After blowing things in the series opener, the Minnesota Twins are hoping that they can fare better as they face the Texas Rangers on Friday night. The Twins were tied 4-4 entering the bottom of the eighth inning on Thursday before allowing six runs in the 10-6 defeat against Texas.
Rookie starter Sam Deduno is scheduled to make his ninth career start with the Twins on Friday. The 29-year-old has been a pleasant surprise for Minnesota so far this season, posting a 3.33 ERA over 46 innings despite a miserable 30-to-36 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
The Twins are 6-2 in Deduno's eight outings this year, though, so there's reason to be optimistic even as Matt Harrison takes the mound for the AL West-leading Rangers.
Game Date & Time: Thursday, Aug. 23, 7:05 p.m. CT
TV: Fox Sports North
For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation Minnesota. For more comprehensive coverage of this series, visit Twins blog Twinkie Town and Rangers blog Lone Star Ball. And for more news, notes and analysis from around baseball, be sure to check out Baseball Nation.