Colorado @ Minnesota preview
Target Field
Last Meeting ( Jun 15, 2010 ) Colorado 3, Minnesota 9
The Minnesota Twins have to feel a little better these about trading a stud pitcher for Delmon Young.
In the midst of a long-awaited breakout season, Young looks to stay hot today as the Twins continue a three-game home series with the Colorado Rockies.
The first overall pick of the 2003 draft by Tampa Bay, Young entered the league with enormous hype – and baggage.
Young showed signs of his massive potential in his rookie season of 2007. He hit .288 with 13 homers and 93 RBIs, finishing second in the American League Rookie of the Year race.
But until this season, Young was best known for tossing his bat into the chest of a Triple-A umpire in 2006, earning him a 50-game suspension.
That episode and other character issues played a part in Tampa Bay’s decision to trade him prior to the 2008 season.
Unlike the Rays, the Twins weren’t turned off by his checkered past and quickly acquired Young in a six-player deal.
The centerpiece of the deal was Matt Garza, who has gone on to be a mainstay on the Rays’ tremendous young pitching staff.
Young, meanwhile, had failed to live up to his lofty draft status in Minnesota – until now.
The 24-year-old is on pace for career highs in nearly every offensive category. Young, whose previous career high in home runs is 13, already has eight in just 60 at bats. He also has 41 RBIs in 57 games – a pace that will top his career-best total set in 2007.
On Tuesday, Young went 3-for-4 with two runs scored in a 9-3 rout, raising his average to .295. He is batting .410 (16-for-39) with three homers and 14 RBIs during a career-best 11-game hitting streak.
Much like the Twins, Young has thrived in interleague play, especially against Colorado. He is 10-for-16 in his career against the Rockies, who send rookie Jhoulys Chacin (3-5, 4.04) to the hill.
Chacin has lost three straight starts, posting a 5.82 ERA in that span. The right-hander allowed five runs – four earned – and five hits in six innings of a 5-4 loss to Houston on Thursday.
He will try to slow down the best interleague team in the majors over the last five seasons. Minnesota is 57-22 against the National League since 2006.
The Twins, who are 4-3 on a nine-game homestand, counter with Scott Baker (5-5, 4.81). The right-hander allowed five runs and eight hits in five innings of a 9-8 loss to Kansas City Thursday. He has never faced Colorado, which had its three-game winning streak snapped Tuesday.
The Twins, who are 22-12 in their first season at Target Field, have split the last four meetings with the Rockies.