Matt Shoemaker hasn't given up a run since Aug. 16, hasn't lost a game since Aug. 6 (a 2-1 loss), and hasn't ever faced the Minnesota Twins. The latter fact changes tonight, and we'll see whether the first two change as well.
Shoemaker is one of the great stories of this baseball season, an undrafted free agent who got an unexpected chance to start for the Angels and has become the ace of their staff now that Garrett Richards is injured. Since July 1, he's been the winningest pitcher in the American League, going 9-2 with a 1.98 ERA. For the season, he's 14-4 with a 3.14 ERA.
He's one of the most unexpected successes of the season, in other words. Tonight, he faces one of the biggest disappointments, in Twins starter Ricky Nolasco. The second-highest-paid pitcher in Twins history, Nolasco is 5-10 with a 5.96 ERA; he's 0-3 with a 6.20 ERA since returning from an elbow injury on Aug. 15, and that includes seven shutout innings at Kansas City.
It's quite a contrast, and a depressing one for the Twins. Here are the lineups that each pitcher will face:
ANGELS
Calhoun RF
Trout CF
Pujols 1B
