The Minnesota Twins ended the Tigers series on a positive note, winning the final game of the series 11-4, thanks to one Luke Hughes. Tonight, the Twins hope to carry that little bit of momentum into Chicago to face the White Sox. Still, it was a dreadful homestand for the Twins, who went 2-9 against the Yankees, Orioles, and Tigers, and at one point they lost 7 straight.
For the White Sox, this series begins a stretch of 28 straight games against AL Central opponents, and if they are to chip away at the 6 game lead the division leading Tigers have on them, this is the opportunity to do it.
For the Twins, they're relegated to the role of spoiler, and with as much success as they've had over the White Sox in the last couple of seasons, they are in a position to do just that. Tonight the Twins starter is Kevin Slowey, who is 0-2 on the season with a 6.84 ERA. It's only the third start of the season for Slowey, who only has 8 appearances all season. In his last start against Baltimore, Slowey only made it 4.2 innings, giving up 7 hits and five earned runs while taking the loss.
On the injury front, Joe Mauer will miss his fifth straight game because of a neck injury. Catcher Rene Rivera was recalled from Rochester, and to make room for him the Twins sent down infielder Matt Tolbert.
First pitch from the South Side is at 7:05.