Field Level Media
02 Jul 2022, 13:25 GMT+10
The Minnesota Twins will try to keep their positive momentum rolling on Saturday when they take on the Baltimore Orioles in the second installment of a three-game series in Minneapolis.
The Twins are coming off a walk-off win over the Orioles in the series opener on Friday. Byron Buxton belted atwo-run homer with no outs in the bottom of the ninth inning to lift Minnesota to a 3-2 victory.
Twins right-hander Joe Ryan was asked how important Buxton's walk-off homer felt for the team after a turbulent road trip to Cleveland that included back-to-back, walk-off losses.
Ryan cited a scene from the famed TV series, "The Office."
"What's the Michael Scott (quote)?" Ryan asked. "Well, well, well. How the turntables."
Meanwhile, Baltimore will try to bounce back after losing its third game in a row.
The Orioles led 2-1 entering the ninth inning on Friday, only to have right-hander Jorge Lopez post his third blown save in 16 chances. He has a 1.22 ERA this season with 39 strikeouts in 37 innings.
Lopez said he was eager to get back on the mound to make it up to his teammates.
"The team doesn't deserve this," he said. "I feel I let them down. ... I'm ready for (Saturday), for sure."
Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said Lopez should not put too much weight on his shoulders.
"He's not going to be perfect," Hyde said. "He's been close to that so far this year."
Minnesota will turn to right-hander Sonny Gray (4-1, 2.17 ERA) as it seeks back-to-back wins. Gray is coming off a victory over the Cleveland Guardians on Monday which he pitched seven scoreless innings, allowing three hits and one walk while striking out three.
That was the final start Gray made with Wes Johnson as his pitching coach. Johnson accepted the same role with LSU one day earlier and stayed with the Twins for a few more games.
"I was mad at him a lot today; I was happy for him a lot today," Gray said after the Monday game. "I used every emotion and everything that I kind of was going through and used it to pour it into the game. ...
"It's a tough one. It's someone who I've become really close with. If you know me at all, letting people in and getting into relationships in that respect, I put my guard up a lot. Wes is someone who was in."
The Twins promoted assistant pitching coach Pete Maki to the top role on Friday.
In 11 career starts against Baltimore, Gray is 6-5 with a 4.53 ERA.
The Orioles will counter with right-hander Jordan Lyles (4-7, 4.94 ERA), who is looking for a victory after taking losses in his past two outings. Lyles gave up four runs on six hits in seven innings in his most recent start, Sunday against the Chicago White Sox.
This will be Lyles' third career start against the Twins. In his first two outings, he went 0-0 with a 4.76 ERA. He walked three and struck out 11 in 11 1/3 innings.
Minnesota is 24-17 at home this season. Baltimore is 17-26 on the road.
--Field Level MediaGet a daily dose of Herald Globe news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Herald Globe.
More InformationTOKYO, Japan: Japan's hopes for a foothold in commercial lunar exploration suffered a second blow this week after Tokyo-based startup...
MOSCOW, Russia: Russia's principal security agency, the Federal Security Service (FSB), has accused British intelligence of using the...
SYDNEY, Australia: Australia will not ease its strict biosecurity rules during trade talks with the United States, Prime Minister Anthony...
The Israeli Navy has intercepted a ship carrying humanitarian aid and a number of activists including Greta Thunberg, Rima Hassan,...
TOKYO, Japan: Japan's demographic challenges intensified in 2024, with the number of births falling to another all-time low—underscoring...
BEIJING, China: A little-known office inside China's Ministry of Commerce has become a powerful chokepoint in the global auto and tech...
WASHINGTON, 10th June, 2025 (WAM) -- Al Ain FC defeated New Zealand's Auckland City by a single goal in a friendly match played as...
New Delhi [India], June 10 (ANI): As the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final 2025 draws near, anticipation is building for the...
New Delhi [India], June 10 (ANI): Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) vice president Rajeev Shukla has hailed former India...
(250610) -- SEOUL, June 10, 2025 (Xinhua) -- Lee Han-beom (R) of South Korea shoots during the 2026 FIFA World Cup Asian Qualifiers...
(250610) -- CHONGQING, June 10, 2025 (Xinhua) -- Head coach of China Branko Ivankovic (R) and player Wang Yudong of China attend a...
New Delhi [India], June 10 (ANI): Hockey India on Tuesday announced the Indian Junior Men's Hockey Team for the upcoming 4 Nations...