Corey Kluber (2-4, 4.14 ERA) and Ervin Santana (0-2, 3.86 ERA) are on the hill in the second of a three-game series between the Cleveland Indians (17-15) and the Minnesota Twins (8-26) at Progressive Field. The Twins lost the last game 7-6, continuing an eight-game losing streak. Action begins at 4:10 p.m. ET on Saturday, May. 14 and can be seen on FS1, STOh and FSN.
Kluber pitched 2.2 innings in his last outing, surrendering five runs, striking out three and walking three in a 7-1 defeat to the Astros. Carlos Santana (.226, 15 Rs, 5 HRs, 14 RBIs, 2 SBs) went 1 for 4 yesterday. Santana went 3.1 innings, surrendering three runs, striking out four and walking three in a 7-2 defeat to the White Sox in his most recent start. Byung Ho Park (.245, 15 Rs, 9 HRs, 15 RBIs, 1 SB) has been successful at the plate for the Twins, going 2 for 5 yesterday with two runs, two home runs, and three RBIs.
The odds for Cleveland and Minnesota are even, while the Over/Under (O/U) is unavailable as of now. Within its division, Cleveland has a record of 2-14 SU. The Indians have seen an uptick in scoring as of late, averaging 0.0 runs during the last 10 games compared to their season average of 0.0 runs per game. Cleveland’s pitching staff has been doing better against opposing offenses during the last 10 games, only allowing an average of 0.0 runs per game, well under their season average of 0.0. The Indians are the fifth-best team in the AL at limiting hits to their opponents, allowing only 7.7 hits per game so far this season.
The Twins are 11-4 against AL Central opponents. Offensively, the Twins have really picked up the pace in the last 10 games. They have exceeded their season average of 0.0 runs per game by averaging 0.0 during that stretch. Minnesota is excellent at not striking out on the road with an AL-low 10.8 per game. The Twins allow 0.0 runs per game, but have improved upon those numbers in the past 10 games, allowing 0.0 runs per game during that span.
Predictions: SU Winner – CLE
Notes
In their last game, the Twins lost by a margin of one run. The Indians are 6-7 in one-run games. The Twins have a 4-8 record in close games.
When leading after seven innings, Cleveland is 6-4, while Minnesota is 2-11.
The Twins managed to give up four walks in their last game. They’ll have to pick it up against the Indians who are heading in with an 8-2 record against opponents who give up that many walks or more.
When they outhit their opponents, the Twins are 6-5. The Indians have a 10-4 record when outhitting opponents.
Ranking 28th, Minnesota sits near the bottom of the league in runs, scoring 117 this season. Cleveland ranks in the bottom half at 20th with 139.
Ranking 22nd, Cleveland is near the bottom of the league in walks, notching 98 this season. Minnesota ranks in the top half with 108.
When the Indians hit at least one home run, they are 9-9. When the Twins hit at least one homer, they have a 6-16 record.
