CHICAGO (AP) — Bailey Ober got another day of rest on Tuesday as he looks to continue his strong pitching for the Minnesota Twins.
Ober was scheduled to take the mound against the Chicago White Sox, but the game was postponed because of rain. Ober and fellow right-hander Pablo López are going to start for Minnesota when the rainout is made up as part of a straight doubleheader on Wednesday.
Ober, a North Carolina native who turns 29 on Friday, is 3-0 with a 1.65 ERA in his past four starts. He has 35 strikeouts and five walks in 27 1/3 innings during the stretch.
“I think his changeup, which is always a good pitch for him, has been especially good,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. “I think it's been something that he's leaned on against a lot of these teams that we've faced lately. He's got really good results. He's getting a good amount of swing and miss on that pitch.”
Ober went 8-6 with a 3.43 ERA in a career-high 26 starts last year, helping the Twins to the AL Central title. He is 8-4 with a 4.12 ERA in 17 starts so far this season, including a four-hitter at Oakland on June 22 for his first career complete game.
The Twins (52-39) beat the White Sox 8-6 in 11 innings on Monday night. It was their third straight victory and fourth in five games overall.
Brooks Lee had two hits and two RBIs in the series opener, helping Minnesota improve to 8-0 against Chicago this season. The No. 8 overall pick in the 2022 amateur draft is batting .458 (11 for 24) with a homer and eight RBIs over his first six games.
“It's hard to think that someone could come to the big leagues and look more comfortable than he's looked,” Baldelli said.
Erick Fedde will start the doubleheader opener for Chicago (26-67), followed by rookie right-hander Drew Thorpe in the second game. Fedde, who could be on the move ahead of the July 30 trade deadline, is 4-1 with a 1.64 ERA in seven home starts this season.
The White Sox are hoping infielder Yoán Moncada might be able to return this month. Moncada, who is coming back from a left adductor strain, was scheduled to begin a minor league rehab assignment on Tuesday.
“He’s running really well,” White Sox manager Pedro Grifol said. “We want to push this thing. He’s going to start DHing. We want to push him hopefully to get back after the All-Star break or shortly after. Last week, at one point, we thought maybe it would be at the end of the month, but we’ll see.”
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