Gamethread: Twins at White Sox

The Twins (17-12) are in Chicago for a three-game series against the struggling White Sox (8-21). Minnesota enters today’s action with a three-game lead in the AL Central, while the South Siders are still trying to win back-to-back games for the first time this season.

Michael Kopech, 27, will be the starting pitcher for the White Sox. Kopech is off to a slow start, with a 7.01 ERA and a 7.44 FIP in 25 ²⁄₃ innings, so he has accumulated -0.4 fWAR this season. Kopech’s last game was against the Blue Jays (18-11) on April 26. During that game, Kopech allowed four runs (all earned) on six hits in five innings. Kopech walked two and struck out four, and the White Sox offense was nowhere to be found, so Toronto prevailed, 8-0.

Joe Ryan, 26, had a great first month on the mound. Ryan, a right-handed pitcher, has a 2.81 ERA and a 3.23 FIP in 32 innings, rendering him a 0.7-fWAR pitcher. Especially given the South Siders’ struggles at the plate, it appears to be a tall order for the offense to do damage against Ryan. This will be Ryan’s second career game against the White Sox. In his first game against them, he allowed two runs (both earned) in four innings, allowing five hits, walking two, and striking out three.

Here are the starting lineups:

The first pitch is scheduled to take place at 6:10 p.m. Central. As usual, NBC Sports Chicago and WMVP 1000 AM will cover the game. Can the White Sox win their second straight game? We will find out soon, but winning consecutive games has been quite the challenge.