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.05/18
- 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.05/08
- 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
- paternityTristan Gray (3B) — Gray will start at third base and bat seventh in Wednesday's game against the Astros.05/22
- 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.05/19
- 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.05/18
- 15-Day-ILMick Abel (SP) — Abel (elbow/triceps) resumed playing light catch Wednesday, Bobby Nightengale of The Minnesota Star Tribune reports.05/18
- 15-Day-ILCody Laweryson (RP) — Laweryson (forearm) worked around a walk to deliver a scoreless inning in his rehab appearance Saturday with Triple-A St. Paul.05/18
- 60-Day-ILGarrett Acton (RP) — no05/19
- 60-Day-ILDavid Festa (SP) — Twins general manager Jeremy Zoll said Saturday that Festa is unlikely to return before the All-Star break after experiencing a setback in his recovery from a right shoulder impingement earlier this month, Bobby Nightengale of The Minnesota Star Tribune reports.05/18
- 60-Day-ILPablo Lopez (SP) — The Twins placed Lopez (elbow) on the 60-day injured list Thursday.05/08
- Day-To-DayMason Adams (RP) — The White Sox announced that Adams underwent successful Tommy John surgery Wednesday, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.05/08
- 10-Day-ILAustin Hays (LF) — Hays (calf) will begin a minor-league rehab assignment Tuesday, James Fegan of SoxMachine.com reports.05/17
- 10-Day-ILEverson Pereira (RF) — The White Sox placed Pereira on the 10-day injured list Wednesday due to a right pectoral strain.05/08
- 15-Day-ILJordan Hicks (RP) — Hicks was placed on the 15-day injured list Saturday with a right lat strain.05/23
- OutTim Elko (1B) — Elko (knee) agreed to a minor-league contract with the White Sox on Sunday, Jack Ankony of SI.com reports.05/08
- 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.05/20
- 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.05/17
- 60-Day-ILMike Vasil (RP) — The White Sox transferred Vasil (elbow) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Tuesday.05/08
- 60-Day-ILTanner Murray (LF) — The White Sox transferred Murray (shoulder) to the 60-day injured list Monday.05/08
- 60-Day-ILBrooks Baldwin (LF) — The White Sox transferred Baldwin (elbow) from the 10-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Wednesday.05/08
- 60-Day-ILKy Bush (SP) — The White Sox placed Bush (elbow) on the 60-day injured list Feb. 10.05/08
- 60-Day-ILDrew Thorpe (SP) — Thorpe (elbow) has thrown seven bullpen sessions as part of his rehab process, MLB.com reports.05/08
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.