September 15 – The Cincinnati Reds will take on the Minnesota Twins in Minneapolis on Sunday afternoon looking to take a three-game lead.
Cincinnati (73-77) beat the Twins decisively 11-1 on Saturday night and won the series opener 8-4 on Friday. The Reds have won nine of their last 13 games.
Meanwhile, Minnesota (78-70) is 2 1/2 games ahead of the Detroit Tigers and Seattle Mariners for the American League’s final wild-card playoff spot. The Twins have lost two games in a row and six of their last eight.
Reds head coach David Bell praised his team after the team had 15 hits. He expects them to have another strong game at the plate as Cincinnati finishes its league series.
“It’s nice when you get an opportunity and you can find some holes,” Bell said. “Our guys keep working hard every shift. When you can put on a show and guys have some big nights … it’s nice to see.”
Twins head coach Rocco Baldelli was in a different mood, trying to avoid a late-season slump while trying to prepare his team for a potential playoff run.
“That was a tough game to watch, to play, to manage, to coach — everything,” Baldelli said. “After the halfway point, you really have to find a way to finish the race in the easiest way possible.
“We have to find the right mix of players that we want. We have a lot of different players, we have a lot of different players with different levels of experience in the rotation, the bullpen and the clubhouse. You never play tight. You have to play loose to win.
Reds right-hander Rhett Loeder (1-1, 0.59 ERA) will try to complete the sweep. The rookie from Wake Forest has allowed 12 runs in 15 1/3 innings over the first three starts of his career.
This will be Lord’s first career game against the Twins. He got his first career win on Tuesday against the St. Louis Cardinals, whom he shut out over five scoreless innings. The Reds won 3-0.
On Sunday, the Twins will face right-hander David Festa (2-6, 5.08 ERA), who will make his 11th start of his rookie season. The 24-year-old has lost his last four shutouts, including his most recent outing on Monday, when he allowed four runs in four innings in a 6-2 loss to the Los Angeles Angels.
Baldelli said he doesn’t want to see the players under pressure even with the playoffs approaching.
“There’s only one way to play this game,” Baldelli said. “You can play with urgency, play with ease, play with comfort. We’ve got to stay right here. It seems like we’re not doing that. We’re putting pressure on the offensive side of the ball. We know that.
“You have to keep moving forward. You can’t look back – you have to look forward and that’s what we’re going to do.”
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