Danny Salazar returns to the Indians tonight for his first start since May 15. Walks had been a problem for him at Columbus, so it’s interesting that the Indians chose a call-up now. It could be they want to see how he looks, and the Twins are a more mild opponent with their recent offensive struggles. It could be that they want to see if they’ll be able to rely on him during the last stretch of the season. Maybe they’re showcasing him for a potential trade. Perhaps it is some combo of all or none of these. Two of his better starts earlier this year were against the Twins, so I’ll just cross my fingers and hope for the best.
The Indians have not faced Twins starter Yohan Pino. He’s only been in the majors since June, but had two good consecutive starts against the Mariners and Yankees, allowing just 1 ER in each game. The Indians need to find a way to get to him, as the Twins have a pretty good bullpen. Their odds are probably greater against Pino.
Lineups:
Indians:
Jason Kipnis, 2B
Chris Dickerson, LF
Michael Brantley, CF
Carlos Santana, 1B
Nick Swisher, DH
Yan Gomes, C
David Murphy, RF
Mike Aviles, SS
Twins:
Danny Santana, CF
Brian Dozier, 2B
Trevor Plouffe, 3B
Kendrys Morales, 1B
Josh Willingham, DH
Kurt Suzuki, C
Oswaldo Arcia, RF
Eduardo Escobar, SS
Sam Fuld, LF
#TribeTrivia Since 1970, the @Indians have had 10 rookie pitchers age 30 or older. How many can you name?
— Ryan McCrystal (@TribeFanMcC) July 23, 2014
[message_box title=”Minnesota Twins Scouting Report” color=”#d40134″]
[list type=”arrow2″]
- Starter: RHP Yohan Pino
- Overview: 30-year-old rookie and minor league journeyman. Former Tribe farmhand acquired from Twins for Carl Pavano.
- Repertoire: Fastball (59%, 89 mph), Slider (24%), Change (11%), Curve (7%)
- K Pitch: Slider low and outside to righties… Fastball up in zone to lefties
- vs Tribe: First appearance vs Indians
- Key Matchups: Kipnis: .330 BA vs RHP fastballs… Swisher: 21 of 73 Ks vs RHPs have come vs slider
[/list]
Sources: ESPN Stats & Information, Baseball-Reference [/message_box]
Look out for Kipnis jumping on Pino’s fastball… here’s his heatmap vs RHP fastballs this season (heatmap via ESPN Stats & Information)
hopefully that oblique holds up. read an article on WFNY about it being an issue for the rest of the season. only way it gets better is rest.
Yeah, definitely a concern. Chris wrote about it for us earlier today. http://itspronouncedlajaway.com/2014/07/22/a-season-long-pain-in-the-side-kipnis-oblique-still-a-bother/
One of the most quirky stats I’ve stumbled across this season… the Indians are 6-18 in Game 100 dating back to 1990