MLB Game Preview: Pittsburgh Pirates (38-57) vs. Minnesota Twins (46-48)

Venue: Target Field, Minneapolis, MN
First Pitch: 2:10 PM ET
Broadcast: MNNT, SportsNet Pittsburgh, MLB.tv

Game Overview

The Minnesota Twins (46–48) host the Pittsburgh Pirates (38–57) in Game 2 of their weekend series, with both teams looking to build momentum before the All-Star break. Minnesota took the opener 2–1 behind a clutch homer from Trevor Larnach and a solid outing from Joe Ryan. The Pirates, meanwhile, are riding an eight-game road losing streak and have dropped seven straight overall, struggling to generate offense despite strong pitching performances.

Starting Pitchers Breakdown

Pittsburgh Pirates – Mike Burrows (1–2, 3.63 ERA)

• Right-hander making his ninth start of the season
• Coming off five scoreless innings vs Seattle, allowing just three hits
• Owns a .243 opponent batting average and 9.3 K/9
• Has yet to record a quality start but has held opponents to 1 ER or fewer in 3 of last 4 outings

Minnesota Twins – TBD

• Twins have not announced a starter as of Saturday morning
• Likely to rely on bullpen depth or a spot starter
• Minnesota’s staff owns a 4.14 ERA and 1.25 WHIP, ranking mid-pack in MLB

Key Players to Watch

Pittsburgh Pirates

• Oneil Cruz: 16 HR, 29 SB — one of only eight players in MLB history with those numbers before the All-Star break
• Bryan Reynolds: Leads team with 46 RBI, batting .224
• Andrew McCutchen: Team-best .259 AVG, veteran presence in the lineup
• Tommy Pham: Batting .444 over last 10 games with 2 HR and 15 RBI since June 22

Minnesota Twins

• Byron Buxton: .273 AVG, 20 HR, 53 RBI — leads team in all three categories
• Trevor Larnach: .253 AVG, 12 HR — hit game-winning HR in Friday’s opener
• Ryan Jeffers: .248 AVG, 7 HR — batting .471 over last five games
• Royce Lewis: .367 AVG over last 15 games — hitting safely in 7 of last 8

• Twins are 27–19 at home, winning 6 of last 8 at Target Field
• Pirates are 12–36 on the road, worst road record in MLB
• Under has hit in 7 of last 8 Pirates road games and 8 of last 9 Twins games vs NL teams