Tigers' Chris Paddack seeks revenge in rematch vs. Twins
In his first start in Minneapolis since being traded to the Tigers by the Twins on July 28, the right-hander will face the team that once pinned hopes on his arm -- and ultimately moved on.
But Paddack (4-10, 4.76 ERA) has allowed only one run per game in three of his last four starts. He enjoyed success against the Los Angeles Dodgers before the trade, and the Arizona Diamondbacks and White Sox after it.
The lone blemish? A rocky outing against the Twins on Aug. 5, when he surrendered four runs on six hits in four innings of a 6-3 setback in his only career appearance against them.
"They gave me a little taste of my own blood, you know," said Paddack, 29. "They put up four runs, and I only had one swing-and-miss, to Royce (Lewis), and it came in the fourth inning."
Now Paddack will get a chance to redeem himself against the Twins. In his three starts with the Tigers, Paddack has thrown nearly 72 percent of his pitches for strikes and has allowed only one walk.
"Definitely going into this outing with a little revenge in mind," he said. "I know those guys were good friends and good teammates, but they're trying to take food off my plate, and it comes down to who wants it more."
Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said he likes what he's seeing from his team in this series.
"Our guys are settling in, and there is a lot of belief that we can win every night," he said.
The Tigers have won four games in a row and six of their past seven, while the Twins have lost three straight, five of their last six and have struggled offensively.
Minnesota's starting pitcher for Sunday's game has yet to be announced.
One of the few bright spots has been the play of Luke Keaschall. In 18 games to start his career, he has reached base safely 32 times, with 22 hits, eight walks and two hit-by-pitch. In the Twins' 8-5 loss on Saturday, the rookie was 2-for-3 with two runs.
Keaschall played a big role in the Twins' win on Aug. 5 over Paddack. In his first game back since fracturing his forearm in April, Keaschall hammered a cutter over the left field wall in Detroit for a two-run homer.
Another player Minnesota is turning to spark the offense is James Outman, who made his Twins debut Saturday. The 28-year-old outfielder was acquired at the trade deadline from the Los Angeles Dodgers for reliever Brock Stewart and replaced Alan Roden, who was placed on the injured list with a sprained thumb.
The Twins hope Outman re-emerges as the outfielder who played in 151 games for the Dodgers in 2023 and finished third in the Rookie of the Year voting. That season he hit .248 with 86 runs and 70 RBIs.
"He's going to get opportunities to play, and to hopefully get into a good rhythm and show us some things he can do," Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. "I'd like to get to know the player a little bit."
--Field Level Media
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
11 minutes ago
- The Independent
Iga Swiatek highlights key change for final run at Cincinnati Open
Iga Swiatek has highlighted a key change to the surface at the Cincinnati Open which she believes has been a major factor in her run to the final. The Wimbledon champion and world No 3 has not dropped a set in her four matches so far in Cincinnati and defeated ninth seed Elena Rybakina on Sunday in the semi-finals. Swiatek will face Italian seventh seed Jasmine Paolini in the final on Monday night, and acknowledged that she feels 'different' competing in Cincinnati compared to previous years. 'I think the surface was pretty crazy, and now it's something that you can play tennis on,' Swiatek said, after her semi-final win. 'So now it's a bit slower, and it makes more sense. Also this year, I feel like I'm just progressing match by match. 'In past years, I feel like the matches have been tough, like from the beginning. So, I just feel a bit different.' Swiatek won the US Open in 2022 but has not progressed beyond the quarter-finals in the two years since. Meanwhile, Swiatek is set to make a late call on her participation in the new-look mixed doubles event in New York. Swiatek's final against Paolini is scheduled for an 8pm start time on Monday night, with the Pole due on court for her first mixed doubles match alongside Casper Ruud at midday on Tuesday, two hours away in the Big Apple. Paolini, as a result of her participation in the final in Cincinnati, has already withdrawn from the mixed doubles event.
The Guardian
11 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Zoe Aldcroft: ‘This World Cup has the potential to change women's rugby for ever'
'I was playing for Scarborough against Whitby,' says Zoe Aldcroft as the England women's rugby captain pauses before the start of the World Cup this week and describes one of her formative experiences in the game. 'I must have been 12 at the time as I was the only girl playing rugby and we were up at Whitby. It was the coldest day ever and the wind was whipping. There was such a steep slope at Whitby Rugby Club and they had this massive guy playing for them. Whenever he broke the line they always used to shout 'Cannonball.'' Aldcroft, the inspirational 28-year-old leader and lock forward, lets slip a gap-toothed grin as she remembers the scene. 'He'd broken the line and, as the full-back, I was the last one between him and the try line. I knew I had to stop him so I dropped my shoulder and just nailed him. I think it stunned a lot of people.' Did that crunching tackle mark a sea change in attitudes towards her as a girl playing boys' rugby? 'Definitely in respect of my teammates, which was something I really enjoyed,' she says. 'I could see they trusted me and knew I could be just as tough as them.' We soon move on to a far bloodier incident, which was even more of a test for the young rugby pioneer in North Yorkshire. 'There was a different time, in training, where I collided heads with one boy. He started crying and I was holding it in, telling myself desperately: 'Do not cry, do not cry …' Then I got up as quick as I could and was ready to go again. I had to show I was stronger, tougher and could take playing with the boys.' Aldcroft was always 'super-sporty' but, before rugby, she also did ballet. 'I was not as nimble as other ballet dancers' she says with a little laugh before explaining that she fell into rugby after her brother Jonathan switched sports from football. 'I was down there watching him on the sidelines with my parents and the coach was like: 'C'mon then. Get involved.' 'I thought 'Yes' and never looked back. The best thing is that, while I was the only girl that used to play there, Scarborough Rugby Club now have 50 girls playing under-13s, under-15 and a senior set-up for women's rugby. It's changed so much.' There is such optimism and warmth in Aldcroft's character that it is unsurprising she should regard the next six weeks as another definitive stage in a female sporting revolution: 'This World Cup has the potential to change women's rugby for ever. In England, over the last few years, we've been filling stadiums and this tournament will build momentum and so much excitement. If we do win the World Cup, it will change our lives and also all the young girls who are growing from grassroots levels into the professional side.' The England squad has a northern heartbeat and it seems fitting that their opening group match this Friday should be against USA in Sunderland. 'The other week we tried to pick a full XV of girls from the north,' Aldcroft says. 'We added a couple from the Midlands and just about made it. That's important because Sale are the only northern club in PWR [Premiership Women's Rugby].' Her husband, Luke Stratford, is the scrum coach for the women's team at Sale Sharks. Aldcroft smiles ruefully when reminded Luke has said before that she worries about keeping her place, despite being World Rugby's women player of the year in 2021 and after winning 65 caps. 'I have this impostor syndrome sometimes, but it makes me tick in a weird way. It makes me feel like I have to push myself again because you see so many times where life just changes quickly.' Aldcroft is an intriguing mix. She carries a searing focus on the field, leading by example, while away from rugby she is relaxed and chatty. Some of her friends in the squad have described her as 'the craziest girl' they know. 'It's probably because I'm super-dedicated and, playing rugby, I love the contact that maybe other people shy away from. I really go for it. But, off the pitch, I can be silly and fun and goofy.' Jonny Wilkinson is her inspiration and during his playing career those last three words she uses to describe herself would never have applied to the obsessive No 10 who helped England win the men's World Cup in 2003. 'Years later I read one of his books,' she says, 'and that instilled in me a little bit of his mentality. I related to it because I'm a perfectionist and obsessed with winning and being the best. I met him when I was on a tour and from then I was so interested in his way of thinking.' Aldcroft smiles when asked if she told Wilkinson that she carries a knitted doll of him at the bottom of her match bag. 'No, because I didn't have my doll back then. But I always think a little like he did because I'm obsessed with my performance.' I've heard that, as soon as she is alone after a game, Aldcroft will watch a recording of the match. 'I still do that and it's always the whole game. My husband's like: 'Switch off.' I say: 'Just let me watch this and then I can chill.' I can't relax until I've watched it and seen what I could have done better.' Does she ever feel proud when watching herself? 'Maybe more a feeling of relief. I'd say: 'I've been OK, I've done my job.' Maybe when I've finished rugby I'll look back and think: 'Oh. That was quite good.'' Her most painful match remains the 2022 World Cup final against New Zealand – when England started the game in Auckland on the back of an unbeaten run of 30 victories. Aldcroft felt certain they would become world champions: 'I wasn't even nervous because I had absolutely no doubt. In my eyes there was no way we were losing that final.' England were 14-0 up in 14 minutes but, soon afterwards, Lydia Thompson was sent off. Aldcroft was substituted after 29 minutes after a concussion and England ended up losing a gripping game 34-31. 'It was a big lesson because you see how quickly a game can change and you have to fight against the unfairness as well. We had a chance to score a try from that last lineout; 99% of the time we would have caught it and gone over, but it didn't happen.' Aldcroft stresses that 'the culture around the team had to change and, since Mitch [former All Black head coach John Mitchell] came in, we've become a completely different team. We've worked massively on our culture, on our bond as a team. We were tight [in 2022] but not to the level that we are now. It's something we've really tried to develop as, the tighter you are as a team, the harder you want to fight for each other on the pitch. Sign up to The Breakdown The latest rugby union news and analysis, plus all the week's action reviewed after newsletter promotion 'We've done a lot of work in telling the stories of our lives. We want to have conversations that go into a deeper part of our teammates' life and know them down to their roots. Knowing what makes each other tick makes such a difference.' Some members of Aldcroft's squad have extraordinary personal stories – none more so than Meg Jones who, in March, spoke to me in moving detail about the death of her parents within the space of four shattering months. 'Meg is the strongest person I've known,' Aldcroft says. 'Before her mum and dad died, she stood up and spoke about how her mum was an alcoholic. Lots of people in the room hadn't known because she'd kept that to herself for so long. When her parents died, it was something she wanted to address with the group and she was completely open. We know when she needs a moment and we support her as best we can.' Jones is the vice-captain, alongside Marlie Packer, and there is also a wider leadership group. 'We all have different attributes and different relationships with different people in the team. It brings us together and allows people to elevate themselves and be empowered.' Our conversation moves in different tangents and Aldcoft is amused as she remembers her husband wearing shorts to their wedding. They recently celebrated their first anniversary and she describes how, when they first met outside a nightclub in Gloucester, she was 20. 'Luke was in fancy dress, dressed as a woman,' Aldcroft says drily, 'in a long skirt and a top bought from the charity shop.' Luke knew she was an England international and, having diligently pursued her, they eventually began to go out and were married last summer. Aldcroft wore an elegant white wedding dress, but her new husband cut a different figure in a sky blue jacket, white shirt, silver bow-tie and navy-blue shorts. 'He hates wearing trousers, even in minus conditions,' Aldcroft says. 'So that was his one condition – wearing shorts on the wedding day. I had to think what would look good with shorts and as soon as the wedding was done the tie was off and the flip-flops were on. It helps that I'm super-chilled as well.' It is almost as distinctive that England's World Cup captain is keen to become a podiatrist after her rugby career. 'This summer I did my foot-health course as a starter and I think I want to do a degree in it. It's a lot about joint alignment, your gait, and also chopping away scaly skin and sorting out in-grown toenails. My Dad's feet are the worst. He's got a big fat corn and I love scraping it out. Honestly, just making bad feet good? I love that.' We return to the serious stuff. England won their seventh successive Six Nations in April. But they nearly blew a 31-7 lead in the final match against France and scraped home 43-42. 'That was the best thing that could have happened,' Aldcroft says. 'That second half showed we're not there yet. So this pre-season we've really dug in and gone for it. When we've got our foot on their throat we can't ease off.' England, with Aldcroft playing flank, dispatched France with conviction in their final warm-up match before the World Cup, winning 40-6 away from home. It was their 27th consecutive win. They also beat New Zealand convincingly, 49-31, last October and Aldcroft picks out the reigning champions, along with France and Canada, as England's biggest threat: 'We know that, when it gets to the World Cup, New Zealand switch it on again. So it's important we stay ahead of our game.' The Red Roses squad watched the semi-final and final together as England's Lionesses won the Euros and she says: 'It's an amazing time for women's sport and now it's our turn to do our bit and grow rugby in England.' There is just time for one last question. Will England win the World Cup? Aldcroft's answer is as swift as it is resolute: 'I believe that we will.'
Reuters
11 minutes ago
- Reuters
Royals look to stay hot at home in series opener vs. Rangers
August 18 - The Texas Rangers and Kansas City Royals have little room for error considering they both reside on the outside of a wild-card berth in the American League. Especially as they're about to begin a key four-game series at Kansas City on Monday night. The Royals are four games behind the Yankees for the AL's final wild-card spot, while the Rangers reside 5 1/2 games in back of New York. Kansas City recorded a 6-2 victory at home on Sunday to complete a three-game sweep of the Chicago White Sox. The Royals have won 13 of their last 18 games at Kauffman Stadium. Jonathan India hit a two-run homer in the seventh inning to help Kansas City win on Sunday. "All we can do is keep fighting," he told FanDuel Sports Network. "That's all we're trying to do out here, and collect wins." Texas, meanwhile, had lost 12 of 18 games before snapping a four-game skid with a 10-4 victory at Toronto on Sunday. "Every game is the most important game of the season," star Marcus Semien told the Rangers Sports Network. "That's the way we have to look at it. "Kansas City is a team that is playing good baseball. ... We need to go out and do what we did (Sunday). Put up a lot of runs and have fun while we're doing it." Texas was outscored 16-5 during a three-game home series sweep by Kansas City in June. However, the Rangers should feel confident with Jack Leiter (7-6, 3.94 ERA) slated to start the series opener. The right-hander is 2-0 with a 2.55 ERA in his last five starts, even though he has failed to make it into the sixth inning in his last three -- all Texas losses. Leiter allowed a solo homer, three other hits and two walks over five innings in a 3-2 defeat to Arizona on Tuesday. The long ball did in Leiter in his lone career start against the Royals on June 17. Of the six runs in 5 2/3 innings he yielded during a 6-1 loss, four came on three home runs. Salvador Perez hit a pair of homers, and Bobby Witt Jr. went deep once. "When you see the slug against (Leiter), it's against mistakes," Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said. Witt, Perez and Maikel Garcia went a combined 7-for-9 with six RBIs vs. Leiter in that contest. Witt is batting .382 in the last nine home games. Scheduled Monday starter Michael Wacha (7-9, 3.35 ERA) will to continue his stellar run for the Royals, who have won his last four starts. The veteran right-hander is 3-0 with a 2.00 ERA in his last six outings. On Tuesday against Washington, Wacha allowed two runs on five hits and two walks over 5 2/3 innings in Kansas City's 8-5 victory. Wacha has given up a run in each of his last two starts against the Rangers. Most recently on June 19, he allowed one run on two hits over six innings in the Royals' 4-1 win. Overall, he is 1-3 with a 3.96 ERA in five career starts vs. Texas. Semien, who is batting .203 since July 31, went 3-for-4 with a two-run homer on Sunday. He's 3-for-9 over the last two seasons against Wacha. The Rangers' Joc Pederson has two career home runs against Wacha. --Field Level Media
