Kansas City @ Minnesota preview
Target Field
Last Meeting ( Sep 6, 2010 ) Kansas City 4, Minnesota 5
The Minnesota Twins certainly are using Target Field to their advantage. For Francisco Liriano, it hasn't mattered where he pitches.
Liriano tries for his seventh straight victory on Tuesday when the Twins host the Kansas City Royals in the middle contest of their three-game series.
Minnesota has won 17 of its last 20 home games, including six of seven on its current nine-game homestand. Owners of a 46-23 record at Target Field, the Twins have posted the second-most home wins in the American League.
The 46th home triumph came Monday as Jason Kubel and Jim Thome both homered during a three-run fifth inning en route to a 5-4 victory. The blast by Thome, who has three homers and six RBIs in his last two games, was the 585th of his career - one behind Hall of Famer Frank Robinson for eighth place on the all-time list.
With the win, the Twins maintained their 3 1/2-game lead over the Chicago White Sox in the AL Central.
Overall, Minnesota has won four games in a row and nine of 11. Liriano has an impressive streak of his own, as he is 6-0 with a 2.17 ERA in nine starts since the All-Star break.
On Wednesday, Liriano settled for a no-decision after scattering five hits over seven scoreless innings of the Twins' 2-1 triumph over the Detroit Tigers. The left-hander has tossed seven scoreless frames in four of his last eight outings.
Liriano owns a 4-3 record and 4.04 ERA in 10 games - three relief appearances - against Kansas City. He limited the Royals to three hits in seven scoreless innings of a 19-1 victory on July 26.
The 26-year old Liriano is 6-3 with a 2.51 ERA in 13 starts at home this season.
Kansas City has lost 18 of its last 23 road games. Brayan Pena went 2-for-4 with two RBIs in Monday's setback, which dropped the Royals to 3-10 against the Twins in 2010.
The 5-4 loss was Kansas City's major league-leading 53rd one-run game of the year, 27 of which have been defeats.
The Royals are expected to combat Liriano with a tag team of recently activated pitchers.
Brian Bannister will make his first start since being sidelined with tendinitis in his right rotator cuff. He last pitched on Aug. 2, when he surrendered five runs and seven hits in five innings of a 6-0 loss at Oakland.
Bannister is 0-6 in his last seven outings and has lost eight of his last nine decisions. The 29-year-old is 1-1 with a 5.11 ERA in two starts against Minnesota this season and 4-5 with a 4.36 ERA in 12 career outings.
Thome is 9-for-26 (.346) lifetime against Bannister with three home runs and four RBIs, while Michael Cuddyer is hitting .400 (10-for-25) with two blasts and five RBIs.
In 12 road starts this year, Bannister is 2-7 with a 7.25 ERA.
Royals manager Ned Yost figures to have Bannister on a short leash and likely will replace him with Luke Hochevar, who has been out since early June with a sprained right elbow.
Hochevar has not pitched since yielding four runs and six hits in four innings against Cincinnati on June 11. He did not figure in the decision of Kansas City's 6-5 victory.
The 26-year-old is 2-2 with a 5.40 ERA in six career games - all starts - vs. the Twins. He has not fared well against Kubel, who has collected five hits in 16 at-bats (.313) with two homers and seven RBIs against the right-hander.
Prior to his injury, Hochevar had gone 5-4 with a 4.96 ERA in 13 starts this year.