Alex Verdugo has provided some needed offensive spark this weekend for the Atlanta Braves, who will go for a three-game sweep over the visiting Minnesota Twins on Sunday.
Verdugo, playing his second game since being signed as a free agent late in spring, went 4-for-5 with a pair of doubles on Saturday and helped the Braves win back-to-back games for the first time all season.
The Braves have won 10 straight games against the Twins.
The pitching matchups for the series finale features a pair of right-handers — Atlanta’s Grant Holmes (1-1, 3.78 ERA) against Minnesota’s Joe Ryan (1-1, 2.45).
Verdugo signed a one-year deal for $1.5 million in March and started the season with Triple-A Gwinnett. He replaced Bryan De La Cruz, who was sent to Gwinnett on Thursday. De La Cruz hit just .191 in 16 games with the Braves.
Atlanta pitcher Chris Sale, who played with Verdugo in Boston, said, “He’s just a dynamic player and he showed it (Saturday). He had a weird offseason, and to be able to come here and do this for us was big.”
“I’m happy that the Braves signed me and happy to be here,” Verdugo said. “I think we’ve got a good squad, so just want to come out here and try to contribute any way I can.”
He will try to keep it going against Ryan, who has been Minnesota’s best starting pitcher. Ryan received no decision in his last start on Monday against the New York Mets, allowing one run on three hits with two walks and a season-high eight strikeouts.
Ryan has been consistent in all four starts, pitching at least five innings in every outing and has allowed one or fewer runs in three of the appearances. Lack of offensive support has been an issue though. The Twins have totaled eight runs in Ryan’s four starts.
“It would be nice to have a little bit more time between innings,” Ryan said. “I turned around and got my water bottle and I was running back out there real quick. A minute or two would be nice.”
He lost his only career start against the Braves in June 2023, when he was touched for six runs off nine hits in three innings — five of them home runs.
Perhaps Byron Buxton, a native of Georgia, can help. He was 3-for-4 on Saturday with a sacrifice fly and his fifth stolen base. The steal was the 98th of his career.
Holmes is coming off his best start of the season when he beat the Toronto Blue Jays by throwing 7 2/3 innings and allowed three runs on two hits, two walks and four strikeouts. That was the first of three starts that Holmes pitched past the fourth inning. Holmes has never faced the Twins.
The Twins reinstated right-hander Brock Stewart from the injured list (left hamstring strain) and optioned left-hander Kody Funderburk to Triple-A St. Paul on Saturday. Stewart had missed every game after making 16 appearances a year ago. He pitched two-thirds of an inning on Saturday and allowed the hit to Verdugo that drove in what proved to be the winning run.
–Field Level Media
