As my cohort Phil Miller points out in this notebook, Marwin Gonzalez is swinging a bat again. And guess what? He's in the lineup tonight as the Twins open a three-game series against the White Sox.
Their multi-positional everyday player has been out of the lineup since Aug. 27 with an abdominal/oblique strain, an injury that he initially believed was minor. This is the why such injuries are hated, because it could knock players out for a few weeks.
This also is why Ehire Adrianza will likely miss the remainder of the regular season, as Twins manager Rocco Baldelli is one cautious hombre when it comes to protecting players.
The Twins have the batting cage out as I write this, and Miguel Sano and Willians Astudillo are on the field with their weapons of destruction, ready to propel spheres hundreds of feet into the air.
It's good that Gonzalez is back tonight. White Sox righthander Reynaldo Lopez has been rocked by left-handed hitters to the tune of a .288 batting average. Lopez, 9-13 with a 5.35 ERA, made the Twins work a little in his last outing against them on Aug. 20 before the Twins broke through in the middle innings and pulled away to a 14-4 win.
Baldelli has six players who can bat lefthanded in the lineup tonight. One is not Max Kepler, whom is nursing a sore muscle near the scapula. He's only hitting .176 against Lopez so, when you are looking to be careful with someone who is banged up, this is a good reason to give him a break.
The Twins will honor the St. Paul Saints before the game, as they won the American Association title on Saturday.
Don't forget! First pitch is at 6:40 p.m.
White Sox
Leury Garcia, CF
Yoan Moncada, 3B
Jose Abreu, DH
Eloy Jimenez, LF
James McCann, C
Matt Skole, 1B
Danny Mendick, SS
Yolmer Sanchez, 2B
Ryan Goins, RF
Reynaldo Lopez. RHP
Twins
Luis Arraez, 2B
Jorge Polanco, SS
Nelson Cruz, DH
Eddie Rosario, LF
Mitch Garver, C
Jake Cave, RF
Miguel Sano, 3B
Marwin Gonzalez, 1B
LaMonte Wade. CF
Jose Berrios, RHP
