Indians at Twins
Two teams that have cooled off considerably after hot starts attempt to get rolling again when the Minnesota Twins host the Cleveland Indians on Monday to open a four-game series between American League Central rivals. The Twins won five of the first six games to begin the season before going 2-4, while Cleveland swept Texas in three games to start the campaign and has won just two of its nine contests since.
Minnesota fell 3-1 in 10 innings against the Chicago White Sox on Sunday to lose its second straight series as Brian Dozier delivered the only run with an inside-the-park homer. The Twins have managed two or fewer runs in four of their five losses and slugger Miguel Sano is slumping with just two hits in 16 at-bats over the past five games after striking out four times on Sunday. The Indians were crushing the ball out of the gate with 21 runs in the opening series, but scored three or fewer in six of the last nine games after losing to Detroit 4-1 on Sunday. Francisco Lindor has not been part of Cleveland’s offensive woes, boasting a 10-game hitting streak, and the shortstop is 8-for-10 with a walk against Minnesota’s scheduled starter Kyle Gibson.
TV: 8:10 p.m. ET, SportsTime Ohio (Cleveland), FSN North (Minnesota)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Indians RH Danny Salazar (0-1, 4.63 ERA) vs. Twins RH Kyle Gibson (0-1, 8.00)
Salazar limited the White Sox to two runs on four hits and a pair of walks over six innings last Wednesday, but suffered the loss in a 2-1 decision despite matching a career high with 11 strikeouts. The 27-year-old, who is four innings shy of 500 for his career, was 10-3 with a 2.75 ERA before the All-Star break last year and 1-3 with a 7.44 mark after it. Max Kepler is 3-for-4 with two homers and Dozier 12-for-26 with a pair of blasts versus Salazar, who went 0-1 with a 10.13 ERA in three starts against the Twins in 2016.
Gibson has yet to find his top form while allowing eight runs on nine hits - including three home runs - over nine innings with seven strikeouts and three walks to start the season after struggling in 2016 with a 6-11 record and 5.07 ERA. The 29-year-old Indiana native went 1-8 with a 5.21 ERA at home last season and was 5-3 with a 4.92 mark on the road. Yan Gomes is 7-for-16 with a pair of homers against Gibson, who was 0-1 with an 8.44 ERA in two starts versus Cleveland last year.
WALK-OFFS
1. Cleveland 2B Jose Ramirez is red-hot over the last four games, registering 10 hits in 15 at-bats with eight RBIs.
2. Kepler has hit safely in five straight games for the Twins, going 8-for-19 in that stretch.
3. The Indians, who won the American League pennant in 2016, won only 10 of 19 games against the major league-worst Twins last year.