Reds at Twins
The Minnesota Twins look to put an especially discouraging setback behind them quickly and snap a seven-game losing streak when they host the Cincinnati Reds for the first of three contests on Friday night. Fernando Rodney served up a walk-off, three-run homer to Gary Sanchez in the bottom of the ninth inning Thursday afternoon as the Twins dropped a 4-3 decision to the New York Yankees.
“You’re going to have stretches like this where you’re in quite a few ballgames, and the ball just can’t bounce your way,” Minnesota pitcher Kyle Gibson told MLB.com after striking out 10 in six innings Thursday. “Snakebitten, unlucky, whatever you want to call it. But nobody in here is playing the victim, nobody in here is trying to make excuses, we just have to be a little bit better.” Veteran Phil Hughes will try to start the Twins' turnaround when he takes the mound against Cincinnati’s Luis Castillo, who is off to a slow start after posting a 3.12 ERA in 15 starts as a rookie in 2017. The Reds (5-20) own the worst record in the majors after dropping the last two games against Atlanta at home and visit Minnesota for the first time since 2001. Former MVP Joey Votto is warming up for Cincinnati with homers in each of his last three contests and eight RBIs over a five-game stretch.
TV: 8:10 p.m. ET, FS Ohio (Cincinnati), FS North (Minnesota)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Reds RH Luis Castillo (1-3, 6.51 ERA) vs. Twins RH Phil Hughes (0-0, 5.40)
Castillo allowed three runs on seven hits and four walks over five innings at St. Louis on Sunday to suffer the loss after posting his first victory at Milwaukee six days earlier. The 25-year-old Dominican has completed at least five innings but given up three or more runs in all five of his starts. Castillo faces Minnesota for the first time in his career and lost his only other interleague start, yielding three runs over five innings to the Yankees last season.
Hughes permitted two runs on five hits and two walks over 3 1/3 innings in his 2018 debut at Tampa Bay last Sunday after spending time on the disabled list with a strained left oblique. The 31-year-old California native was 5-10 in 26 appearances (20 starts) combined in 2016-17 after reaching the 10-win mark in four of the previous six seasons. Scooter Gennett is 2-for-3 with a pair of doubles against Hughes, who won his only career meeting with the Reds in 2015 - giving up four runs on eight hits over 6 2/3 innings.
WALK-OFFS
1. Cincinnati OF Jesse Winker doubled as a pinch hitter Thursday to extend his hitting streak to eight games (11-for-24).
2. The Twins claimed RHP David Hale off waivers from the Yankees on Thursday. He is expected to join the team for the series.
3. Reds 3B Eugenio Suarez returned Thursday after missing 16 games with a fractured right thumb and went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts.