Boy, it's nice to have Royce Lewis back.
Lewis homered in the eighth inning to break open the game, and Chris Paddack bounced back from a rough outing with a sharp performance to lift the Minnesota Twins to a 5-0 victory over the Colorado Rockies on Monday night. It is Lewis' first home game of the season and he was ready to enjoy it.
"Man, it was just glorious, man," Lewis said after the game. "It was the last time I played at home in front of these fans was, you know, Target Field in the playoffs. Man, I loved it. I loved every moment. I was smiling, I just felt comfortable and I felt like I was at home. So that's what means the most to me, just being at home."
Lewis, who was injured in the season opener and missed two months with a severe right quad strain, has homered four times in seven games. Lewis took Rockies reliever Nick Mears deep to left for a 435-foot, two-run blast to cap a three-run eighth inning.
“It’s impressive, but nothing that would shock you at this point. He’s a very dangerous hitter,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. “You feel like every swing, something good could happen for your team.”
Christian Vásquez, Carlos Correa and Trevor Larnach each drove in a run for the Twins, who have won two in a row after dropping five straight games.
Paddack (5-3) allowed six hits and struck out six in 6 1/3 innings.
"It probably gives him, springboards him a little bit, gives him some good confidence going into the rest of the game, even with some some base runners getting on," Baldelli said of Paddack getting through the early innings.
GAME TWO PREVIEW
Colorado Rockies (23-43, fifth in the NL West) vs. Minnesota Twins (35-31, third in the AL Central)
Minneapolis; Tuesday, 6:40 p.m. Pregame 6:00 p.m. on WCCO Radio and the Audacy App.
PITCHING PROBABLES: Rockies: Cal Quantrill (5-4, 3.58 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 51 strikeouts); Twins: Louie Varland (0-4, 9.18 ERA, 2.16 WHIP, 18 strikeouts)
BETMGM SPORTSBOOK: LINE Twins -200, Rockies +168; over/under is 8 1/2 runs
BOTTOM LINE: The Minnesota Twins play the Colorado Rockies with a 1-0 series lead.
Minnesota has a 17-13 record in home games and a 35-31 record overall. The Twins are 18-28 in games when they have given up at least one home run.
Colorado has a 10-26 record on the road and a 23-43 record overall. The Rockies have an 11-31 record in games when they have given up a home run.
The matchup Tuesday is the second time these teams square off this season.
TOP PERFORMERS: Ryan Jeffers has 15 doubles and 12 home runs for the Twins. Carlos Correa is 12-for-39 with two doubles, a triple and a home run over the last 10 games.
Elias Diaz has a .303 batting average to lead the Rockies, and has 12 doubles and five home runs. Charlie Blackmon is 13-for-40 with an RBI over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Twins: 4-6, .215 batting average, 4.45 ERA, outscored by four runs
Rockies: 2-8, .230 batting average, 6.04 ERA, outscored by 35 runs
INJURIES: Twins: Justin Topa: 60-Day IL (knee), Brock Stewart: 15-Day IL (shoulder), Daniel Duarte: 60-Day IL (tricep), Zack Weiss: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Anthony DeSclafani: 60-Day IL (elbow)
Rockies: Elias Diaz: day-to-day (hamstring), Brendan Rodgers: 10-Day IL (hamstring), Sean Bouchard: 10-Day IL (ankle), Kris Bryant: 10-Day IL (rib), Justin Lawrence: 15-Day IL (arm), Jordan Beck: 10-Day IL (wrist), Kyle Freeland: 60-Day IL (elbow), Jake Bird: 15-Day IL (elbow), Lucas Gilbreath: 60-Day IL (elbow), Nolan Jones: 10-Day IL (back), Daniel Bard: 60-Day IL (knee), German Marquez: 60-Day IL (elbow), Antonio Senzatela: 60-Day IL (elbow)