Gamethread: Twins at White Sox (opener)

Fresh off demonstrating they can handle those &$%@# Astros on occasion after all, the White Sox return to the comfort of the AAAL Central for their weekly series against the Minnesota Twins. Okay, it’s not really weekly, just seems that way, but it is handy, since the White Sox are 10-2 against the Twins this season.

Today is just like an old-fashioned twi-night doubleheader, except for that bit about seven innings, and the Twins are all but conceding the first game, which is officially the regularly-scheduled one. Well they should, since they’re facing Lance Lynn, who would be leading the league in ERA with his 1.99 were he not an inning and change short of enough to qualify, a situation which will be rectified shortly.

The Twins, fresh off being swept by the Tigers in what has to have been their last hope for season resurrection, are throwing star righty José Berríos in Game 2 against the infamous TBD, but are sacrificing Game 1 by pitching rookie Griffin Jax, whose ERA is more than four times Lynn’s — 8.66 if you want to pick a nit — and who last gave up six runs to the Royals in five innings in his only major league start. Jax is the official doubleheader 27th man, a Twins need since this is their second doubleheader in three days.

Not that splits mean much with such a small sample size, but Jax, a righty, gets walloped by righties at a .395 rate, while holding lefties to .179. Our HOFBP must have noticed, because the White Sox lineup is heavily right-handed.

Lynn, whose $19 million a year average in his new contract makes it ever so slightly more than those of Dallas Keuchel ($18.5M), Yasmani Grandal ($18.25M), and Liam Hendriks ($18M) (coincidence? doubtful), will be taking on the usual Twins lineup, unless they get a really good offer for Nelson Cruz beforehand. The 27th member of the White Sox for today is Matt Foster, who might even get in if the game is enough of a blowout.

To quote the most famous former member of That Other Team in Town, “It’s a beautiful day for a ballgame; let’s play two!” First pitch 4:10, usual broadcast suspects.