The Minnesota Twins will attempt to win their ninth contest in a row on Tuesday night, when they take on the lowly Chicago White Sox in the second of a three-game set. They'll be aided in that quest by the return of closer Jhoan Duran.
Duran, 26, will be making his season debut after being sidelined since mid-March because of a strained oblique. He has been activated ahead of Tuesday's game, however, giving the Twins bullpen a boost. To free up the roster spot, reliever Matt Bowman was designated for assignment.
Duran has appeared in 116 games for the Twins over the last two seasons, amassing a 2.15 ERA (191 ERA+) and a 4.22 strikeout-to-walk ratio. He's recorded 35 saves along the way, converting 87.5% of his opportunities.
Four different Twins relievers had recorded saves this season. That group included Griffin Jax (who led the way with four), Caleb Thielbar, Steven Okert, and Cole Sands. Minnesota's bullpen ranked third in the majors with a 2.54 ERA during Duran's absence.
The Twins, who were 7-13 before their winning streak started, can attribute their recent heater to a string of series against weaker foes: so far, this streak has included sweeps over the White Sox and the Los Angeles Angels. (Hey, you can only beat who you play.) In true baseball fashion, however, the Twins have attributed their success to the implementation of a home-run sausage. We'll let manager Rocco Baldelli explain.
"It's a summer tangy sausage, is what it is. I actually looked at the package yesterday," Baldelli told reporters on Sunday. "It's bringing us a lot of hits and runs and stuff, so I'm all for it. For anyone that hasn't been following, it's a substantial packaged sausage that [Ryan] Jeffers has been carrying around in his bag and throwing at people when we score runs and hit homers. I'm all for it."
It's probably fair to write that Baldelli is all for Duran's return, too.
