The Tigers are 7-1 in their past eight games. The Twins have lost four in a row in their latest skid.
Enter Scott Baker.
Baker has been the Twins best starting pitcher of late, going 2-0 with a 1.59 ERA in his past four starts. That stretch includes 25 strikeouts and four walks in 28 1/3 innings, and all four starts have come on the road -- at Tampa Bay, at Baltimore, at Kansas City and at Boston.
Baker's only start at home this season was a 5-3 loss to Oakland on April 10. The Tigers counter with lefthander Phil Coke, a converted reliever.
Weather could complicate things again today.
Quick fact: Coke has held lefthanders to a .205 batting average this year, but righties are batting .293 against him.
Update: Manager Ron Gardenhire indicated the Twins will wait until Friday to decide whether to place SS Trevor Plouffe on the DL. Plouffe has made progress and there's hope he'll be able to run on Thursday.
The Twins need to make room on the roster for Delmon Young to come off the DL on Friday, so if Plouffe's not ready, he could go on the DL that day. Otherwise, the Twins would send down "one of the kids," Gardenhire said.
