MINNESOTA TWINS NOTES:

THE TWINS: After completing their three-game homestand/weekend series with a three-game series sweep of the Diamondbacks, the Twins began their seven-game road-trip by splitting the first two games in Detroit over the last two nights…tonight, the Twins will continue the series and trip with the third of four at Comerica Park…after tomorrow afternoon’s series finale, they will travel to Philadelphia for three against the Phillies over the weekend…the Twins have gone 33-24 at home and 27-31 on the road.

The Twins are 15-9 since the All-Star break, tied for fifth-most wins in baseball in that span.

Minnesota enters the day with a 4.5 game lead over Cleveland in the AL Central, the biggest division lead in the AL.

TWINS SHUT DOWN IN MOTOWN: The Twins lost to the Tigers last night at Comerica Park by a score of 6-0, suffering their eighth shutout of the season, seven of which
have come on the road…Sonny Gray (5-5) was the starter and loser, allowing three runs (2 earned) on seven hits in 6.0 innings pitched, with no walks and 10 strikeouts…for Gray, it marked his 14th career game with double-digit strikeout totals and three short of his career high (13 on 4/7 vs. HOU)…the offense recorded six hits, went 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position and left eight men on base…Carlos Correa reached three times, going 2-for-3 with one walk.

THE 10-SPOT: Sonny Gray’s 10 strikeouts last night gave the Twins their 10th game this season when the starter reaches double-digit strikeout totals, tied for fifth most in club history:

YEAR 10-PLUS Ks INDIVIDUALS
1967………….. 17x ……. Dean Chance (6x), Dave Boswell (5x), Jim Kaat (3x), Jim Merritt (2x), Jim Perry (1x)
2006………….. 13x ………………………………………………………..Johan Santana (9x), Francisco Liriano (4x)
1966………….. 12x …………………………..Dave Boswell (5x), Jim Kaat (4x), Jim Merritt (2x), Jim Perry (1x)
2004………….. 12x ………………………………………………………………………………………Johan Santana (12x)
2023…………..10x……………………………………………….Joe Ryan (5x), Pablo López (3), Sonny Gray (2x)
1962………….. 10x ………………..Camilo Pascual (5x), Jim Kaat (2x), Jack Kralick (2x), Dick Stigman (1x)

MORE ON THE STARTERS: Twins starters have struck out an MLB-best 712 batters and are on pace to strike out 1,002 hitters this season, which would shatter the club record of 870, done in 1967…in fact, just seven starting staffs in baseball history have struck out 1,000- plus batters: 2018 Astros (1,101), 2017 Guardians (1,066), 2018 Guardians (1,066), 2019 Astros (1,063), 2017 Nationals (1,012), 2019 Nationals (1,010) and 2017 Red Sox (1,001).

Their 712 strikeouts already rank as the ninth most in club history…next is the 2006 staff that had 714 (chart lower right).

ONE MORE TIME FOR THE STARTERS: Sonny Gray gave the Twins their MLB-best 58th quality start last night…Twins starters have combined to go 34-35, 3.82 ERA (650.0 IP, 276 ER) with 162 walks, 712 strikeouts and a .238 opponent batting average…below are Twins starting pitching ranks among the other MLB teams:

INNINGS OBP BAA BB/9.0 FIP WHIP K’s OPS
MIN – 650.0 SEA – .282 TB – .234 SEA – 2.03 TB – 3.51 SEA – 1.12 MIN -712 TB – .674
HOU – 641.1 TB – .287 MIL – .235 SF – 2.24 MIN – 3.66 MIN – 1.16 CWS – 656 SEA – .683
SEA – 637.2 MIN – .289 SEA – .236 MIN – 2.24 SEA – 3.82 TB – 1.16 TOR – 654 MIN – .688
TEX – 637.0 PHI – .297 MIN – .238 PHI – 2.41 MIA – 4.00 PHI – 1.20 LAA – 643 TEX – .705
TOR – 631.1 MIL – .301 SD – .240 TB – 2.47 PHI – 4.01 MIL – 1.21 MIA – 627 PHI – .707

MOTOR CITY MATCHUP: The Twins and Tigers are playing the 10th of 13 meetings in 2023…the Twins have gone 4-5 vs. Detroit this season, going 1-3 at Target Field and 3-2 at Comerica Park.

Carlos Correa is hitting .321 (27-for-84) with six doubles, four home runs, 14 RBI and a .916 OPS in his last 21 games vs. the Tigers…in his last 16 games at Comerica Park, he is hitting .369 (24-for-65) with two doubles, one triple, six home runs, 18 RBI, 11 runs scored, a .408 on-base percentage and a 1.116 OPS in that span.

Jorge Polanco has hit safely in seven-straight games vs. the Tigers…he is a career .294 (116-for-394) hitter with 22 doubles, four triples, 12 home runs, 55 RBI, 0 walks, 53 runs scored and an .807 OPS in 101 games against the Tigers…in 52 career games at Comerica, he is hitting .300 (61-for-203) with 11 doubles, one triple, six home runs, 21 RBI, 29 runs scored and an .805 OPS.

MASTER JEFF: Ryan Jeffers has hit safely in each of his last 14 games with a plate appearance (career best)…it marks the longest streak for a Twin this season and longest since Jorge Polanco’s 14-game hitting streak from May 27-June 13, 2019…also the third-longest active streak in baseball, behind Mookie Betts (15) and Ha-Seong Kim (14).

During the current streak, Jeffers is hitting .391 (18-for-46) with two doubles, five home runs, 14 RBI, six walks, a .472 on-base percentage, a .761 slugging percentage and a 1.233 OPS.

Among primary catchers with a minimum of 200 plate appearances, his .895 OPS ranks second in all of baseball, trailing only Atlanta’s Sean Murphy (.903).

MAXIN’ OUT: Max Kepler has six hits in his last 16 at-bats, including three home runs and four RBI in that span…in his last 23 games, since July 14, Kepler is hitting .313 (26-for-83) with six doubles, six home runs, 13 RBI, 18 runs scored, five walks, a .356 on-base percentage, a .602 slugging percentage and a .958 OPS.

In his last 17 road games, Kepler is slashing .316/.365/.596 with 10 RBI.

C4 IGNITING: Carlos Correa has hit safely in each of his last four games, hitting .429 (6-for- 14) with a 1.181 OPS and seven RBI in that span…one year ago, Correa went 1-for-4 at Los Angeles-NL, which began an eight-game hitting streak…from August 9, 2022 through the end of the 2022 season, Correa hit .333 (67-for-201) with a .926 OPS, nine home runs, 27 RBI and reached base safely in 45 of his 52 final games…he also had 19 multi-hit games in that span.

WONDER WALL: Since his recall from Triple-A St. Paul in mid-July, Matt Wallner has posted an OPS of .853 (.316 OBP/.537 SLG), including six home runs and 12 RBI in 21 games…in fact, since July 25, he has 12 RBI, which is tied for fourth most in the AL since that date… his .698 slugging percentage in that span ranks fifth.

RATED ROOKIE: Edouard Julien has reached base safely in seven of his last 10 plate appearances (4 hits, 3 walks)…among all major league rookies with a minimum of 200 plate appearances, Julien ranks first in OPS (.897) and on-base percentage (.387), third in batting average (.297) and fourth in slugging percentage (.510).

STARTING PITCHER – #17 BAILER OBER
2023: 6-5, 3.21 ERA CAREER: 11-11, 3.57 ERA

Making his 19th start of the season and eighth road start…also his 50th career start and appearance.

Facing the Tigers for the second time this season and the sixth time in his career…is 1-1, 5.40 ERA (25.0 IP, 15 ER) with five walks and 24 strikeouts in his five previous starts.

Began the season with Triple-A St. Paul and was recalled when Kenta Maeda landed on the 15-day Injured List on April 29…since being inserted into the rotation, the Twins have gone 11-7 in his 18 starts.

Selected by the Twins in the 12th round of the 2017 First-Year Player Draft out of the College of Charleston.

LAST START: Did not factor into the decision in his last start on August 4 vs. Arizona, a 3-2 Twins’ victory…pitched 5.0 innings and allowed two runs on six hits (1 HR), with no walks and three strikeouts…tossed a career-high 104 pitches, passing his previous high of 102 done on May 16 at Los Angeles-NL…allowed a solo home run to Lourdes Gurriel Jr. in the second inning…yielded an RBI single to Jose Herrera in the fourth inning…pitched a 1-2-3 fifth inning to end his outing…relieved by Dylan Floro in the sixth as the bullpen combined to pitch 4.0 scoreless innings…the Twins tied the game in the bottom of the sixth inning with a solo home run by Max Kepler and took the lead in the seventh on a solo shot by Michael A. Taylor.

Has not issued a walk in a career-high four-consecutive starts… owns the second-longest active streak among starting pitchers, trailing San Francisco’s Ross Stripling and Scott Alexander (5)…became the 10th individual Twins starter to issue zero walks through at least four-consecutive starts.

Has yielded six home runs in his last four starts, tying his career high over a four-game span (also, June 22-July 10, 2021 and June 30-July 20, 2021).

BACK ON THE ROAD: Ober is making his eighth road start of 2023 tonight…Twins have won five of his seven road starts this year, with Ober going 4-2, 3.48 ERA (41.1 IP, 16 ER) with five walks, 45 strikeouts and five quality starts…tied with Kansas City’s Zack Greinke for the least walks issued by an American League starter on the road this season (min. 7 GS)…is 2-3, 3.03 ERA (62.1 IP, 21 ER) with 13 walks and 53 strikeouts in 11 home starts this season.

Has seen slightly more success at Target Field than on the road in his career…is 6-4, 3.48 ERA (134.1 IP, 52 ER) with 30 walks and 130 strikeouts in 26 career home starts…in 23 road starts, he is 5-7, 3.67 ERA (117.2 IP, 48 ER) with 18 walks and 115 strikeouts.

Making his fourth career start at Comerica Park tonight…is 1-1, 5.00 ERA (18.0 IP, 10 ER) with one walk and 17 strikeouts in his three previous starts…owns the lowest walks-per-9.0-innings ratio (0.5) at Comerica since 2021 (min. 3 GS).

LEFT AND RIGHT: Left-handed hitters are batting .240 (48-for-200) with 44 strikeouts and 13 walks against Ober after 18 starts this season…right-handed hitters are hitting .230 (43-for-187) with 54 strikeouts and five walks…lefties went 5-for-13 with one RBI and one strikeout against him in his last start on August 4 vs. Arizona while the only righty to record a hit off Ober was Lourdes Gurriel Jr. with a solo home run…in his career, left-handed hitters are batting .261/.318/.403 with 102 strikeouts against Ober…righties are hitting .226/.250/.438 with 143 strikeouts off him.

Owns the 19th-lowest opponent batting average against left-handed hitters among American League pitchers with at least 18 starts this season…also has the ninth-lowest OPS (.635) and 10th-lowest slugging percentage (.340) against lefties this year.

DETROIT TIGERS NOTES:

TIGERS SHUT OUT TWINS TO EVEN SERIES: The Tigers posted their 10th shutout of the season last night, blanking the Twins, 6-0. Eduardo Rodriguez started and earned his eighth win of the season, tossing 7.0 scoreless innings with four hits allowed, three walks and five strikeouts. José Cisnero and Jason Foley each pitched an inning to close out the win. Offensively, Jake Rogers hit a solo home run, his 14th of the season, while Akil Baddoo, Miguel Cabrera and Kerry Carpenter each had two hits. Zack Short went 1×1 with two RBI and Javier Báez and Zach McKinstry each added a hit and drove in a run.

ROSTER MOVES: The Tigers have announced the following roster moves:
*Placed RHP Jason Foley on the bereavement list

*Recalled RHP Trey Wingenter from Triple A Toledo

*LHP Zach Logue cleared waivers and has been outrighted to Triple A Toledo

MULTI-HIT MIGGY: Miguel Cabrera had a pair of hits in last night’s game, notching the 890th multi-hit game of his career. With two hits last night, Cabrera now has 3,142 in his career, passing Tony Gwynn (3,141) and tying Robin Yount (3,142) for 19th place in MLB history. Cabrera has hit safely in 28 of his last 39 games, slashing .317/.386/.423 with 10 doubles, a home run and 12 RBI. Among American League players with at least 100 plate appearances since May 30, he ranks 10th in batting average.

E-ROD IS EXCELLENT: Eduardo Rodriguez continued his stellar 2023 season last night, pitching 7.0 shutout innings with four hits allowed, three walks and five strikeouts. It marked his fifth start this season with at least 7.0 scoreless innings, the most such starts by a Tigers pitcher since Justin Verlander, who also had five outings with at least 7.0 shutout innings in 2013. Among American League pitchers with at least 100.0 innings this season, Rodriguez ranks second in ERA (2.75), fourth in FIP (2.95), sixth in WHIP (1.05) and seventh in opponent batting average (.218).

KEEP CALM AND KERRY ON: Kerry Carpenter went 2×4 with two runs scored and a double last night. Carpenter has hit safely in five straight games, including four consecutive multi-hit performances, equaling the longest streak of his career. In 36 games at Comerica Park this season, Carpenter is batting .358/.408/.533 with seven doubles, a triple, four home runs and 15 RBI.

JAKE FROM PLATE FARM: Jake Rogers launched his 14th home run of the season last night. His 14 long balls ranks tied for fifth among American League catchers. Entering tonight’s game, Rogers ranks fifth among AL catchers (min. 200 plate appearances) in slugging percentage (.450) and fWAR (2.0), while he is seventh in OPS (.741) and wRC+ (103).

AT COMERICA PARK: The Tigers are 2-3 on their current seven-game homestand, which includes three games vs. Tampa Bay (1-2) and four games vs. Minnesota (1-1). Detroit is 24-33 at Comerica Park this season. As a team, the Tigers are hitting .243/.307/.374 at home, while the pitching staff has a 4.75 ERA (523.0IP/276ER).

TIGERS AND TWINS: The Tigers and Twins continue their season series tonight. Detroit has won five of the nine games from Minnesota this season. The Tigers are looking to win the season series from the Twins for the first time since 2016.

AGAINST THE AL CENTRAL: The Tigers continue divisional play tonight against the Twins. Detroit is 19-13 against American League Central teams so far this season. The Tigers have won seven of the nine series they have played against divisional foes.

TIGERS ON THE IL:

• LHP Tyler Alexander (left lat/shoulder strain, 60-day IL on July 4, retroactive to July 3)
• LHP Matthew Boyd (left elbow sprain, 60-day IL on June 27)
• RHP Mason Englert (left hip tightness, 15-day IL on July 24, retroactive to July 23)
• OF Austin Meadows (anxiety, 60-day IL on April 8, retroactive to April 7)
• RHP Casey Mize (right elbow sprain, 60-day IL on February 17)
• RHP Freddy Pacheco (right elbow sprain, 60-day IL on March 27)
• RHP Spencer Turnbull (neck discomfort, 60-day IL on May 12, retroactive to May 7)
• RHP Will Vest (right lower leg strain, 15-day IL on June 27)

TONIGHT’S TIGERS STARTING PITCHER

49 Alex Faedo • 2-4, 5.80 ERA (35.2IP/23ER)

• Faedo will make his eighth start of the season tonight against the Twins. • Most recent outing was with Double A Erie last Wednesday vs. Harrisburg, allowing three runs on six hits with a walk and eight strikeouts in 5.1 innings…his last outing in the big leagues came on July 23 vs. San Diego, tossing 6.0 shutout innings with one hit allowed, four walks and two strikeouts…marked his first career start with 6.0 scoreless frames.
• His only career start against the Twins came on June 2, 2022, when he received a no decision after giving up two runs on five hits with two walks and five strikeouts in 5.0 innings…in 11 career starts at Comerica Park, Faedo has a 2-6 record with a 6.04 ERA (53.2IP/36ER) and 48 strikeouts.
• Earned his first win of the season on May 25 vs. Chicago (AL), pitching 6.0 innings and allowing two runs on three hits with no walks and 10 strikeouts…became the third pitcher in franchise history to throw 6.0 innings with three-or-fewer hits allowed, no walks and 10-ormore strikeouts, joining Denny McLain on July 21, 1965 vs. Cleveland1 (Game 2) and Aníbal Sánchez on August 3, 2014 vs. Colorado.
• Has started eight games between Double A Erie and Triple A Toledo this season, compiling a 0-2 record with a 3.69 ERA (31.2IP/13ER) and 38 strikeouts.