Game 2: Twins at Cardinals

03/29/2025 01:15 PM

We are SO back.

First Pitch: 1:15 pm CDT

TV: Twins.TV, FS1 / ~ / Radio: TIBN, WCCO 830, The Wolf 102.9 FM

No, you haven't accidentally popped in a disc from your 1987 World Series box set; yes, the Twins are playing the St. Louis Cardinals, but there are fewer names like Tom Lawless and Terry Pendleton involved. It's regular-season baseball, and after the longest wait of the season — that cruel 48-hour span between Opening Day and the subsequent rain check Friday — we're finally back in action.

I don't know if it was just personal distraction, or if the laconic offseason bred this feeling, but I had the sense yesterday that Opening Day had arrived very suddenly, and without much fanfare. Perhaps a good bounceback win on Saturday afternoon will restore the feeling that yes, Twins baseball is back in full force, and the team still might actually be good.

One-game sample size or not, from a narrative perspective, it was a muddled watch on Thursday afternoon, with the top of the lineup putting up an 0-for-12 spot, and staff ace Pablo Lopez somewhat laboring through an uncharacteristically unsettled performance. The telecast alluded to the stress of trying to get all the Opening Day "firsts" out of the way, especially given the end to the 2024 season and the high percentage of players returning from that roster.

Well, some of those firsts are just going to have to wait for the second game.

It's an exciting afternoon at Busch Stadium today, because Joe Ryan is returning to the mound for the first time since August 7th at Wrigley Field.

Ryan was on track to post the best numbers of his still-young career until a shoulder strain derailed his (and helped to derail Minnesota's) season. Healthy as a horse that plays baseball coming out of camp, all eyes will be on the Olympian to see whether he looks like the Ryan of old, and whether or not he can shoot lightning bolts out of his hands yet, or something.

Ryan had a brilliant 2024, abbreviated though it was; his signature sneaky fastball produced a 94th-percentile run value, and elite command resulted in a sub-1.00 WHIP across over 130 innings. Pairing with the "heater" a collection of four secondary offerings that dive out of the way (a split, sweeper, slider, and sinker), I propose we start calling Joe Ryan's arsenal "Get Down, Mr. President."

On the St. Louis side of the house (me when I name regions of my home after major American metropolises), the Twins will be squaring up against Erick Fedde, familiar to the Minnesota lineup after 21 starts with the White Sox last year. Actually, the Twins have already faced him as a Cardinal, with St. Louis making a late-August visit to Target Field after Fedde had already been dealt. The lineup got three cracks at him last year, beating him just once.

Fedde was an attractive enough arm at last year's deadline, putting together a 126 ERA+ in 31 starts, far and away his best season in the bigs after six mediocre seasons with the Washington Nationals saw him spin out into the KBO. While the results were steady, an inability to miss bats and fool hitters (8% chase rate, 17% whiff rate) seemed to reveal issues with the general lack of movement in the 32-year-old's repertoire. With a full winter between starts, you wonder if the book may already be out.

Lining up for 7th-year manager Rocco Baldelli are a bunch of guys that you may recognize as Minnesota Twins. The top of the lineup remains the same, while Mickey Gasper gets the start at designated hitter, still in search of his first major-league hit at the age of 29. Christian Vazquez bits ninth and catches after the off-day.

Harrison Bader and Ryan Jeffers will be off to start this one, and DaShawn Kiersey Jr.'s pinch-running appearance on Thursday afternoon means that Edouard Julien figures to be the last position player to get into action this March for the Twins. Chin up, Eddy - you'll be out there before long.

It's a gloomy, rainy day both here in Minnesota and down in St. Louis. Hopefully, we can get some more baseball on our plates without another delay, and even more hopefully! — we see the Twins even their record and take home the first victory of 2025.

GO TWINS GO!