Landing in Toronto until Sunday, Quebecer Édouard Julien doesn’t hit as many hits as he would like recently with the Twins, but he finds a way to make himself useful.
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His start to the game against the Seattle Mariners on Thursday afternoon in Minnesota is the perfect example. After drawing a walk as the Twins’ first batter in this game, Julien stole second base before crossing home plate a little later on a hit from teammate Max Kepler.
Édouard Julien stole second base Thursday in the first inning in an 11-1 victory for the Twins against the Seattle Mariners.
Photo David Berding/Getty Images via AFP
After one inning, the Twins were already leading 5 to 0 and finally won by a score of 11 to 1. Julien also finished the day with a record of 1 for 4, having produced a point with the help of a single – a bit lucky, it must be admitted – at the end of the fourth inning.
Quebecers in the crowd
It is now hoped for Julien that the presence of several Quebecers in the stands of the Rogers Center in Toronto, from Friday to Sunday, will help him regain some of his magic with the bat.
It is clear that the 25-year-old athlete from Quebec is having a checkered start to the season. His most loyal supporters will point out, with good reason, that he hit seven home runs in 37 games. However, Julien was also the victim of 47 strikeouts and posted a low batting average of .205. Since he still manages to obtain his share of free passes, his attendance rate on the trails, at .326, saves the day.
The Blue Jays as a cure?
Despite Julien’s troubles, the Twins are doing well with a 22-15 record. They notably experienced a streak of 12 victories between April 22 and May 4.
Number 47 will be the first to recognize that he must do better offensively, having been struggling since the end of April. He will want to pull himself together against the Blue Jays. Yusei Kikuchi, a left-hander, will be on the mound for Toronto on Friday, which suggests that Julien could be left out at the start of the game by manager Rocco Baldelli, a lover of advanced statistics. Right-handers Kevin Gausman and Alek Manoah are the announced starters for the weekend.
The Quebecer has already faced the Blue Jays twice, in Toronto, since the start of his career, in June 2023. Notably winning two doubles at the Rogers Centre, he then totaled a performance of 3 in 7, while adding two goals on balls.
Édouard Julien, in action, during a Twins game played Wednesday at Target Field.
Photo David Berding/Getty Images via AFP
Abraham Toro on fire!
While Julien gets by, Quebecer Abraham Toro is possibly experiencing his best career moments in major baseball with the Oakland Athletics. In 12 games since April 27, Toro has 19 hits in 43 appearances.
Quebecer Abraham Toro is enjoying success with the Oakland Athletics.
Photo Thearon W. Henderson / Getty Images via AFP
The Greenfield Park player thus increased his batting average from .213 to .293 and is at the top among the A’s. In his case, he could be in Toronto to visit the Jays much later this season, from August 9 to 11.
