The Minnesota Twins hand the ball to recently called up Esmerling Vasquez to finish off the weekend sweep of the Kansas City Royals Sunday afternoon.
The Twins swept the doubleheader in Kansas City yesterday after Friday's game was postponed and now look to Vasquez, who has not pitched in the Major Leagues since June of 2011 and is making his first appearance with Minnesota after being acquired by the club last September. This will be his first career start. As a reliever, Vasquez is 5-10 with a 4.66 ERA.
For the Royals, Luis Mendoza will take the mound. The 28-year-old right-hander is 7-9 with a 4.51 ERA on the season but was victorious against Minnesota in their last meeting, allowing three runs over 6.1 innings in a 7-3 win.
Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau carried the weight for the Twins yesterday. Mauer's grand slam carried Minnesota to victory in yesterday's night cap, while Morneau's two RBIs in the early game were the difference in the 3-1 victory.
Read more on the Twins at Twinkie Town and SB Nation Minnesota. Head over to Royals Review and SB Nation Kansas City for more on the Royals. Baseball Nation is your source for news and analysis around Major League Baseball.