David Sandlin Silenced 18 Straight Batters Last Week, And The Twins Are About To Get Burned By Him Again!

Holy smokes, if you're a Twins fan, you gotta be sweating right now. After a brutal five-game road trip that saw them get utterly destroyed, Minnesota is finally back home in Minneapolis. But don't pop the champagne just yet, folks, because the Chicago White Sox are rolling into town for a three-game series, and the Twins look like they're barely holding it together. They just got absolutely pummeled 9-3 by the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday afternoon, wrapping up a sweep, and this team is spiraling, big time. We're talking outscored 46-21 over this losing streak, giving up six or more runs in every single one of those five games. It’s bad, real bad.

The Wheels Are Falling Off, And The Pitching Staff Is Shot

You know it's a rough patch when the infielder, Brooks Lee, is out there admitting, "It's just one of the lulls that were in right now." He said it's been a tough road trip and that the White Sox are "an underrated team, definitely their (pitching staff) is." He's not wrong about that White Sox staff, and we'll get to that in a sec. But for the Twins, their own pitching is in shambles. They're already missing multiple injured pitchers, and poor Zebby Matthews couldn't even get out of the fifth inning against the Pirates on Sunday. Thank goodness Mike Paredes made his big league debut, coming in to toss 3 2/3 innings and save the bullpen. Manager Derek Shelton didn't mince words, saying Paredes "saved our bullpen" because it's been "extremely taxed" with "a bunch of guys down" from all the recent usage. It's a mess, plain and simple.

The Sandlin Problem and Ryan's Last Stand?

And guess who's up first on this seven-game homestand? Yep, those red-hot White Sox, riding a five-game winning streak and gunning for six. The Chicago Sun-Times is reporting that right-hander David Sandlin, with his pristine 1-0 record and 1.50 ERA, is gonna start the opener. Remember him? He just made his stellar big league debut against the Twins last Wednesday, holding them to one run on one hit over six innings, walking nobody and striking out four. After giving up a leadoff homer to Byron Buxton, he literally retired the next 18 batters he faced. Eighteen straight! White Sox pitching coach Zach Bove said, "It was great for him to have that success, especially in his debut," but also noted, "Obviously, he's facing the same team, so we're not going to overthink that. He's kind of familiar with those guys, (and) they're familiar with him." Talk about a tough draw for a team in a slump! The Twins' only real hope right now feels like Joe Ryan. He's got a 3-3 record with a solid 2.94 ERA, making his 13th start. He's been money, with four straight quality starts, including holding the White Sox to two runs on five hits over 7 2/3 innings just last Tuesday. Historically, he owns these guys, going 3-0 with a 3.21 ERA in his first seven career starts against them. He's gonna need to be an absolute workhorse tonight because that bullpen is hanging by a thread. This Monday night game is huge for the Twins, kicking off a homestand that also includes four games against the Kansas City Royals. They're 15-14 at home this season, while the White Sox are 12-16 on the road. Can the Twins finally turn it around, or will the red-hot White Sox and a dominant David Sandlin just pour more salt on the wound? You absolutely have to tune in to see if Ryan can hold the line.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.