It’s a good thing the Twins won on Saturday because it keeps them just a step ahead of the Chicago White Sox and Cleveland Indians, two teams that are playing really well right now.
The South Siders had no problems with the Chicago Cubs on Saturday and have now hit 27 home runs in seven days to set a major league record. The Tribe, meanwhile, a team that seems to have a bottomless supply of pitching talent, sent 23-year-old Triston McKenzie to the mound against the Detroit Tigers and he blew them away. McKenzie struck out 10 over six innings, allowing a run on two hits.
And the Twins? Pitcher Randy Dobnak, the surprise of the 2020 season, took the mound and won again, beating the Kansas City Royals 7-2. The Dobber is not a strikeout artist, but he keeps the ball down and remains effective. He allowed two runs over five innings and is now 5-1 with a 1.79 ERA.
Reliever Matt Wisler gets the ball on Sunday.
Extra innings…
-The AL Central is shaping up like this: The Twins are 18-10, the Indians are 17-10 and the White Sox are 17-11.
-Six of the Twins’ seven runs were driven in by Eddie Rosario, who hit a three-run home run, and Miguel Sano who hit a solo shot. Sano’s blast was the talk of baseball on Saturday. He hit it so far — 458 feet, according to Statcast — that it bounced off the Royals’ Hall of Fame building in deep left field.
-The Twins turned three double plays on Saturday.
-Catcher Alex Avila had a strange night. He committed two errors, both on catcher interference.
-It’s official: Pitchers Jake Odorizzi and Zack Littell are on the injured list, joining Josh Donaldson, Cody Stashak, Byron Buxton and Mitch Garver. Homer Bailey has been moved to the 45-day injured list, which might spell the end of his season. Odorizzi and Littell have been replaced on the roster by two pitchers: Danny Coulombe and Harvard man, Sean Poppen.