Twins open series vs. Cardinals, facing another last place team
Three-game series at Busch Stadium
All games on BSN, 830-AM and 102.9-FM
Tuesday, 6:45 p.m.: RHP Pablo López (5-6, 4.13 ERA) vs. Miles Mikolas (6-6, 4.38)
Wednesday, 6:45 p.m.: RHP Joe Ryan (9-7, 4.06 ERA) vs. TBA
Thursday, 6:45 p.m.: RHP Sonny Gray (4-4, 3.22 ERA) vs. TBA
Twins update: They lead the AL Central by a game over Cleveland and are 54-53 after losing five consecutive games. ... They won nine of their first 11 games after the All-Star break but finished July 13-11. ... Caleb Thielbar (oblique), who has been sidelined since June 4, was activated by the Twins on Sunday. On the season, he is 0-1 with a 1.74 ERA in 12 appearances. He made two rehab appearances for the Saints last week. ... Alex Kirilloff (right shoulder strain) was placed on the 10-day injured list on Sunday. ... The Twins are 10-13 in interleague games this season. ... Twins pitchers lead MLB in WHIP (1.18) and strikeouts (1,027), and they are second in opponent batting average (.233).
Cardinals update: They are seventh in the majors in on-base plus slugging percentage (.760) but are last in the National League Central Division at 47-60 because of pitching woes (23rd in ERA, 27th in WHIP). ... SS Paul DeJong, in the final year of his contract, was sent to Toronto on Tuesday. ... The Cards are on their longest homestand (10 games/11 days) of the season. ... Adam Wainwright needs two victories to become the third pitcher in franchise history to win 200 games (Bob Gibson, 251; Jesse Haines, 210). ... 1B Nolan Gorman and 3B Nolan Arenado lead the Cards with 22 home runs each. Arenado has 77 RBI.
