After ending skid, Twins host Reds in rubber game (Apr 28, 2018)
The eight-game losing streak is over and now the Minnesota Twins can start moving forward.
After ending the skid Saturday, the Twins will host the Cincinnati Reds in the rubber match of a three-game series at Target Field.
Despite the good news of getting a clean 3-1 victory, Minnesota will be forced to do it without Byron Buxton after an MRI revealed a hairline fracture of the center fielder's left big toe.
Buxton went to the disabled list April 18 because of migraines. The migraines subsided enough that he began a minor league rehab assignment April 22 but fouled a ball off his foot in the first game and has been sidelined since.
He had fluid removed from the toe earlier in the week, but the pain remained, and an MRI exam was performed Saturday, revealing the fracture.
"It's frustrating," Buxton said before Minnesota's first win since beating the Cleveland Indians on April 18 in Puerto Rico. "You're just trying to go down there and get at-bats and get back up here to help us out. But I'm staying in good spirits. Just happy to be back up here and be around them and create some good energy."
There's no timetable yet for Buxton's return, but manager Paul Molitor said he's hitting off a tee and will have his workload increased as the pain subsides.
"If you're talking a significant fracture, you're probably talking four to six weeks, but I don't think that's going to be the case here," Molitor said. "We're hopeful it somehow becomes tolerable in a more reasonable time frame. Next five days should give us an indication of progress."
After the bad news about Buxton, the Twins will seek consecutive victories for the first time since winning three straight from April 10-12 and will start ace right-hander Jose Berrios (2-2, 2.84 ERA).
Berrios had been off to a phenomenal start before the Yankees tagged him for five runs Tuesday. He had recorded only one walk this season before the Yankees drew a pair off him. They also hit two home runs as Berrios failed to get through the fifth inning for only the second time this season.
"The two-seam pitches I threw, both sides on the corners, they weren't swinging at those," Berrios said through a translator. "They were very careful at what they were swinging at, very selective. They just had a game plan, and they executed."
Berrios has never faced Cincinnati.
Tyler Mahle will start for the Reds. His last outing was his best of the season and, of his short major league career. He no-hit the Braves through six innings, walking two batters, but took a no-decision as the Reds won, 9-7, in 12 innings.
"My fastball was working really well. My slider was better than it has been," Mahle said. "I felt great and was able to execute pitches for six innings."
Mahle, considered the Reds' fourth-best prospect prior to the season, is 1-3 with a 5.00 ERA through five starts.
If he keeps doing what he's doing, he's going to be a good one," second baseman Scooter Gennett said.
The Reds will need a better showing from their offense if they hope to win their first series of the season. After scoring a season-high 15 runs in the opener Friday, Cincinnati went 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position Saturday while Joey Votto has his steak of games with a home run snapped at four.
