The Twins have won four in a row as they return to Target Field tonight to face the Cincinnati Reds (7:10 p.m., BSN) in the start of a two-game series.
Twins put win streak on line as J.A. Happ faces Cincinnati's Tyler Mahle
Twins bench coach Mike Bell's memory will be honored tonight at Target Field.
June 21, 2021 at 8:32PM
Tyler Mahle is having an All-Star caliber season for Cincinnati, going 7-2 with a 3.39 ERA. The Twins will counter with lefthander J.A. Happ (3-3, 6.12), who has struggled mightily lately. He has given up 35 earned runs in his past seven starts.
Twins bench coach Mike Bell, who passed away in March, will be honored before tonight's game. His brother, David, is the Reds manager.
Josh Donaldson (calf, illness) is still on the sidelines for the Twins as Luis Arraez leads off and plays third base.
In the latest American League All-Star balloting, Twins center fielder Byron Buxton ranks third among American League outfielders with 710,270 votes, trailing Mike Trout (1,371,004) and Aaron Judge (1,030,139). Nelson Cruz is sixth among designated hitters, and third baseman Josh Donaldson and catcher Mitch Garver are both 10th at their positions. The top three at each position (and top nine outfielders) will advance to the second stage of voting starting Sunday.
REDS LINEUP
Jonathan India, 2B
Jesse Winker, DH
Nick Castellanos, RF
Tyler Stephenson, C
Joey Votto, 1B
Eugenio Suarez, 3B
Aristides Aquino, LF
Kyle Farmer, SS
Scott Heineman, CF
TWINS LINEUP
Luis Arraez, 3B
Byron Buxton, CF
Trevor Larnach, LF
Nelson Cruz, DH
Max Kepler, RF
Jorge Polanco, 2B
Alex Kirilloff, 1B
Ryan Jeffers, C
Andrelton Simmons, SS
Talk of competing for the best players or of a potential new owner wielding big bucks doesn’t change this: They are last in popularity among the four major men’s pro sports.
