Clouds rolled in suddenly at 5:50, and light rain cut short the Tigers' batting practice. The tarp is on the field, though nobody seems to think tonight's game is in any danger of not being played. The Twins will do everything they can to get it in, of course. There are no common days off between now and the end of the season, and given how tight the wild card race is, a potential makeup game could really scramble the schedule in a couple of weeks.
But again, that shouldn't be a problem.
The Twins will be facing Daniel Norris tonight, a lefthander who was the star prospect acquired by Detroit in the David Price trade six weeks ago. He's been out since Aug. 20 with a strained right oblique, so he's on a short pitch count, perhaps 50-60 pitches. Still, it will be interesting to get a look at a pitch the Tigers expect to be a major part of their rotation over the next several years.
Ervin Santana is on the mound for the Twins, hoping his last start in Target Field was a sign that his results are changing here. He allowed five or more runs in each of his first three home starts for the Twins, but turned it around two weeks ago, when he pitched seven scoreless innings against Houston. That outing was the catalyst for two more good ones on the road trip; Santana has allowed three runs over 22 innings in his last three starts overall, a 1.23 ERA.
Miguel Cabrera, in an 0-for-19 rut at the plate, is out of the Tigers' lineup tonight, and Nick Castellanos was a late scratch due to a minor groin injury. Here are the lineups for tonight's game:
TIGERS
Gose CF
Kinsler 2B
JD Martinez RF
V Martinez DH
Collins LF
Marte 3B
McCann C
Avila 1B
Romine SS
Norris LHP
TWINS
Hicks CF
Dozier 2B
Mauer 1B
Sano DH
Plouffe 3B
Hunter RF
Rosario LF
Herrmann C
Escobar SS
Santana RHP