The Minnesota Twins (68-64, 61-72 RL, 61-62-10 O/U) battle the New York Yankees (80-54, 60-75 RL, 61-70-4 O/U) in the first of a three-game series on Monday night. The Twins have Chris Archer on the hill, seeking his first road win. The Yankees will reply with Jameson Taillon, eying win number 13. The Yankees lead the series 2-1.
Chris Archer will get the nod for the 24th time of the season. Archer had trouble in his latest effort, conceding four runs in 4.1 innings against the Red Sox and finished with the no-decision in a game his team ended up winning. The veteran right-hander has now squandered nine runs in his last two performances and his ERA has fallen to 4.52 along with a 1.32 WHIP and a 2-7 record in 95.2 innings on the season. He held the Yankees to one run in five innings in June and is 7-7 with a 3.03 ERA in career 124.2 innings.
Minnesota has narrowed the gap with Cleveland, trailing the rivals by one game in the AL Central. The Twins recently won five in a row and lost two of three against the White Sox last weekend. They avoided a sweep with a 5-1 win on Sunday, and are now seven games below .500 on the road.
Jose Miranda had a big series against the Yankees in June, going 5 for 9 with three RBIs. The 24-year-old first baseman is enjoying a stellar rookie year, clubbing 13 big flies with 58 RBIs and a .773 OPS. Miranda only has three RBIs in his last seven games.
Minnesota is scoring an average of 4.45 runs per game, ranking them 13th overall. The pitching staff has filed a 3.92 team ERA, placing them 19th in the big leagues.