OAKLAND, Calif. -- If nothing else, Kennys Vargas may convince fans to show up a little early for Twins game in the future. His batting practice sessions are already entertaining.
Taking swings in his first visit to O.co Coliseum, Vargas launched a handful of towering blasts that had the early arrivals cheering, including one rocket that bounced off the window of a football luxury suite, probably 50 feet above the outfield wall. It's impressive.
But it's also meaningless, two hours before game time, because Vargas and his Twins teammates won't be facing a batting-practice pitcher tonight, the first of a four-game series with the A's. They get Jon Lester, Oakland's newly acquired lefthanded ace, a pitcher who has already held them this season to one run on four hits in Fenway Park. Minnesota actually has had some OK success in the past against Lester -- he's 2-4 with a 4.41 ERA in nine career starts against the Twins -- but now he's pitching in front of a better defense, in a more spacious ballpark.
"He's a good one, a big horse. He just keeps pouring it in there," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. "He cuts it, [has a] nice little changeup, a breaking ball. He's a very competitive pitcher."
The Twins will start Yohan Pino, who has lasted at least six innings in four of his last five starts. Here are tonight's lineups for the 9:10 p.m. CT start:
TWINS
Santana CF
Dozier 2B
Plouffe 3B
Willingham LF
Vargas DH
Arcia RF
Suzuki C
Colabello 1B
Escobar SS
Pino RHP
A'S
Crisp CF
Jaso DH
Donaldson 3B
Moss LF
Norris C
Reddick RF
Callaspo 2B
Vogt 1B
Sogard SS
Lester LHP