Last weekend at Miller Park, the Milwaukee Brewers swept a three-game series against the Minnesota Twins, winning those three games by a combined score of 21-6. Starting on Friday night at Target Field, the same two teams will begin another three-game set, with the Twins looking to regain some of the momentum they may have picked up after winning two of their three games against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Twins currently sit 8.5 games behind the Detroit Tigers in the American League Central race, and while that's not an insurmountable number, if the Twins want to find themselves playing meaningful games in August and September, they need to get to work in a big way.
Minnesota will hope that the work begins tonight, as they turn to left-hander Francisco Liriano (4-7, 4.98 ERA). Liriano has been among the most frustrating pitchers in baseball this year, seemingly alternating brilliance with a propensity for getting lit up by opposing lineups. In his last start against these same Brewers, he definitely fell under the latter category, allowing six runs on eight hits and not making it out of the fourth inning in Minnesota's 11-1 loss.
In that game, Liriano was on the mound opposite the same man he'll be opposite this evening, Milwaukee right-hander Yovani Gallardo (9-4, 3.92 ERA). Gallardo pitched seven innings in that 11-1 blowout, allowing just one run and six hits to pick up the victory.
First pitch from Target Field is scheduled for 7:10 PM Central time. Be sure to pay a visit to Twinkie Town to get involved in the Game Thread, and come back here for the post-game recap.