Nuggets denied repeat by team built to beat us

Minnesota Twins (22-15, second in the AL Central) vs. Toronto Blue Jays (17-20, fifth in the AL East) Toronto; Friday, 7:07 p.m. EDT PITCHING PROBABLES: Twins: Joe Ryan (1-2, 3.54 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, 46 strikeouts); Blue Jays: Yusei Kikuchi (2-2, 2.72 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 43 strikeouts) : LINE Blue Jays -118, Twins -101; over/under is 7 1/2 runs BOTTOM LINE: The Toronto Blue Jays host the Minnesota Twins on Friday to open a three-game series. Toronto has a 17-20 record overall and an 8-7 record in home games. The Blue Jays are 7-3 in games when they did not allow a home run. Minnesota has an 11-7 record on the road and a 22-15 record overall. The Twins have the fifth-ranked team on-base percentage in the AL at .317. The teams meet Friday for the first time this season. TOP PERFORMERS: Justin Turner has eight doubles, four home runs and 16 RBI for the Blue Jays. Danny Jansen is 11-for-31 with four doubles, three home runs and four RBI over the past 10 games. Max Kepler has eight doubles and three home runs for the Twins. Ryan Jeffers is 12-for-34 with six doubles and three home runs over the past 10 games. LAST 10 GAMES: Blue Jays: 4-6, .228 batting average, 5.17 ERA, outscored by 20 runs Twins: 8-2, .248 batting average, 3.80 ERA, outscored opponents by 16 runs INJURIES: Blue Jays: Yimi Garcia: day-to-day (back), Yariel Rodriguez: 15-Day IL (spine), Bowden Francis: 15-Day IL (forearm), Chad Green: 15-Day IL (teres major) Twins: Brock Stewart: 15-Day IL (shoulder), Byron Buxton: 10-Day IL (knee), Daniel Duarte: 60-Day IL (tricep), Zack Weiss: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Royce Lewis: 10-Day IL (quadricep), Justin Topa: 15-Day IL (knee), Anthony DeSclafani: 60-Day IL (elbow), Josh Winder: 60-Day IL (shoulder) ------ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.