Minnesota's offense has actually shown up — three straight crooked numbers in the first inning against Texas, with Trevor Larnach and Lee carrying it. The bigger question is whether they can keep that going against a Dodgers staff that, even thinned out, has been stingy: LA gave up 1, 0 and 4 in the Rays series and Freddie Freeman went deep to win the finale. If the Twins can get to whatever No. 2 or No. 3 starter the Dodgers run out behind Ohtani, this series tightens up fast.
The injury list is doing real work here, and not just on the mound. The Dodgers are also down Will Smith (neck), Teoscar Hernandez (hamstring) and Enrique Hernandez, who's looking at 6-to-8 weeks with a significant oblique tear. Minnesota is missing Ryan Jeffers behind the plate and Bailey Ober and Mick Abel from its rotation, though Abel is reportedly in line to come back this week. Both lineups are patched together — the Dodgers just have more depth to patch with.
- Day-To-DayChris Campos (SP)
- 10-Day-ILTeoscar Hernandez (LF) — Hernandez (hamstring) will take live batting practice Thursday and could be ready to begin a rehab assignment early next week, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.06/17
- 10-Day-ILWill Smith (C) — Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Wednesday that it's "unlikely" Smith (neck) will be activated from the 10-day injured list Friday when first eligible, Jack Harris of the California Post reports.06/17
- 10-Day-ILEnrique Hernandez (1B) — Hernandez is expected to be out for 6-to-8 weeks after sustaining a "significant tear" of his left oblique during Tuesday's 15-6 win over the Rockies, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.05/28
- 15-Day-ILBrock Stewart (RP) — Stewart (foot) will begin a rehab assignment at Single-A Ontario on Friday.06/12
- OutKendall George (CF) — George hasn't played for Double-A Tulsa since suffering an injury to his left patellar tendon in a May 25 game versus Northwest Arkansas, Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com reports.06/09
- 60-Day-ILTyler Glasnow (SP) — Glasnow (back) has yet to resume throwing, Jack Harris of the California Post reports.06/16
- 60-Day-ILEdwin Diaz (RP) — Diaz (elbow) is scheduled to throw a bullpen session this week, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.06/15
- 60-Day-ILBlake Snell (SP) — Snell (elbow) began playing catch Friday, Sonja Chen of MLB.com reports.06/06
- 60-Day-ILEvan Phillips (RP) — Phillips (elbow) began a rehab assignment with Triple-A Oklahoma City on Thursday, yielding one hit and one walk over two-thirds of a scoreless frame.06/05
- 60-Day-ILBobby Miller (SP) — Miller (shoulder/back) will resume throwing off the mound this week, Cody Snavely of DodgersBeat.com reports.06/03
- 60-Day-ILGavin Stone (SP) — Dodgers manager Dave Roberts revealed Tuesday that Stone has been unable to ramp up his throwing without feeling soreness in his surgically repaired right shoulder, Cody Snavely of DodgersBeat.com reports.06/03
- 60-Day-ILBrusdar Graterol (RP) — Graterol (shoulder) underwent surgery recently for a back injury he suffered while on a rehab assignment, Jack Harris of the California Post reports.06/01
- 60-Day-ILBen Casparius (RP) — Casparius (shoulder) was moved to the 60-day injured list Monday.05/19
- 60-Day-ILLandon Knack (SP) — The Dodgers transferred Knack (chest) to the 60-day injured list Tuesday.05/08
- 60-Day-ILJake Cousins (RP) — The Dodgers transferred Cousins (elbow) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Wednesday, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.05/08
- Day-To-DayKaelen Culpepper (SS) — Culpepper was placed on the 7-day injured list at Triple-A St. Paul on Tuesday with a left hip strain, Aaron Gleeman of AaronGleeman.com reports.06/16
- Day-To-DayRicardo Olivar (C) — Triple-A St. Paul transferred Olivar from the 7-day injured list to the 60-day IL on June 4 while he recovers from a right knee sprain, Twins writer Brandon Warne reports.06/16
- 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.06/12
- 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 (hand) began taking dry swings June 10, MLB.com reports.06/18
- 15-Day-ILBailey Ober (SP) — Ober (elbow) is optimistic about throwing off the mound this weekend, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.06/18
- 15-Day-ILMick Abel (SP) — Abel (elbow) will travel with the Twins to Arizona this weekend and appears in line to return from the 15-day injured list for a start Sunday, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.06/18
- 15-Day-ILKendry Rojas (RP) — Rojas (elbow) has been sent to Triple-A St. Paul to begin a rehab assignment, Aaron Gleeman of AaronGleeman.com reports.06/17
- 15-Day-ILCole Sands (RP) — Sands underwent an MRI on Friday that showed healing in his injured forearm, though inflammation was still present, MLB.com reports.06/16
- 60-Day-ILGarrett Acton (RP) — Acton (shoulder) resumed throwing off a mound last week, MLB.com reports.06/18
- 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-ILPablo Lopez (SP) — The Twins placed Lopez (elbow) on the 60-day injured list Thursday.05/08
The framing on Monday's series opener: a banged-up juggernaut vs. a sub-.500 team that's playing its best baseball in a month. The Dodgers are still the Dodgers, but if you're looking for a spot where Minnesota's price is fair, this is one — Target Field, hot bats, and a Dodgers rotation held together with tape behind Ohtani.