Twins carry heavy left-handed lineup into finale vs. Rays

The Minnesota Twins have not won a series yet this season.

They have an opportunity to do so in front of their home fans on Sunday afternoon in Minneapolis.

The Twins will square off against the Tampa Bay Rays in the rubber match of a three-game set. Minnesota won the series opener 10-4 on Friday night before Tampa Bay responded with a 7-1 victory on Saturday evening.

Twins manager Derek Shelton acknowledged that a lineup overrepresented with left-handed hitters made it harder to be flexible with certain pitching matchups.

"The fact we're a little left-handed heavy may be something we have to look at as we get farther down the road," Shelton said.

The series finale should give the Twins a chance to showcase their left-handed hitters.

The Rays will start right-hander Nick Martinez (0-0, 3.00 ERA). He also is making his second start after allowing two runs on six hits in six innings against the Milwaukee Brewers on Monday.

Martinez, 35, has faced the Twins seven times, including six starts. He is 1-2 with a 7.20 ERA in those matchups, and he has allowed 24 earned runs on 43 hits in 30 innings.

Rays manager Kevin Cash observed Martinez this spring and recognized that he is a complete teammate.

"He's available, and he initiates conversation," Cash said. "He initiates support. He's actively having conversations with position players and pitchers alike. It's easy to talk to your buddies about pitching, but I'm watching him interact with our position group."

The Twins will counter with right-hander Simeon Woods Richardson (0-1, 3.60), who will make his second start of the season. He allowed two runs on five hits in five innings in his 2026 debut against the Kansas City Royals on Monday.

Woods Richardson has faced the Rays two times in his career. He is 0-0 with a 4.66 ERA in those outings, and he has walked four and struck out eight in 9 2/3 innings.

Byron Buxton was out of the lineup Saturday after being hit on the right forearm in Friday's series opener. Buxton sustained a bruised arm and X-rays were negative.

If Buxton returns to the lineup, he will look to break out of an early-season slump. He is hitting .154 (4-for-26) with no homers and one RBI in his first seven games.

Twins infielder Luke Keaschall said he and his teammates will need to show more strike-zone discipline in the season finale.

"We didn't get a lot of hittable pitches, and we probably left the zone a little bit too much," Keaschall said.

Meanwhile, Chandler Simpson continues to swing a hot bat for the Rays. He went 2-for-5 on Saturday and is hitting .414 this season with a .469 on-base percentage.

Cash has been fielding questions about potentially promoting Simpson to the Rays' leadoff position.

"There is a lot of conversation about Chandler," he said. "I totally appreciate and understand the thought, the sentiment, that Chandler could be your prototypical leadoff hitter.

"He very well may be. But right now, he's not."

--Field Level Media