when he allowed one run on six hits in 6 1/3 innings against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday.
Woods Richardson, 23, never has faced the Athletics. He has produced similar career results at home (1-0, 3.92 ERA) as he has on the road (1-2, 3.18).
Athletics right-hander Mitch Spence (4-3, 3.68 ERA) is set for his sixth start and 17th appearance of the season. Spence also is coming off a quality start, as he limited the Toronto Blue Jays to two runs on five hits in seven innings on Sunday.
The rookie hurler is set to face the Twins for the first time in his career.
Minnesota is 19-14 at home. Oakland is 11-25 on the road, the third-worst away mark in the majors.
–Field Level Media
