Michael McGreevy (3-5, 2.99) gets the ball for the Cardinals against Taj Bradley (5-3, 4.02) in the finale at Target Field. McGreevy's record doesn't match the run prevention — he's been one of the quieter elite arms in the league, sitting around an 0.88 WHIP and holding hitters under .200 through his first nine starts, per MLB.com. Bradley, meanwhile, hasn't gotten through 5 innings in 3 straight outings.
This is the rubber match of a weird weekend. The Twins took Friday 9-8, then the Cardinals flipped it 9-6 on Saturday, so 32 combined runs across two games. If you came here looking for crisp pitching, you got Saturday's McGreevy outing and not much else. The lineups have hit, the bullpens have leaked, and now both teams need a clean closer to walk out feeling like they actually won the series.
The Cardinals are 38-30 and quietly one of the steadier teams in the NL Central, even with a recent dip. The Twins are 32-40 and have alternated wins and losses over their last 5, which sounds like progress until you remember one of those losses was an 11-0 shutout in Detroit. They are not playing well, and the rotation behind Bradley is held together with rehab updates.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Day-To-DayIxan Henderson SP — Henderson (elbow) is starting the season on the 60-day injured list at Triple-A Memphis.
- Day-To-DayZack Thompson RP — The Cardinals reassigned Thompson (shoulder) to minor-league camp Monday.
- 15-Day-ILRyan Fernandez RP — The Cardinals recalled Fernandez from Triple-A Memphis on Tuesday.
- 60-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.
- Day-To-DayWalker Jenkins CF — Jenkins (shoulder) could start a rehab assignment with Single-A Fort Myers as soon as Saturday, Aaron Gleeman of AaronGleeman.com reports.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 15-Day-ILKendry Rojas RP — Rojas (elbow) will throw a bullpen session Wednesday, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.
- 15-Day-ILCole Sands RP — The Twins returned Sands (forearm) from his rehab assignment Tuesday, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.
- 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 Athletic
That injury card matters more for Minnesota than it looks at first glance. Pablo Lopez and Bailey Ober are both on the shelf, David Festa is just starting a throwing progression, and Mick Abel is still rehabbing. That's a rotation skeleton crew, which is why a Bradley start that gets blown up early is a real bullpen problem, not just a stat-line problem. Walker Jenkins could start a rehab assignment soon, but he doesn't help today.
For the Cards, the lineup just put up 9 runs on Saturday and the bullpen will get Ryan Fernandez back at some point off the IL. The bigger storyline is McGreevy himself — the underlying numbers have national writers calling him a budding ace, and a road start against a depleted Twins lineup missing Ryan Jeffers behind the plate is the kind of spot where the box score finally catches up to the stuff.
First pitch is 1:10 PM CT. Take the matinee, take the matchup, and let's see if McGreevy can do what he's done to half the National League to an AL Central team that just can't stop trading punches.