Gameday Preview: Former Rays Pitcher Chris Archer Starts Saturday; Lineups, Pregame Chatter

Former Tampa Bay pitcher Chris Archer returns home and he'll start Saturday's game for the Minnesota Twins, taking on former teammate Shane McClanahan. Here's your gameday preview, with Archer's story, starting lineups and more, plus the usual newsy nuggets.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Chris Archer has taken the mound at Tropicana Field on 90 different occasions, but for the first time ever on Saturday, it won't be in a Tampa Bay Rays uniform.

Archer, who pitched for the Rays from 2012 to 2018 and then again last season, is a starting pitcher for the Minnesota Twins now. He's start the second game of the series on Saturday afternoon, facing former teammate Shane McClanahan. The game starts at 4:10 p.m. ET.

Archer said he's trying to treat it like a normal start, but that won't be easy despite that fact that he's been able to sleep in his own bed in his St. Petersburg home the past couple of nights. He said it's been nice to hit his favorite coffee spot again, but he did get confused and pulled into the home-team parking lot on Friday when he got to Tropicana Field. 

“It was weird. I had no clue where I was at,'' he said when he walked into the stadium after parking in the visiting players' lot. "I walked into the visiting locker room, and I’m like, 'wow, this is nice.' Being at my house wasn't weird because I wasjust here a month ago (during spring training), so it wasn’t too strange being back in my house.

Archer won 54 games for the Rays during his two stints, but fought injuries all of last year and only made five starts. He's 100 percent now, but is still building up his pitch count. He's made three starts so far and has a 3.18 earned run average. He's pitched 11 1/3 innings so far.

“I have no restrictions, no limitations. I feel good. It’s a lot different from last year, because once I got to a certain spot, I couldn’t handle the volume. That’s not the case now.''

Twins manager Rocco Baldelli, a long time player and coach in the Rays' organization, knows all about happy homecomings here. He's sure it will be a fun experience for Archer. 

“I’m sure he’s going to enjoy it, and you’re going to see it.” Baldelli said. “He loves to pitch, and I’m sure he’s going to really want to show his former team just how he’s throwing the ball because he’s throwing the ball really well right now.

 “I’m looking forward to watching him go out there and pitch, and pitch in this building again. And it won’t be just emotions for him. I think it’ll be some emotions for a lot of people here.''

Here's how to watch Saturday's game, with gametime and TV information, the starting lineups, bios and, of course, our great daily dose of newsy nuggets.

How to watch Twins at Rays

• Who: Minnesota Twins (11-9) at Tampa Bay Rays (12-8)
• When: 4:10 p.m. ET, Saturday, April 30
• Where: Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, Fla.
• TV: Bally Sports Sun
• Stream: Fubo.tv CLICK HERE
• Announcers: Dewayne Staats (play-by-play), Brian Anderson (color commentary) and Tricia Whitaker (in-game reporter).
• Radio: WDAE 95.3 FM; SiriusXM Channel 89
• Announcers: Andy Freed and Dave Wills.
• Latest Line: Tampa Bay is favored at minus-188 on the money line according to the SISportsbook.com website opening line as of Friday afternoon. The Twins are plus-155. The over/under is 7.5.

Rays-Twins history

• Rays vs. Twins all-time series history: Tampa Bay holds an 86-83 lead in the overall series dating back to 1998, and the Rays are 45-37 at Tropicana Field. They split the season series 3-3 a year ago, with each teams winning two of three games at home. They did not play in 2020, and have never met in the postseason. The Rays have a 1-0 advantage so far, with two more games to go this weekend in St. Petersburg. They play in Minneapolis in mid-June.

Rays-Twins most recent games

• Rays 6, Twins 1: Josh Lowe hit a three-run home run in the first inning, his first big-league homer, and Tampa Bay starter Corey Kluber was terrific, allowing just one run and one hit in the Rays' 6-1 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Friday night at Tropicana Field. Mike Zunino also homered for the Rays, his first of the year. To read the complete game story, CLICK HERE

Projected starting pitchers

• Twins right-hander Chris Archer: Chris Archer is in his first year with the Twins, and he has made three starts so far. He has no decisions, with a 3.18 ERA. He best start was his first one, when he pitched four scoreless innings and allowed just two hits against the Los Angeles Dodgers. He gave up two runs in starts against Kansas City and the Chicago White Sox. Archer is 33 years old and a native of Raleigh, N.C.
• Rays left-hander Shane McClanahan: Shane McClanahan has been sensational so far for the Rays this year. In his first four starts, he's 1-1 with a 2.45 ERA. He pitched four shutout innings to open the season and got his first win with a stellear seven-inning performance last Sunday against the Red Sox, where he gave up two early runs but then retired 20 of his last 22 batters. 

Projected lineups

• Twins lineup: Byron Buxton CF, Carlos Correa SS, Jorge Polanco 2B,  Gio Urshela 3B, Kyle Garlick LF, Gary Sanchez DH, Ryan Jeffers C, Miguel Sano 1B, Gilberto Celestino CF, Chris Archer P.
• Rays lineup: Brandon Lowe 2B, Wander Franco SS, Yandy Diaz 1B, Josh Lowe RF, Randy Arozarena LF, Kevin Kiermaier CF, Manuel Margot DH, Taylor Walls 3B, Mike Zunino C, Shane McClanahan P.

Newsy nuggets

• Nugget No. 1: The Rays have won three games in a row for the second time this season. They also started the season with three wins at home against the Baltimore Orioles. The are 5-1 in their last six games and 7-2 in their last nine. They are 12-8 on the season. 
• Nugget No. 2: Former Rays outfielder and coach Rocco Baldelli is in his fourth season as manager of the Twins, He is one of six former Rays players to coach in the majors, including current Rays manager Kevin Cash, Mickey Callaway (Mets), Dave Martinez (Nationals), Gabe Kapler (Phillies, Giants) and Ozzie Guillen (White Sox, Marlins)
• Nugget No. 3: The Rays have a 2.98 ERA this season, fifth-best in the majors and second-best in the American League behind only the New York Yankees (2.84). They have a 1.95 ERA in their last seven games and a 2.47 ERA over their last 12 games. The Rays have yielded two earned runs or fewer in six straight games, the longest streak in baseball this season, and the third-longest streak in club history. They've had two seven game streaks.
•  Nugget No. 4: The Rays have yielded three runs or fewer 12 times this season, tied for second in the American League with Toronto behind the New York Yankees (13).