Twins Reveal Lineup as Zebby Matthews Tries to Avoid Yankees Sweep

Minnesota turns to Matthews in Wednesday's finale while rookie Kaelen Culpepper undergoes an MRI on his injured hamstring.

Minnesota Twins pitcher Zebby Matthews. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The Minnesota Twins are looking to avoid the sweep at the hands of the New York Yankees in a Wednesday afternoon start at Target Field.  

For the Twins, it will be RHP Zebby Matthews. This season, Matthews has a 9-10 record with a 4.98 ERA. Matthews has been hit hard against the Yankees, posting a 10.80 ERA in 13.1 innings of work. The Twins' bullpen has been used a lot in this series and has been ineffective, so Matthews is going to need to go deeper in tonight's game.

For the Yankees, it will be LHP Carlos Rodón. This season, Rodón has a 6-3 record with a 2.94 ERA. For a number four starter, Rodón is among the best in baseball and has been really good for the Yankees lately. Rodón has faced the Twins a ton in his career, but not many in their current lineup. Rodón holds a career 3.93 ERA in 89 1/3 innings.

First pitch is scheduled for 12:40 p.m. CT at Target Field. The game will be televised on TwinsTV.

Minnesota Twins Starting Lineup

1. Luke Keashall — RF
2. Austin Martin — LF
3. Ryan Jeffers — C
4. Josh Bell — DH
5. Kody Clemens — 1B
6. Royce Lewis — 2B
7. Emmanuel Rodríguez — CF
8. Ryan Kreidler — 3B
9. Ben Ross — SS

Lineup/Roster Notes

• Kaelen Culpepper is out of the Twins lineup today after being removed from last night's game with a left hamstring injury. He was placed on the 10-day IL before Wednesday's game with a mild left hamstring strain. With the season where it is, his season is presumably over.
• Ben Ross was recalled from AAA St. Paul as the corresponding move. Ross starts at shortstop on Wednesday.

Matchups to Watch

Minnesota Twins catcher Ryan Jeffers. Credit: Brian Bradshaw Sevald-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Ben Rice vs. Zebby Matthews

Ben Rice is having a hot September and has some insane career numbers against Matthews. In eight at-bats, Rice has four hits, a home run, a double, two RBIs, and a walk. Rice will be hitting leadoff once again, and we saw the impact in the first two games of this series; Rice has been at the top of the New York lineup with long at-bats and getting on base. If Matthews is going to succeed Wednesday, he needs to keep Rice down. The good news is Matthews has had some good starts in the month of September and might have turned a bit of a corner.

Ryan Jeffers vs. Carlos Rodón

Ryan Jeffers was getting hot, and the power was coming into September. There is now a power outage. Jeffers has struggled over his last 25 at-bats with just four hits, two walks, and six strikeouts. Jeffers does have one home run in that span, and he has a home run in his career against Rodón, so the Twins should hope that Jeffers can pop one out today and spark their offense.