MINNESOTA TWINS NOTES:
THE TWINS: Have gone 2-2 through four games on their current six-game road-trip, going 1-2 at Chicago-AL, followed by a win in Cleveland last night…tonight, Minnesota will continue the trip with game two of this three-game weekend series at Progressive Field against the Guardians…after tomorrow afternoon’s series finale, the Twins will travel to Minneapolis to enjoy an off-day on Monday, then begin a six-game Interleague homestand with three against the San Diego Padres (May 9-11) and three against the Chicago Cubs (May 12-14)…the Twins have gone 10-6 at Target Field and 9-8 on the road.
Twins are looking to win their third-straight road game, which would mark their longest since winning four straight to start the season (March 30-April 3). AA victory tonight would secure the sixth series win of the season for the Twins…the Twins have gone 5-4-1 through their first 10 series this season (series results lower right).
LOVE IS A BATTENFIELD: The Twins shut out the Guardians last night at Progressive Field by a score of 2-0, marking their third shutout this season (3/30 at KC & 4/1 at KC)…Bailey Ober (2-0) was the starter and winner, pitching 7.0 shutout innings with three hits allowed, falling one out short of tying his career high for innings pitched (7.1, 9/27/22 vs. CWS)… Guards starter Peyton Battenfield retired his first 17 batters until a two-out Christian Vázquez single, followed by Max Kepler two-run homer in the sixth inning, proving to be all the scoring on the night…Jorge Polanco had the third hit for the Twins as the three hits marked their fewest in a victory since a 2-1 win at Boston on September 5, 2019, when they had two hits.
TWINS-GUARDS: The Twins are playing the Guardians for the second of 13 times in 2023…since the start of 2022, 15 of the 20 games have been decided by three runs-or-less and nine by one run.
A win tonight would give the Twins their first series victory vs. the Guardians since taking two of three games from May 13-15, 2022 at Target Field…Twins have gone 0-4-0 in head-to-head series play against them since…their last series win at Progressive Field came September 6-9, 2021, taking three of four.
The Twins have hit 33 home runs at Cleveland since the start of 2021, tied with their total at Guaranteed Rate Field for the most outside of Target Field in that span.
Since 2019, Carlos Correa is hitting .325 (37-for-114) with four doubles, eight home runs, 16 RBI, 20 runs scored, 14 walks, a .430 on-base percentage and a .973 OPS in 30 games vs. Cleveland…he slashed .324/.452/.500 at Cleveland in 2023, reaching base 19 times (11 hits, 7 walks, 1 HBP), the most for any opponent in this park.
MAD MAX, FURY ROAD: For his career, Max Kepler has 44 hits, 15 home runs, 31 runs scored and 33 RBI at Progressive Field (48 games), all his most in any opposing ballpark…his homers are tied with Nelson Cruz (15) for the second most for any active visiting player, behind Miguel Cabrera (26).
Kepler hit three home runs in a game here twice in his career: August 1, 2016, and June 6, 2019…according to Elias, he is the only active player with more than one three-homer game as a visitor at any venue…the last visiting player to do this at any ballpark was Albert Pujols at Wrigley Field (2004 and 2010).
LAND OF 10,000 RAKES: The Twins have homered in a season-long 17-straight games, since April 18, setting an all-time franchise record (since 1901)…since that date, they have hit 27 home runs, the third most in baseball in that span, trailing Tampa Bay (32) and Atlanta (31)…the current streak is the second longest of 2023, trailing the Rays’ stretch of 22 straight to begin the season (March 30-April 23).
STREAK DATES HOME RUNS TEAM LEADER DURING STREAK
17……………………April 18, 2023-present…………………….27 ………………………………………… Buxton – 6
16……………………May 20 (2)-June 5, 2021…………………..27 …………………………………………….Sanó – 5
16……………………September 1-17, 2017……………………..31 ……………………………………….. Escobar – 7
16……………………April 25-May 16, 2017 ……………………..26 …………………………………………….Sanó – 6
16……………………April 28-May 15, 1979 ……………………..28 ……………………………………….. Smalley – 6
LOW ON LEFTIES: The Twins are facing a left-handed starter for just the sixth time this season, the previous five being Jesús Luzardo on April 5 at Miami (5-2 loss), Nestor Cortes on April 14 at New York-AL (4-3 win), Chris Sale on April 18 at Boston (5-4 loss), Patrick Corbin on April 23 vs. Washington (3-1 win) and Cortes again on April 25 (6-2 win)…the Twins have the fewest at-bats in baseball vs. left-handed pitching at just 206.
Twins are slashing just .194/.273/.359 vs. lefties, compared to .232/.310/.405 vs. righties.
SHINING STARTS: Twins starters have combined to go 14-8, 3.13 ERA (186.2 IP, 65 ER) with 45 walks, 210 strikeouts and a .220 opponent batting average…below are Twins starting pitching ranks in all of baseball:
INNINGS ERA BAA BB FIP WHIP K’s OPS
MIN – 186.2 TB – 3.05 TB – .219 SF – 34 TB – 3.19 MIN – 1.06 MIN – 210 TB – .622
TOR – 183.2 MIN – 3.13 MIN – .220 SEA – 43 MIN – 3.32 TB – 1.12 CWS – 194 MIN – .632
SD – 179.2 CHC – 3.20 NYY – .231 CLE – 44 SEA – 3.59 SEA – 1.14 TOR – 186 SEA – .647
PIT – 178.2 HOU – 3.45 CHC – .232 MIN – 45 ATL – 3.71 CHC – 1.14 NYY – 181 CHC – .649
CWS – 177.1 ATL – 3.46 LAA – .236 TEX – 47 HOU – 3.74 NYY – 1.18 ATL/HOU – 178 ATL – .687
STEAL AWAY: The Twins have stolen seven bases on the season, five of which have come in their last seven games and four coming in their last
five games…they have been caught five times overall…their seven steals are the fewest in baseball…by comparison, four Guardians have stolen six-or-more bases (Kwan – 8, Straw – 8, Giménez – 6 and Rosario – 6).
Michael A. Taylor leads the team with four stolen bases, swiping three in his last eight games…last night’s stolen base in the eighth inning was the 99th of Taylor’s career…27 active players have reached the 100-stolen base mark.
THE NASTY BOYS: The bullpen has combined to post a .281 wOBA this season, the fifth best in baseball, trailing Los Angeles-AL (.259), Tampa Bay (.268), Texas (.270) and Seattle (.275)…additionally, the ‘pen has allowed the fifth-fewest hits in baseball with 90, trailing New York-AL (86), Chicago-NL (87), Texas (87) and Houston (88).
The Twins bullpen has averaged 94.2 mph on fastballs, the seventh-hardest-throwing ‘pen in baseball…however, they have thrown just 846 fastballs, second fewest in the majors…they have thrown 360 offspeed pitches, second most in baseball.
IN THE NICK OF TIME: On this day in 2021, Nick Gordon made his major league debut vs. Texas, batting seventh and playing second base…he went 1-for-2 with a single, a walk, a strikeout and two stolen bases…Gordon is hitting .294 (5-for-17) with one double, one triple, two home runs, five RBI and just one strikeout with a 1.118 OPS in his last six games.
STARTING PITCHER – SONNY GRAY 54
2023: 4-0 0.77 ERA CAREER: 94-77, 3.49 ERA
Enters today leading all qualified major league pitchers in ERA…also ranks second in FIP (2.06), behind Arizona’s Zac Gallen (1.70).
Making his 254th career appearance and 245th career start.
Facing Cleveland for the first time this season, 16th in his career; is 6-4, 3.53 ERA (81.2 IP, 32 ER) with 31 walks and 83 strikeouts.
Making seventh start of the year and third on the road…is 5-3, 3.19 ERA (62.0 IP, 22 ER) with 17 walks and 47 strikeouts in 13 road starts since joining the Twins.
Acquired by the Twins on March 13, 2022 in a trade with the Cincinnati Reds, along with righthanded pitcher Francis Peguero, in exchange for right-handed pitcher Chase Petty
LAST TIME OUT: Earned his fourth win of the season in the series finale against the Kansas City Roy- als on April 30 at Target Field…pitched 6.0 innings, allowing one run on five hits, with one walk and seven strikeouts in an 8-4 Twins victory, opposite Brady Singer…marked the third time this season he has pitched at least 6.0 innings (also pitched 7.0 innings vs. Houston on April 7 and 7.0 vs. New York-AL on April 24)…yielded his only run on a RBI groundout by Edward Olivares…relieved by Emilio Pagán in the seventh inning as the bullpen combined to pitch 3.0 innings while allowing three runs (two earned)…one run scored on an error by Jorge Polanco in the seventh…Josh Winder allowed a two-RBI single to Vinnie Pasquantino in the ninth.
Brought his ERA to 0.77, the fourth lowest in Twins/Senators history in ERA through a pitcher’s first six starts of a season (since 1913, min. 30.0 IP), trailing Walter Johnson (0.23 in 1913), Eddie Matteson (0.55 in 1918) and Ervin Santana (0.66, 2017).
Has allowed one-or-fewer runs and tossed at least 5.0 innings in each of his six starts this season, tied with Ervin Santana (April 3- May 2, 2017) for the longest such streak to start the season in Twins/Senators history since 1913.
The start was Gray’s 30th in a Twins uniform…has a 2.56 ERA through his first 30 starts with the Twins, the third lowest ERA within a pitcher’s first 30 career games as a Twin (min. 150.0 IP), behind Scott Erickson (2.31 ERA from June 25, 1990-June 2, 1991) and Dean Chance (2.52 ERA from April 13-August 22 (1), 1967).
TWO STARTS AGO: Earned the 6-1 Twins win in the series opener against New York-AL on April 24 at Target Field, opposite Jhony Brito…pitched 7.0 scoreless innings, allowed three hits, issued two walks and struck out eight batters…marked the second time Gray has pitched at least 7.0 innings this season (also 7.0 IP on April 7 vs. Houston)…was relieved by Griffin Jax in the eighth inning followed by Jovani Moran in the ninth…the lone run allowed by the bullpen was an RBI groundout to Oswaldo Cabrera in the ninth inning…threw 107 pitches, the most pitches Gray has thrown since August 14, 2020 against Pittsburgh when he tossed 110 pitches.
AGAINST CLEVELAND: Gray is facing the Guardians for the 16th time in his career, going 6-4, 3.53 ERA (81.2 IP, 32 ER) with 31 walks and 83 strikeouts in his 15 previous appearances…last faced Cleveland on September 19, 2022 at Progressive Field, taking the 11-4 loss after allowing four runs on five hits (1 HR) with one walk and one strikeout in 2.0 innings; was removed from the game with a right hamstring strain that ended his season…was relieved in the third inning by Ronny Henriquez, as the bullpen combined to pitch 6.0 innings.
Has had four starts against the Guardians since becoming a Twin in 2022…is 1-1, 4.67 ERA (17.1 IP, 9 ER) with six walks and 16 strikeouts in that span, including, 1-1, 4.00 ERA (9.0 IP, 4 ER) with two walks, four strikeouts and a .250 (8-for-32) opponent batting average in two starts at Progressive Field.
His .290 batting average against the Guardians since 2022 is his fourth highest against any opponent since becoming a Twin.
In the six games between his last two losses against the Guardians (August 3, 2017 and September 19, 2022), Gray went 3-0, 2.84 ERA (31.2 IP, 10 ER) with 11 walks and 36 strikeouts.
Gray is also 6-1, 1.76 ERA (41.0 IP, 8 ER) with 12 walks, 41 strikeouts and a .193 (29-for150) opponent batting average in his last eight starts against the American League Central division, since July 24, 2022; Twins are 6-2 in those games.
ON THE ROAD AGAIN: Gray is making his third road start of the season tonight, going 1-0, 0.90 ERA (10.0 IP, 1 ER) with six walks, eight strikeouts and a .250 (10-for-40) opponent batting average in his two prior road outings, on April 1 at Kansas City (W, 5.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 1 K) and April 18 at Boston (ND, 5.0 IP, 7 H, 1 R/ER, 2 BB, 7 K)…went 4-3, 3.63 ERA (52.0 IP, 21 ER) with 11 walks and 39 strikeouts in 11 road starts in 2022 and is 41-39, 3.22 ERA (668.2 IP, 239 ER) with 248 walks and 645 strikeouts in 120 career road appearances, including 115 starts.
Is 3-1, 3.11 ERA (37.2 IP, 13 ER) with 13 walks and 35 strikeouts in his last eight road starts, since July 24, 2022.
THIS IS THE (RIGHT) WAY: So far this season, Gray has seen similar success against lefties and righties with a slight edge against right-handers…Gray has held righties to a .190 (15-for-79) batting average with six doubles and 31 strikeouts as opposed to lefties who are batting .208 (10-for-48) with four doubles and 10 strikeouts.
Ranks 15th among American League pitchers in opponent batting average against righties… also owns the eighth-most strikeouts against righties.
THE ARSENAL: Gray is currently using a six-pitch mix, per Baseball Savant…continues to use his curveball the most at 25.4 percent…primarily uses his curveball (90 pitches) and changeup (41 pitches) against lefties and his cutter (93 pitches), sinker (92 pitches) and sweeper (83 pitches) against righties…here’s a look at his repertoire so far:
PITCH (AVG. MPH) PCT. (# OF PITCHES, VS. RHB/LHB) RESULTS
Curveball (79.0)……………………..25.4% (142 pitches, 52/90)……………… .214 (6-for-28), 3 2B, 9 K
Cutter (87.5) ………………………….20.8% (116 pitches, 93/23)……………… .130 (3-for-23), 1 2B, 5 K
Sinker (92.5) …………………………..16.5% (92 pitches, 82/10)………………. .240 (6-for-25), 2 2B, 9 K
Sweeper (83.2)…………………………15.9% (89 pitches, 83/6)……………… .172 (5-for-29), 2 2B, 16 K
4-Seam Fastball (92.7)…………….13.8% (77 pitches, 30/47)………………. .333 (5-for-15), 2 2B, 1 K
Changeup (87.2)……………………….7.7% (43 pitches, 2/41)…………………………………. .000 (0-for-7)
CLEVELAND GUARDIANS NOTES:
GUARDS DROP SERIES OPENER TO TWINS
The Guardians opened a 10-day homestand by shouldering their fourth shutout of 2023, dropping a 2-0 decision to the Minnesota Twins on Friday night at Progressive Field…Cleveland has dropped 2 of 3 in five consecutive series, as club is seeking first series victory overall since April 14-16 at Washington.
Twins right-hander Bailey Ober lowered his season ERA to 0.98 in his third start of the season, limiting Cleveland’s offense to just 3 hits across 7.0 scoreless frames (7.0IP, 3H, 0R, BB, 6SO, 91 pitches)…JOSH NAYLOR tallied the club’s lone extra-base hit with a 2-out double in the 4th…Ober’s performance came alongside an exemplary outing by Guardians starter PEYTON BATTENFIELD (7.0IP, 2H, 2R-ER, 0BB, 7SO, HR, WP, 91 pitches), who logged 7.0 innings for the first time in his young career and surrendered his only damage on a 2-run shot by Max Kepler (4) in the 6th inning, which followed a 2-out single by Christian Vasquez.
The Guardians are 0-1 to begin this 9-game, 10-day homestand against Minnesota (0-1, two-to-play), Detroit (3 games) and Los Angeles-AL (3 games)…Cleveland is just 4-9 at Progressive Field, while the club has dropped 12 of last 17 overall following a 9-6 start to the season…Guardians (14-18) hold sole possession of 3rd place in AL Central standings, 4.5 games behind 1st-place Minnesota (19-14) and one half-game behind 2nd-place Detroit (14-17)…last season, club went 9-12 in April and 12-12 in May.
ALL YOU NEED IS 4
The Guardians are 10-2 when scoring 4-or-more runs and 4-16 when scoring 3-or-fewer runs in 2023…the Guardians were 87-13 (.857) when scoring 4+ runs in 2022, the 4th-best win percentage in MLB last season behind Houston (80-10, .889), Los Angeles-NL (97-12, .890) and New York-NL (87-8, .916).
Cleveland is 697-182 (.793) when scoring 4+ during the TERRY FRANCONA era (since 2013), the 2nd-best win percentage in MLB behind Los Angeles-NL and 1st in the AL…conversely, Cleveland’s .242 (162-507) winning percentage when scoring 3-or-fewer runs is 6th-best in MLB during that span.
WIN % WHEN SCORING 4+ RUNS, SINCE 2013
TEAM WIN% RECORD
Los Angeles-NL .831 756-154
Cleveland .793 697-182
New York-AL .783 722-200
St. Louis .780 694-195
Houston .777 690-198
A MASTER-CLASE IN THE NINTH
EMMANUEL CLASE’s 10 saves rank 1st in the AL and 2nd in MLB behind SD’s Josh Hader (11)…since 2021, he ranks 1st among MLB relievers with a 1.42 ERA (25ER/158.2IP), ahead of Brock Burke (1.94 ERA), and his 76 saves rank 3rd.
Clase boasts a 2.20 ERA (4ER/16.1IP) with 10 saves, 14 hits allowed, 9 strikeouts and 4 walks…for comparison, through May 5th of last season he owned a 3.86 ERA (4ER/9.1IP) with 5 saves, 8 hits allowed, 10 strikeouts and 2 walks…the right-hander’s 50 saves since April 27, 2022 leads MLB ahead of Kenley Jansen (43)…his 1.17 ERA (10ER/84.1IP) is the lowest in MLB during that stretch (min. 60 GP).
WHEELS ON THE BASES
The Guardians 37 stolen bases ranks 1st in the AL and 2nd in MLB behind Pittsburgh (45)…Cleveland’s 12 multi-steal games in 2023 are the most in the AL and 2nd in MLB behind Pittsburgh’s 14, owning a 10-2 record in such games…4 different players have 6+ stolen bases for the club this season (ANDRÉS GIMÉNEZ, STEVEN KWAN, AMED ROSARIO and MYLES STRAW), no other team has more than 2 players with 6+ steals.
KWAN-TIFY THIS
Since debuting last year, STEVEN KWAN has ranked highly in numerous categories…he ranks top-15 among all MLB hitters with 159 singles (2nd), 8 triples (T3rd), 30 infield hits (5th), 18 3+ hit games (T6th), 290 times on base (11th), a .293 batting average (14th), and 202 hits (T15th)…in his approach at the plate, he ranks top-5 with 49.5% of swings in play (1st), 9.4% swing-and-miss rate (2nd) and 10.48 plate appearances-per-strikeout (2nd).
DOWN ON THE FARM
After reaching base twice in last night’s contest, TYLER FREEMAN (1-for-4, BB, SO) extended his on-base streak to 22 straight games and 37 games dating back to last season… Freeman was slashing .329/.468/.482 on the year with 2 home runs and 17 RBI before being recalled from AAA Columbus earlier today.
BO NAYLOR has 2 home runs in his past 4 games…his 6 home runs on the season for AAA Columbus is tied for the team lead with ZACK COLLINS…he has knocked in 24 runs across 28 games this season, 2nd on the team behind Collins (26).
GAVIN WILLIAMS has not lost a step after his promotion to AAA Columbus, owning an 0.87 ERA (1ER/10.1IP) across his first two starts…he struck out 5 over 5.0 innings while allowing 1R/ER in his most recent start on May 4, a 2-1 loss to the Iowa Cubs…in 5 starts this across 2 levels this season, he is 2-0 with a 0.73 ERA (2ER/24.2IP) with 31 strikeouts against 8 walks.
MAY BALLPARK PASSES SELL OUT
The Cleveland Guardians today announced that Ballpark Passes for the month of May have sold out…the $49/month pass allows fans to attend every Guardians home game with a Standing Room Only ticket…fans who missed out on a pass for this month can sign up for the Ballpark Pass wait-list at CLEGuardians.com/ BallparkPass…passes for the month of June will be available on May 26.
LOS GUARDIANS BROADCAST
Los Guardians Spanish Radio Broadcasts return this weekend (May 5-7) vs. Twins, now available on The Gambler 1350AM in NE Ohio, WNZN 89.1FM in Lorain, and WHTX 1570AM/97.7FM in Warren and Youngstown. Los Guardians broadcasts feature Guards Hall of Famer Carlos Baerga providing the analysis alongside Rafa Hernández-Brito and Octavio Sequera who will be rotating play-by-play duties. The broadcasts will also be available via the audio stream on MLB’s At-Bat app, via NEO Sports on the iHeart app.
TONIGHT’S STARTER – 41 LOGAN ALLEN LHP
ALLEN’S MLB CAREER
W-L ERA G GS IP H R ER BB SO
2023 1-1 2.45 2 2 11.0 9 3 3 3 8
Career 1-1 2.45 2 2 11.0 9 3 3 3 16
ALLEN AT HOME
W-L ERA G GS IP H R ER BB SO
2023 1-0 1.50 1 1 6.0 5 1 1 1 8
Career 1-0 1.50 1 1 6.0 5 1 1 1 8
TONIGHT’S START
The 24-year-old left-hander is making his third career MLB start, second at home, in the second matchup of this 3-game set with the Minnesota Twins…became the third of 4 Guardians pitchers to make their Major League debut this season, after PEYTON BATTENFIELD on April 12 against New York-AL, TIM HERRIN on April 2 against Seattle and before TANNER BIBEE on April 26 against Colorado…Allen was originally selected by Cleveland in the 2nd Round (56th overall) of the 2020 MLB Draft out of Florida International University…entered the season as Cleveland’s #8 prospect according to MLB.com…he is starting on five days of rest.
LAST TIME OUT
In his first MLB road start, Allen suffered his first career loss in a 7-1 defeat against the Boston Red Sox…the lefty tossed 5.0 innings and a career-high 104 pitches, allowing 4 hits, 2 runs (earned) and 2 walks, while tossing 8 strikeouts for the second consecutive start…he became the 5th pitcher in club history to toss 8+ strikeouts in their second career start, last done by Danny Salazar (7.2IP, 7H, 4R/ER, 1BB, 10SO) on August 7, 2013 vs. Detroit…after a 1-2-3 1st inning and scoreless 2nd inning, he retired 3 of 4 Red Sox in the 3rd…struck out the side for the first time in his career in the 4th inning, utilizing just 12 pitches in the frame…Boston got to Allen in the 5th with a single, ground-rule double and an Alex Verdugo 2-RBI single…the left-hander limited the damage with three punchouts to end his outing.
THE ALLEN WRENCH
After his start in Boston, Allen became the 2nd pitcher in franchise history to record 8+ strikeouts in each of their first 2 starts, last done by Herb Score in 1955…he is the 16th pitcher in MLB history to begin a career with 2 consecutive starts of 8+ strikeouts, last accomplished by Tampa Bay’s Taj Bradley earlier this season…his 16 strikeouts in his first two career starts are the 3rd-most by a Cleveland pitcher, and most since Danny Salazar recorded 17 in 2013…the left-hander became the 6th pitcher in MLB history to start a career with 2 straight starts of 5.0-or-more innings, 5-or-fewer hits allowed, 2-or-fewer runs allowed, and 8-or-more strikeouts; last accomplished by San Diego’s Dinelson Lamet in 2017…per Baseball Savant, Allen now ranks in the 95th percentile in K%.
In his first career start, a 7-4 victory against the Marlins on April 23, Allen’s 8 strikeouts were the 4th-most in Cleveland franchise history for a Major League debut…his two outings of 8 punchouts are both tied for most by any Guardians pitcher this season, along with TANNER BIBEE…Allen also became the third pitcher in franchise history to throw 6.0-or-more innings, record 8-or-more strikeouts and hold an opponent to one-or-zero runs in an MLB debut, the first since TRISTON MCKENZIE on August 22, 2020… Luis Tiant first accomplished the feat on July 19, 1964, in a complete game shutout.
ROAD TO THE SHOW
2022: Split the season between AA Akron and AAA Columbus, leading the system in strikeouts (177) and was T2nd in wins (9) and innings (132.2IP)…his 177 punchouts were the 3rd-most in all of Minor League Baseball…at the time of his promotion he was 5-3 with a 3.33 ERA (27ER/73.0IP) with 104 strikeouts, 22 walks and .216 opposing batting average (58-for-174) across 13 starts… at the time of his promotion, he was leading the Eastern League in strikeouts (104), 2nd in ERA (3.33) and 2nd in opposing batting average (.216)…The left-hander struck out 73 batters in 59.2 innings at AAA (11.0SO/9), finishing the 2022 season with a 12.0 SO/9 (177SO/132.2IP).
