Twins center fielder Byron Buxton off and running

Byron Buxton hit a ball just past Astros starter Hunter Brown By the time the pitcher got off the mound and fielded the ball he spun around looked toward first and thought better of throwing the ball Not with Buxton running Buxton was blazing down the line nearly at the bag by the time Brown picked up the ball Two pitches later Buxton took off for second Catcher Victor Caratini didn t even attempt a throw And on Trevor Larnach s single Buxton cruised home from second with the Astros not bothering to try to get Buxton at home because well that wasn t happening either Buxton is off to the races on the bases this season a sign of how he s feeling after a full offseason and spring training that was spent healthy not going through days weeks and months of rehab like previous seasons It s good to be healthy When you re healthy it gives you that piece of mind to just go out there and play the meeting and you want to play and have fun doing it Buxton declared To be able to have that back in the arsenal is obviously fun It puts a little more pressure on the defense That s my job Cause a little chaos over there and try to get us that run The Twins have gotten to see all facets of Buxton s meeting in the past sparse days He hit a home run in Wednesday s contest has made a few nice defensive plays and has started to cause havoc on the bases with his speed And greater part importantly he s started every match playing every inning but a limited as he was removed early from two games when the Twins were getting blown out He s moving well He s playing aggressively manager Rocco Baldelli commented When he s running the bases like that he really changes the tournament for us He s obviously not just explosive he s one of the majority exciting players in the challenge Bader making early mark against righties Harrison Bader knows what the numbers say he has historically hit lefties better than righties He is a career hitter with a OPS against righthanders But I know the type of participant I am the Twins outfielder revealed There s obviously more to it than just pure numbers It s still early too early to draw any meaningful conclusions from the sample size but Bader who veritably hit righties better than lefties last season has hit three home runs this season all against righties A standout defender in the outfield Bader has drawn starts in five of the Twins first seven games He should see time in center when Buxton demands a day off and in the corners when there s a lefty on the mound both Matt Wallner and Trevor Larnach hit left-handed but continued success against righties would equate to more playing time for the veteran Any time you get a chance to put on a big league uniform and be in a starting lineup or off the bench you get a chance to change those numbers and change that preconceived perception Bader declared I know what the numbers are But I think sticking with the process staying focused on it and waiting for the encounter to present itself to me is what allows me to go out and do specific damage off righties Briefly Bailey Ober will be on the bump when the Twins return to action on Saturday at p m against the Astros Saturday s challenge will be the first of games in as numerous days The Twins do not have another off day until April The Double-A Wichita Wind Surge began their season on Friday Twins top prospect Walker Jenkins who is among Major League Baseball s top five prospects begins his season at that level Related Articles Twins pitchers combine for rare feat against Astros star Jose Altuve Balk missing offense haunts Twins in home opening loss to Astros Carlos Correa feels relief after snapping season-opening hitless streak Twins salvage series on rain-soaked day in Chicago Twins get in the win column with five-run sixth inning