Minnesota Twins DVOA, Stats, & MLB Rankings

Minnesota Twins closer Jhoan Duran pitched a clean ninth inning in Sunday's 5-1 win over the Detroit Tigers. Although his 1.42 ERA in 6 1/3 innings pitched so far in the season is encouraging, it's unfortunate that he still has zero save opportunities through 16 games. The Twins are now sitting at 5-11, so hopefully, they can turn it around and provide Duran with some more opportunities soon. All that aside, Duran has looked effective in his seven appearances, with an opponent batting average of .136 to go with the low ERA. Although the strikeout numbers are down, it's too early to sound the alarm. More importantly, the Twins need to give him some more consistent opportunities. Next for the Twins is a three-game home series against the New York Mets.

Minnesota Twins outfielder Byron Buxton decided to bring his power swing with him for this series against the Detroit Tigers. On Sunday, Buxton started off the scoring with a solo home run off right-hander Casey Mize in the first inning. He would later double in the sixth inning as the Twins would eventually get the 5-1 victory. He finished his day 2-for-4 with a homer, double, and two runs scored. Buxton doesn't have a pretty slash line, but he finished with two homers and three RBI during this weekend series with the Tigers. Fantasy managers who have Buxton rostered might want to stick with him a little longer.

Minnesota Twins starting pitcher David Festa is expected to make another start on Wednesday against the New York Mets. With Pablo Lopez (hamstring) hitting the 15-day injured list, the Twins promoted Festa from Triple-A St. Paul to fill his spot in the rotation. Festa performed well in his season debut on Friday against the Detroit Tigers as he tossed four 2/3 innings of one-run ball (unearned run). He allowed three hits and held a 1:4 BB:K. Earlier in the season at Triple-A, Festa logged eight 1/3 innings and posted a modest 5.40 ERA with a 1.85 WHIP. Last season, Festa made his MLB debut and flashed decent upside at times as he posted a 4.90 ERA with a 1.32 WHIP across 64 1/3 innings. He struck out 77 batters and allowed 23 free passes. If Festa were to struggle during his stint in the majors, fellow young right-hander Zebby Matthews could be in the mix to join the Minnesota rotation. For now, Festa is worth adding in all 12+ team formats given his strikeout upside.

Minnesota Twins shortstop Carlos Correa is not in the starting lineup on Sunday when the Twins conclude a series against the Detroit Tigers. Correa has started in each of the first 15 games of the regular season. As a result, utility man Willi Castro will cover shortstop in this contest and bat third. After posting an underwhelming .111/179/.139 slash line through his first 10 games of the regular season, Correa has begun to turn the corner, posting a .263/.333/.474 slash line with four doubles over his last five contests. Fantasy managers should expect the 30-year-old to return to the starting nine on Monday evening when the Twins host the New York Mets. Despite his slow start, Correa remains a must-start option in all formats as he posted a .310/.388/.517 line last summer.

Philadelphia Phillies second baseman Bryson Stott and outfielder Max Kepler are not in the starting lineup on Sunday when they face St. Louis southpaw Matthew Liberatore. Stott has only made three starts against southpaws throughout the early part of the campaign. Over his previous four contests, Stott has posted a .250/.333/.313 line. Fantasy managers should expect the 27-year-old Stott to return to the starting nine on Monday when he faces San Francisco right-hander Landen Roupp. Kepler has only made two starts this season against left-handed pitching. As a result, Edmundo Sosa will cover the keystone, and Johan Rojas will take a spot in the outfield. The Phillies' offense is worth targeting in DFS this afternoon, facing Liberatore, who enters Sunday with a hefty 5.84 ERA.