The Twins are 26-27 but suddenly look like the team everyone expected in March, rolling into the South Side after sweeping the Red Sox and winning 10 of 14. They hand the ball to Zebby Matthews, who has been borderline unhittable in his 2 starts since being called up — 7 scoreless against Miami in his debut, then 6 innings of 2-run ball with 6 strikeouts and zero walks in a tough-luck loss to Houston.
Anthony Kay has quietly stabilized things for the White Sox, with 2 earned runs or fewer in each of his last 4 starts, including a 1-hit, 5.1-inning gem in Seattle on May 19. The 4.27 ERA looks ordinary on the card, but the recent stretch (19:8 K:BB across 21.1 innings) is the version Chicago needs if it's going to keep this game close against Minnesota's bats.
Speaking of those bats — Byron Buxton is doing Byron Buxton things, sitting 6th in MLB in slugging at .578 among qualified hitters. Add Orlando Arcia going 6-for-11 since joining the lineup and Minnesota's offense suddenly has more layers than it did a week ago. The catcher situation is the obvious soft spot with Ryan Jeffers out 6-to-8 weeks after hamate surgery, but the lineup around it is humming.
- Day-To-DayWalker Jenkins CF — Twins manager Jeremy Zoll said Saturday that Jenkins (shoulder) is "reporting improvements daily" and could begin light baseball activity in about a week, Bobby Nightengale of The Minnesota Star Tribune reports.
- Day-To-DayCory Lewis SP — Twins head trainer Nick Paparesta said Thursday that Lewis (shoulder) is still a couple weeks away from throwing off a mound, Bobby Nightengale of The Minnesota Star Tribune 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 needs surgery to remove a fractured left hamate bone and is expected to be sidelined 6-to-8 weeks, Aaron Gleeman of AaronGleeman.com reports.
- paternityTristan Gray 3B — Gray will start at third base and bat seventh in Wednesday's game against the Astros.
- 15-Day-ILCole Sands RP — Twins general manager Jeremy Zoll said that Sands (forearm) played catch on consecutive days last week and is expected to spend about a month on the injured list, Bobby Nightengale of The Minnesota Star Tribune reports.
- 15-Day-ILMick Abel SP — Abel (elbow/triceps) resumed playing light catch Wednesday, Bobby Nightengale of The Minnesota Star Tribune reports.
- Day-To-DayMason Adams RP — The White Sox announced that Adams underwent successful Tommy John surgery Wednesday, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.
- 10-Day-ILAustin Hays LF — Hays (calf) will begin a minor-league rehab assignment Tuesday, James Fegan of SoxMachine.com reports.
- 10-Day-ILEverson Pereira RF — The White Sox placed Pereira on the 10-day injured list Wednesday due to a right pectoral strain.
- 15-Day-ILJordan Hicks RP — Hicks was placed on the 15-day injured list Saturday with a right lat strain.
- 60-Day-ILKyle Teel C — Teel (hamstring) is expected to be sidelined an additional 3-to-6 weeks after suffering a sprained LCL in his right knee during a rehab game with Triple-A Charlotte on Saturday, James Fegan of SoxMachine.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILPrelander Berroa RP — Berroa is dealing with right elbow inflammation and will have his rehab stint paused, James Fegan of SoxMachine.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILMike Vasil RP — The White Sox transferred Vasil (elbow) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Tuesday.
- 60-Day-ILTanner Murray LF — The White Sox transferred Murray (shoulder) to the 60-day injured list Monday.
Pinnacle has the Twins as -110 road favorites with the total set at 8, which feels about right given Matthews' form and the fact that Chicago's bullpen took a hit when Jordan Hicks landed on the 15-day IL with a lat strain last weekend. The White Sox aren't a pushover at home — they're a game under .500, not 30 — but the matchup tilts pretty clearly toward Minnesota on paper.
The angle to watch: can Kay keep nibbling the way he did against the Mariners without the strike zone catching up to him? He walked 3 and hit 2 in that start and somehow gave up 1 run. Do that against Buxton and Carlos Correa and the scoreboard tends to be less forgiving. First pitch is 1:10 PM local in Chicago.