Indians at Rays
The Cleveland Indians were unable to create any momentum to take into a critical 11-game, 11-day road trip that begins Thursday night against the slumping Tampa Bay Rays. The American League Central-leading Indians have dropped three of their last four games after suffering a 3-2 loss to Colorado in 12 innings on Wednesday afternoon and will meet four teams in the playoff hunt on their trek.
Cleveland is 3-for-25 with runners in scoring position the past four contests and won’t have All-Star Michael Brantley (ankle) after he was placed on the 10-day disabled list, but the Indians acquired slugging outfielder Jay Bruce (29 homers) from the New York Mets late Wednesday. Danny Salazar looks to improve on a 2-0 record and 0.66 ERA at Tropicana Field when he takes the mound for Cleveland on Thursday against Blake Snell, who hopes to end a 15-start winless streak - 14 of them in 2017. While the Indians lead Kansas City by four games in the AL Central, the Rays have dropped four of their last five to fall one game out in the race for the AL’s second wild card. Brad Miller is 4-for-9 with two walks and a homer in the last three games for Tampa Bay, which managed just four runs and is 0-for-24 with runners in scoring position over the last five contests.
TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, MLB Network, STO (Cleveland), FSN Sun (Tampa Bay)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Indians RH Danny Salazar (4-5, 4.32 ERA) vs. Rays LH Blake Snell (0-6, 4.98)
Salazar has produced three strong starts since coming off the disabled list, earning one victory while allowing three runs and eight hits over 20 innings with 28 strikeouts. The 27-year-old fanned a career-high 12 in seven innings last time out against the New York Yankees but settled for a no-decision in a 2-1 loss. Corey Dickerson owns two homers in five at-bats versus Salazar, who yielded five runs (four homers) in five innings of a loss to Tampa Bay on May 16.
Snell was recalled take the spot of injured Alex Cobb (turf toe) in the rotation five days after being sent down to Triple-A Durham. The 24-year-old Seattle native permitted three runs in each of four starts during his last stint in the majors, completing more than four innings in just two of them while surrendering a home run in every game. Snell faced Cleveland once in his career, giving up three runs (two earned) over 6 2/3 innings during a loss last June.
WALK-OFFS
1. Tampa Bay 1B-DH Lucas Duda was a late scratch from the lineup Wednesday due to a thumb contusion and he is day-to-day.
2. Bruce is 0-for-14 over his last four games with the Mets, but boasts 75 RBIs while batting .256 this season with an .841 OPS.
3. The Indians have won seven of their last eight games at Tropicana Field, but gave up 20 runs while losing two of three to the Rays at home in mid-May.