The Twins might not believe it, but someone can hit David Price. All but untouchable against the Twins on Opening Day, when he allowed five singles and no runs, Price was bludgeoned for eight runs in 2 1/3 innings last Wednesday against the Yankees. So it can happen.
"When he's on, he's tough. You hope that your guys make some adjustments," Twins manager Paul Molitor said. "You have to understand some at-bats are going to be more challenging than others, but each time you go up there, you have to wipe the slate clean and think that's the oppoturnity for you to do something to help the team."
One thing Molitor is doing is trying a different lineup than the one that Price faced three weeks ago. "A couple different guys are getting a shot at him," Molitor said, and only Joe Mauer is hitting in the same spot in the order as he was for the opener. Shane Robinson will play left field, a reflection of Oswaldo Arcia's history against Price — 0-for-6 with four strikeouts — and his career .224 average against lefthanders.
In addition, Eduardo Nunez makes his third straight start, and second in a row as the designated hitter. That's a reflection of Nunez's hot hand — he's 8-for-15 for the season — as well as a growing concern, Molitor hinted, about Kennys Vargas. The 25-year-old slugger is 2-for-28 (.071) with no extra-base hits and 11 strikeouts over the past 10 days, and Molitor said he had decided, after watching Vargas strike out four times on Saturday, to give him a couple of days to step back and get away from the pressure.
Of course, Price has been good against the Twins for a long time. He's 6-3 with a 2.27 in 11 career starts against Minnesota, and 5-1 with a 2.08 in his last six starts.
The Twins, who have won seven of their last 11 games, sent Tommy Milone to the mound; he's 2-0 on the season and 3-0 with a 2.83 all-time against the Tigers.
The Tigers, who own the American League's best record despite a four-game losing streak last week, outscored Minnesota 22-1 in the season-opening series in Detroit. But the Twins won the season series last year, 10-9, so they're confident they're a different team than that.
The Tigers, who own the American League's best record despite a four-game losing streak last week, outscored Minnesota 22-1 in the season-opening series in Detroit. But the Twins won the season series last year, 10-9, so they're confident they're a different team than that.
Here are the lineups for the first game of an 11-game homestand:
TIGERS
Kinsler 2B
Iglesias SS
Cabrera 1B
V Martinez DH
JD Martinez RF
Cespedes LF
Avila C
Perez 3B
Gose CF
Price LHP
TWINS
Dozier 2B
Hunter RF
Mauer 1B
Plouffe 3B
Nunez DH
Suzuki C
Robinson LF
Schafer CF
Santana SS
Milone LHP