The Minnesota Twins' final road game of the season could end with Ryan Kreidler getting a hug from his father, as the Northern California product and his teammates complete a three-game series against the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday afternoon.
The matchup of teams eliminated from playoff contention has seen a split of the first two games of the set, with the Twins (74-84) bouncing back from a 5-2 defeat with a 3-2 victory over the Giants (65-93) on Tuesday night.
Kreidler played a role in the latter game, singling to open a two-run sixth inning in which Minnesota erased a 1-0 deficit and took a lead it never relinquished.
The hit drew a cheer from Kreidler's father, Mark, and other family and friends who had made the 75-minute trip from Davis, Calif., where the standout high school infielder played before attending UCLA.
Meanwhile, the elder Kreidler was a sports columnist for the Sacramento Bee and later ventured into the world of sports talk radio, where he co-hosted a show in San Francisco.
The family reunion is the second of the season for the Kreidlers. The Twins played closer to his childhood home when they visited the Athletics last month in West Sacramento, Calif.
Kreidler homered in that series.
"I watched the A's a lot as a kid at the (Oakland) Coliseum," Kreidler, 28, told reporters. "Getting to have some friends and family here is pretty special. I'm kind of emotional thinking about it, thinking about all the backyard Wiffle Ball games and batting-cage sessions with my dad growing up."
Pitching has dominated the current series, with the teams combining for just seven extra-base hits, including home runs by the Twins' Brooks Lee, Emmanuel Rodriguez and Walker Jenkins, and the Giants' Drew Gilbert.
Hoping to continue the trend, the Twins will send left-hander Connor Prielipp (6-7, 4.94 ERA) to the mound in an attempt to complete his rookie season with an even record.
The 25-year-old has never faced the Giants.
Prielipp will see a Giants lineup that has almost nothing in common with the one that began the season in March. In fact, all nine position players who started for San Francisco on Tuesday -- including pitcher Anthony Molina -- have spent time in the minors this year.
Giants manager Tony Vitello, while noting he likes what he's seen from his young players, warns they've got work to do over the winter if they hope to be back in San Francisco next spring.
"This offseason, how guys handle themselves and coach themselves and their work ethic is going to be an ultimate separator into the next pool," Vitello told reporters. "Guys who don't do their stuff will get exposed. Or, if they're good enough, they'll be on the roster, but they won't play as well as they're capable of."
Another minor-league call-up, Giants left-hander Cesar Perdomo (0-1, 3.72 ERA), will start the series finale.
The 24-year-old rookie has not yet faced Minnesota.
--Field Level Media
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