The Minnesota Twins’ newly appointed leadoff hitter is feeling right at home in his important role.
Luke Keaschall and the Twins will look to string together back-to-back successes when they face off against the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday evening in Minneapolis.
Keaschall took over the leadoff job in Monday’s series opener and immediately took advantage. He ripped a leadoff double to spark the Twins, who eventually loaded the bases with no outs and came away with four runs in the first inning to seize the lead for good.
The speedy Keaschall finished 2-for-5 with a double and a run in the 4-2 victory on Monday. He boosted his batting average to .268 and increased his on-base percentage to .362.
“It’s fun to set the tone,” Keaschall said. “I like trying to get on base and let the next guy do their job. I pride my game a lot on trying to get on base as much as possible.”
The leadoff job opened up after Minnesota placed outfielder Austin Martin on the 10-day injured list because of a strained hamstring. To fill Martin’s place on the roster, the team promoted catcher Alex Jackson from Triple-A Saint Paul.
As the Twins go for a second straight win, the Braves will try to even the series and set the stage for a rubber match Wednesday afternoon.
Braves right-hander Tyler Mahle (4-9, 4.64 ERA) is set to take the mound on Tuesday. He will make his 21st start of the season and his third since Atlanta acquired him from the San Francisco Giants before the trade deadline.
Mahle has been terrific in his first two appearances for the Braves. He is 1-0 with a 0.75 ERA, and he has limited opponents to one run on seven hits in 12 innings. He has walked two and struck out 16.
The 31-year-old is familiar with Target Field. He pitched for the Twins in two injury-plagued seasons from 2022-23.
Mahle has faced the Twins seven times in his career. He is 2-1 with a 5.17 ERA in those starts.
Minnesota will counter with right-hander Zebby Matthews (6-8, 5.34). He will go for his third victory in a row after winning back-to-back decisions against the Milwaukee Brewers and the Baltimore Orioles, respectively.
This will be Matthews’ first career appearance against the Braves. He has made 11 career interleague starts, and he is 4-6 with a 5.63 ERA in those outings.
Braves slugger Ronald Acuna Jr. will look to stay hot at the plate after driving in a pair of runs in the series opener. Matt Olson went 1-for-3 with a walk and a strikeout.
Braves manager Walt Weiss said Olson could be an MVP candidate but “the guy in L.A. makes it pretty tough,” referring to Shohei Ohtani.
“(Olson) has evolved into one of the best players in the game,” Weiss said.
Meanwhile, Keaschall will look to evolve into one of the Twins’ best options at the leadoff spot.
“This whole season has been a slight incline,” Keaschall said. “It was pretty rough to start the year, if we’re being honest. I wasn’t very happy with how I did. Now I’m happy with how I’ve bounced back.”
–Field Level Media
