After an exhilarating victory on Saturday evening, the Arizona Diamondbacks go for the series sweep of the Minnesota Twins on Sunday afternoon.
The Diamondbacks rallied off of Minnesota closer Matt Capps in front of a crowd of 39,776 on Saturday. Capps gave up a grand slam to struggling second baseman Kelly Roberts, which capped off a five run inning for the home team.
The big crowd was a combination of several things: first of all, there was a highly publicized garden gnome giveaway, and there is also a decent population of Midwestern transplants in the Phoenix area that cheer for the Twins. Finally, with the Diamondbacks playing well, the locals are starting to make their way out to the ballpark.
Arizona sends Daniel Hudson to the mound, while Minnesota counters with Francisco Liriano. Hudson is 4-5 on the season with a 4.03 ERA, but he has been consistent all year long. Liriano is more unpredictable: despite a 3-5 record and a 6.13 ERA, Liriano already has a no-hitter on his resume in 2011.
Here's the Diamondbacks starting lineup for Sunday, May 22, 2011:
Willie Bloomquist, SS
Ryan Roberts, 3B
Justin Upton, RF
Chris Young, CF
Juan Miranda, 1B
Xavier Nady, LF
Kelly Johnson, 2B
Henry Blanco, C
Daniel Hudson, P