He's seen one rookie pitcher appear entirely unflappable on the mound, treating big-league pressure like he's playing Wiffleball in his backyard. Now Ron Gardenhire would like to see his other rookie starter adopt Andrew Albers' attitude.
Kyle Gibson gets his ninth career start this afternoon, and Gardenhire said he believes the 25-year-old still gets a little worked up by his surroundings, especially when he gets in trouble. "He starts yanking the ball, overthrowing a little bit," the manager said of Gibson, who has posted a 6.43 ERA so far. "We've seen him with incredible stuff, but then he starts rushing, starts overthrowing, and his stuff doesn't do anything. ... Hopefully, he'll get that part right today."
The Twins would also like him to cut down on home runs. Gibson didn't allow a home run in his first 25 1/3 innings as a major-leaguer, and that includes starts at Yankee Stadium and Tropicana Field. But in the 16 2/3 innings since then, he's allowed seven homers, a worrisome trend.
He'll face Carlos Carrasco today as the Indians try to hold off the Royals in the wildcard race.
Today's lineups for the 12:10 start at Target Field:
INDIANS
Bourn CF
Swisher 1B
Kipnis 2B
Santana C
Brantley LF
Giambi DH
Aviles SS
Chisenhall 3B
Stubbs RF
Carrasco RHP
