Angels at Twins
Trevor Plouffe got off to a rough start like many of his teammates during his team's 0-9 start, but his resurgence and a pair of comeback victories have the Minnesota Twins feeling a bit better about themselves. With their first series win of the season already in hand, the Twins look to complete a three-game sweep of the Los Angeles Angels at home Sunday.
Plouffe began the season 5-for-31 as Minnesota piled up strikeouts (94) at a dizzying rate and could not come through with runners in scoring position (5-of-66) during its season-opening skid - its worst such streak as a franchise since 1904. A visit from the Angels has seemingly changed all that, however, as Plouffe is 5-of-8 with a home run and three RBIs and the Twins have fanned only 11 times while batting a respectable 5-for-17 with runners in scoring position in this series. Los Angeles began its 10-game road trip on a high note with a sweep of Oakland to run its winning streak to four, but its bullpen has been unable to protect a late lead in either contest this weekend while surrendering five runs over 5 2/3 innings. Although Albert Pujols notched his first home run of the season in the opener, the Angels also haven't been helped by the struggles of their powerful bats in the middle of the order - No. 3 hitter Mike Trout (.231, one homer) and No. 4 hitter Pujols, who is batting .195.
TV: 2:10 p.m. ET, FSN West (Los Angeles), FSN North (Minnesota)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Angels RH Nick Tropeano (1-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. Twins RH Kyle Gibson (0-2, 4.22)
Tropeano more than held his own in his season debut Monday, yielding six hits and two walks while striking out six over five scoreless frames en route to a 4-1 win at Oakland. The 25-year-old Stony Brook product, who got the nod after the Angels placed Andrew Heaney on the disabled list, has allowed only one earned run and fanned 22 over his last three turns - spanning 16 innings - dating back to last year. Tropeano worked a scoreless inning of relief in his only career appearance against the Twins in 2015.
Gibson rebounded from a rough loss at Baltimore on April 6 with a slightly better outing in a setback to the Chicago White Sox on Monday, permitting three runs - one earned - in 5 2/3 frames. The Indiana native has also fared poorly in five starts versus the Angels, going 0-2 with a 7.18 (including 0-1, 6.35 in two tries last season). Trout (3-for-8, home run) and C.J. Cron (3-for-7) have enjoyed success against Gibson, while Pujols (3-for-13, home run) and Kole Calhoun (1-for-9) have mostly struggled.
WALK-OFFS
1. Los Angeles had won 12 of the previous 14 contests between the clubs prior to this weekend.
2. Minnesota 1B Joe Mauer is a career .339 hitter against the Angels and needs one more RBI to tie Gary Gaetti (758) for the seventh place in club history.
3. Angels 3B Yunel Escobar is 13-for-28 with four multi-hit efforts and only one strikeout during his seven-game hitting streak.