Not only did the San Francisco Giants (22-24) and Minnesota Twins (25-22) face each other in 2022, but this exact pitching matchup was also the middle game. Sonny Gray led the Twins to a 3-2 victory against Alex Cobb on August 27, 2022, before Minnesota finished the sweep the following day. We'll see if we get a repeat of that on Tuesday night, the second part of a three-game set. Target Field will play host, with the first pitch penciled for 7:40 p.m. EDT.
Entering this series, the San Francisco Giants had won five of six. Those were all at home though, where San Fran has been a much better unit. On the road, they came into this series 7-13, with a 4.72 team ERA. When Alex Cobb departs the mound for the final time in this game, the club's road ERA should drop at the very least. Cobb leads the NL in ERA at 1.94 and ERA+ at 221. There's been some luck involved, as his WHIP is an unimpressive 1.353, his xERA is 3.99, and Cobb's FIP is 3.15. However, a career-high groundball rate has led to a career-best left-on-base percentage through nine starts. Then again, it may not matter how well Cobb pitches with the bullpen behind him. San Francisco's relievers are 28th in ERA with a 5.22 mark, one of only three groups above 5.00. Stopping the bleeding hasn't bee n easy for the next man up on the mound.
Sound alllll the way up for the Spanish call of Patrick's first homer ?? pic.twitter.com/gnQ9A8Pi02
— SFGiants (@SFGiants) May 21, 2023
San Francisco's pitching may falter on the road, but the bats don't. The Giants have a higher OPS away from home thanks to nine more homers in six fewer games. Overall, the Giants entered this series at a modest 17th in runs per game among MLB teams. Their home run total is sixth in the league, which helps mask their 29th-ranked strikeout rate. San Francisco's slugging truly is their strength as most of their other numbers are mediocre at best. It's not always pretty, but hitting home runs at the right time can get the job done.