The Twins flew into Chicago and stole the series opener Tuesday, 5-3, after dropping Monday's matinee 1-3. They've won 4 of their last 5 and sit a game under .500 at 27-28. The White Sox, somehow, are 27-27 and right there with them in the standings — the rebuild apparently has a heartbeat this year.
The problem for Minnesota is Davis Martin. The 2.04 ERA in the data is actually generous compared to the season-long line you'll see elsewhere — Sun-Times has him pitching to a sub-2.00 ERA and an AL-best winning percentage as the breakout arm of Chicago's rotation. He's gone at least 5 innings allowing 2 or fewer runs in 7 straight starts. That's the guy the Twins draw on getaway day.
On the other side: Connor Prielipp, a rookie lefty making roughly his 6th big-league start. His last time out in Boston was ugly — 4 innings, 5 earned, 7 hits, 3 walks, 1 strikeout on 85 pitches. The Pablo Lopez and David Festa injuries are why he's still in the rotation, and the Twins desperately need him to give them something resembling length here.
- 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-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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 60-Day-ILGarrett Acton RP — no
- 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 play in at least two more rehab games with Triple-A Charlotte before he is evaluated for a potential return, MLB.com reports.
- 10-Day-ILEverson Pereira RF — Pereira (pectoral) resumed throwing Monday, MLB.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILNoah Schultz SP — Schultz (2-4) took the loss against the Giants on Sunday, allowing six runs on six hits and one walk while striking out one batter across four innings.
- 15-Day-ILJordan Hicks RP — Hicks was placed on the 15-day injured list Saturday with a right lat strain.
- 60-Day-ILKy Bush SP — Bush (elbow) had a setback in his recovery from Tommy John surgery and is unlikely to return until the second half of the season, MLB.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILDrew Thorpe SP — Thorpe (elbow) recently underwent an appendectomy but has resumed throwing, MLB.com reports.
- 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.
The market sees the gap. Pinnacle has the White Sox at -122 with a fair-probability win rate of nearly 54%, and the run line splits between books — Pinnacle's at 1.5, DK's at 1.5 the other way. Public money on DK is hammering Chicago on the spread (67% of bets) and the over (67%), which tracks if you think the rookie gets touched up early.
Minnesota's also down Ryan Jeffers behind the plate for 6-to-8 weeks with a hamate fracture, which thins out the lineup against a strike-thrower like Martin. Walker Jenkins is still a week away from baseball activity. If the Twins want to take the series, somebody other than the rotation has to carry it — and they need Prielipp to keep the score under control long enough for the bats to swing back.