The Minnesota Twins and Detroit Tigers meet for Game 2 of a 3-game series in The Motor City. The Tigers easily won the opener 10-4 as the bats came alive early. Dillon Dingler and Riley Greene smashed home runs in the first and second innings, followed by two more home runs later in the game by Kerry Carpenter and a second bomb from Dingler. The power-hitting catcher had four RBIs in the contest.
As for the twins, Byron Buxton led the game off with a solo home run. Josh Bell, Brooks Lee, and Kody Clemons all homered as well. They were all solo home runs. Twins manager Derek Shelton is trying to make a change that could lead to more runs being scored. For the first time since April 5, Buxton is not leading off. Here is a rundown on what is happening by reporter Aaron Gleeman.
“Notable lineup change for the Twins tonight: Byron Buxton is batting second, which is his first game somewhere other than the leadoff spot since April 5. Austin Martin is leading off vs. a left-handed pitcher. Royce Lewis is starting at first base for the third straight game.”
Buxton is still playing at a very high level at age 32. He is hitting .255 with 19 home runs on the season and an OPS of .870. Most of these numbers are as a leadoff hitter, aiming to create a spark in the lineup. The issue is that the rest of the lineup is not contributing at the same rate. Despite hitting third, Royce Lewis has struggled this season while having the expectations of being the second-best hitter in the lineup.
Martin, Buxton, and Lewis should be able to do some damage against Framber Valdez in Game 2.
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