The Twins are a different story. Minnesota sits at 31-39 and just got run off the field 11-0 by the Tigers to close a brutal road trip. 4 losses in their last 5, an offense that just got shut out, and a rotation that has been gutted. Bailey Ober is down with a flexor strain, Pablo Lopez and David Festa are on the 60-day, and Mick Abel is still on a rehab assignment. Joe Ryan is essentially the entire rotation right now.
That's the part that makes Ryan starting tonight feel huge. Over his last 6 outings he's been an ace — 5 quality starts, a 2.39 ERA, and a 44-to-6 strikeout-to-walk number per RotoWire. His last time out he gave the Twins 6 innings of 1-run ball against Kansas City. If Minnesota is going to stop the bleeding, this is the night and this is the guy.
- Day-To-DayPacky Naughton (RP) — Naughton will undergo surgery next month to repair the damaged UCL in his left elbow, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.05/14
- Day-To-DaySem Robberse (SP) — Robberse (elbow) signed a minor-league contract with the Cardinals on Monday, which includes an invitation to spring training, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.05/08
- Day-To-DayVictor Santos (RP) — The Red Sox traded Santos (undisclosed) and Nick Robertson to the Cardinals on Friday in exchange for Tyler O'Neill (foot), Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reports.05/08
- Day-To-DayIxan Henderson (SP) — Henderson (elbow) is starting the season on the 60-day injured list at Triple-A Memphis.05/08
- Day-To-DayZack Thompson (RP) — The Cardinals reassigned Thompson (shoulder) to minor-league camp Monday.05/08
- 10-Day-ILRamon Urias (3B) — Urias (elbow) returned to St. Louis to undergo an examination on his left elbow, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.06/06
- 15-Day-ILRyan Fernandez (RP) — The Cardinals recalled Fernandez from Triple-A Memphis on Tuesday.06/05
- Day-To-DayWalker Jenkins (CF) — Jenkins (shoulder) recently resumed hitting against live pitching and could soon head out on a rehab assignment, MLB.com reports.06/11
- Day-To-DayJulian Merryweather (RP) — Merryweather (hamstring) will begin a rehab assignment with the Twins' rookie-level Florida Complex League affiliate Tuesday, Theodore Tollefson of ZoneCoverage.com reports.05/08
- Day-To-DayMatt Canterino (SP) — Canterino (shoulder) will be with the Twins in big-league spring training but isn't expected to pitch during camp as he continues to recover from shoulder surgery, Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic reports.05/08
- 10-Day-ILRyan Jeffers (C) — Jeffers had the cast and stitches removed from his surgically repaired left hand and has resumed throwing, Matthew Leach of MLB.com reports.06/03
- 15-Day-ILMick Abel (SP) — Abel (elbow) struck out five and permitted two hits and no walks over three scoreless frames in his first rehab start with Triple-A St. Paul on Wednesday.06/11
- 15-Day-ILKendry Rojas (RP) — Rojas (elbow) will throw a bullpen session Wednesday, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.06/10
- 15-Day-ILCole Sands (RP) — The Twins returned Sands (forearm) from his rehab assignment Tuesday, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.06/09
- 15-Day-ILBailey Ober (SP) — Ober has a mild flexor strain and will be shut down for 10-14 days, reports Dan Hayes of The Athletic06/01
- 60-Day-ILDavid Festa (SP) — The Twins announced June 1 that Festa (shoulder) has started a throwing progression, MLB.com reports.06/11
- 60-Day-ILGarrett Acton (RP) — no05/19
- 60-Day-ILPablo Lopez (SP) — The Twins placed Lopez (elbow) on the 60-day injured list Thursday.05/08
Leahy, meanwhile, is the soft spot St. Louis has to live with. His last start was 4 innings, 3 earned, just 1 strikeout on 79 pitches against Cincinnati — a no-decision that screamed bullpen game. The Cardinals' lineup is built to slug through traffic, but they're handing 5-plus innings to a guy who hasn't given them length lately. Walker Jenkins is still day-to-day for the Twins and could be inching toward a rehab assignment, but he's not walking through that door tonight.
Stylistically it's vibes vs. a workhorse. A streaking road team that's been everything Minnesota hasn't, against a home club whose only path is Joe Ryan throwing 110 pitches and the bats finally waking up. Target Field has been kind to Ryan; it might need to be again.