Twins at Angels
Arm injuries limited Garrett Richards to a combined 12 starts and one win over the past two seasons, but he is finally healthy and will take the mound for the Los Angeles Angels on Thursday in the opener of a four-game set against the visiting Minnesota Twins. It's the beginning of an 11-game homestand for Los Angeles, which is only 8-10 at Angel Stadium.
Richards will go for his fifth win for the Angels, who improved to 14-4 on the road and 6-2 in May with an 8-0 victory at Colorado on Wednesday to salvage a split of the two-game interleague series. Justin Upton homered for the second straight day and has four blasts and 12 RBIs in eight games this month for Los Angeles. The Twins had a day off Wednesday but they entered the final leg of their 10-game road trip on a five-game winning streak, scoring 32 runs in that span. "We're playing better in all phases right now," Minnesota manager Paul Molitor said. "We're executing, especially over the last handful of days."
TV: 10:07 p.m. ET, FS1
PITCHING MATCHUP: Twins RH José Berríos (3-3, 3.98 ERA) vs. Angels RH Garrett Richards (4-1, 3.93)
Berrios picked up his first win in three weeks last time out at the Chicago White Sox despite allowing four runs over six innings -- the third straight start in which he has allowed at least four runs. The 23-year-old opened the season with a shutout and permitted zero runs and three hits in three of his first four starts. Berrios won his lone career start against the Angels, allowing two runs over six innings.
Richards rebounded from his worst performance with perhaps his best, giving up four hits and striking out eight over 6 2/3 scoreless innings to earn the win at Seattle. He was hammered by the Yankees for nine runs in 1 2/3 innings in his previous turn -- the lone dud during a six-start stretch in which he has allowed two runs or fewer five times. Richards is 2-1 with a 2.61 ERA in six appearances against Minnesota.
WALK-OFFS
1. Twins LF Eddie Rosario has four homers and 13 RBIs during a nine-game hitting streak and has multiple hits in four straight.
2. Angels two-way sensation Shohei Ohtani will start the series finale against Minnesota.
3. Twins CF Byron Buxton, out since April 12 with a fractured big toe, could return to the lineup Thursday.