The Twins have had quite the up-and-down campaign in 2011, and their latest road trip has followed suit perfectly. After Ervin Santana silenced the Twins' bats on Tuesday night, Minnesota exploded for five home runs in an 11-4 rout on Wednesday.
With fewer and fewer games left and the team still eight games back of division-leading Detroit, the Twins know how important it is to finish off their road trip at 5-5. But it won't be easy as Minnesota may have originally thought. Rookie Tyler Chatwood was supposed to take the mound at first, Dan Haren is now the scheduled starter for the Angels. After briefly struggling with some back issues, Haren has been dominant lately. He pitched a complete game against the Tigers his last time out for his 11th win of the season. Haren currently holds a sterling 2.89 ERA.
The Twins will counter with Francisco Liriano, who has perfectly embodied the roller coaster Minnesota season. His last two starts have been a perfect example: he lasted only 2 1/3 innings in a sloppy outing against the Tigers and then followed it up with seven strong innings and a victory against Oakland. The Twins hope that "Good Frank" will make an appearance today (along with last night's bats) in such an important game.
First pitch in Anaheim is scheduled for 9:05 PM Central.