Coming off of one of the most memorable pitching performances in recent team history, the Minnesota Twins will attempt to keep their positive momentum going and sweep their two-game mini-series from the Chicago White Sox this afternoon at U.S. Cellular Field.
Francisco Liriano threw the fifth no-hitter in franchise history on Tuesday night, and the Twins will next hand the ball to right-hander Nick Blackburn (1-4, 5.14 ERA). The White Sox will counter with left-hander John Danks (0-4, 3.92). Danks has started six games for the White Sox this season, and Chicago has not registered a victory in any of those six ball games. Blackburn has registered a loss in each of his last four starts, so something will have to give this afternoon.
For all the talk about Liriano's no-hitter, the fact remains that the Twins' offense is stuck in neutral (or reverse, depending on your perspective). They still managed just one run last night, they still have the fewest runs scored in the majors, and they still have baseball's worst run differential at -63. Jason Kubel's fourth-inning solo home run accounted for all of the scoring on Tuesday night, and the Twins' team batting average dropped to .229 after managing only six hits of their own.
First pitch for this one is scheduled for 1:10 PM Central time. You can check out the Game Thread with our friends at Twinkie Town for discussion of the game, and come back here for the recap.