The Twins will return home on Friday night after a 9 game road trip that started out rough, but finished on a more positive note with two straight victories over Texas. The Twins will hope to keep the momentum going against a Toronto team that’s recovered a bit after losing their first 9 games of May.

While the Twins have their best hitter on the DL, the Blue Jays have their best pitcher (Roy Halladay) and their dominate closer (B.J. Ryan) on the DL. Joe Mauer could return this weekend, but Halladay won’t be back for a week and Ryan is out for the season.

I’m excited about Friday night game because Scott Baker will get a chance to build upon his outstanding start on Saturday in Milwaukee. Despite allowing just 2 runs on 6 hits in 8 1/3 IP, I’m still hearing a bit of negativity and skepticism towards Baker. It’s true that he’s had his trouble in the past, but as I’ve said before, he can succeed if given a chance. The pitching matchups for the series are:

• Friday: Jesse Litch (1-1, 3.55) vs. Scott Baker (1-0, 2.16). Litch has just 2 career starts under his belt and was more brilliant than Baker in his season debut (8 2/3 IP, 4 H, 1 ER). He didn’t fair so well his last time out against Philly though with 4 runs allowed in just 4 innings.
• Saturday: Tomo Ohka (2-4, 5.52) vs. Ramon Ortiz (3-4, 5.36). Rick Anderson worked with Ortiz in the bullpen and rumor has it that his problems are fixed. I have my doubts though. If things don’t get back on track for Ortiz, it’s time for him to move out of the rotation.
• Sunday: A.J. Burnett (5-3, 4.14) vs. Carlos Silva (2-5, 4.47). Burnett is clearly the better pitcher of this matchup and with Silva’s recent struggles this could be a tough game for the Twins to win.

While the Twins have a pretty big 7 game deficit to overcome in the central, it’s even worse for the Blue Jays in the AL East. They trail Boston by 10 games, much like the other 3 teams in their division.

Jason Miller

The Twins decided to place Dennys Reyes on the 15-day DL after he complained of shoulder pain after the game on Sunday. Lefthander Jason Miller has been called up from AAA Rochester to replace him. Miller is 25 years old and has posted a 2.84 ERA in 25 1/3 IP at Rochester.

Reyes will join Jesse Crain and Glen Perkins, members of the bullpen who are already on the DL.

Batgirl files retirement papers

A little bit of sad news to report is that Twins blogger, Batgirl, has decided to shut down her blog due to the time constraints caused by her recently expanded family.

Blue Jays Blogs

• Jays Nest
• Batter’s Box
• Bluebird Banter