Danny Salazar (3-1, 3.81 ERA) and the Cleveland Indians (10-19) go up against Trevor May (2-2, 4.15 ERA) and the Minnesota Twins (18-13) in the last of a three-game division series at Progressive Field. The Twins won the last game 7-4 and Minnesota leads the series 2-0. The game gets underway at 1:10 p.m. ET on Sunday, May. 10 and will air on FSN-N and STO.
Salazar is 2-1 with a 3.67 ERA against the Twins in his career, and is up against a strong Minnesota offense that’s hitting .266 on the year. Michael Brantley (.344, 14 Rs, 3 HRs, 16 RBIs, 4 SBs) continued his strong season yesterday, going 2 for 4 with one RBI. In his career against the Indians, May is 2-1 with a 5.74 ERA, 1.47 WHIP, and 10 strikeouts. Torii Hunter (.295, 17 Rs, 5 HRs, 19 RBIs, 1 SB) has been hitting the ball well for the Twins, going 3 for 5 yesterday with three runs, one home run, and one RBI.
Cleveland, a -142 favorite, will look to capitalize at home against Minnesota. The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is set at eight runs. The Indians have a losing record of 6-11 when playing as the favorite and an overall money line of -1,168. They have not performed well against their division, earning an SU record of 6-15 and a 3-10 record when they were the favorite. Cleveland has averaged 5.6 runs per game over the last 10 games, higher than its season average of 4.4. The Indians typically don’t swing at bad pitches, which has led to an AL-high 4.0 walks per home game. Below average play has been the norm lately for the Cleveland pitchers. The Indians have given up an average of 6.7 runs to opponents in their last 10 games, above their season average of 5.1 runs per game. The have been extremely effective at striking opposing batters out, leading the AL with 9.3 strikeouts per game.
On the other side, the Twins have a record of 13-11 when they are the underdog and are +767 overall with the money line. They have played at the top of their game when rated as the underdog as of late. They managed a 4-1 record when playing as the underdog and an SU record of 8-2. They sport the fifth-ranked offense in the AL, averaging 4.7 runs per game. One of the top hitting teams in the AL are the Twins, who average 8.9 hits per game.
The Twins are 4-1 against the Indians this season. The Indians will take on a right-hander (May) in this game and have a 7-9 record against right-handed starting pitchers this season. The right-handed Salazar will take the mound against the Twins, who have an 8-8 record against righty starters this season.
Predictions: SU Winner – CLE, O/U – Over
Notes
Cleveland has won 33% (4-8) of its games when leading after 7 innings. However, Minnesota has won 38% (3-5) of its games when taking a late lead.
The Indians are coming into this game after allowing two walks during their last outing. The Twins have a 7-12 record when opponents give up that many walks or fewer.
It looks like the Twins have a slight leg up on the Indians, as the Twins have won their last four games while the Indians have lost their last three.
When they outhit their opponents, the Indians are 8-2. The Twins have a 14-0 record when outhitting opponents.
Ranking 17th in runs, Cleveland has earned 126 this season. Minnesota ranks third with 149 runs.
Ranking 19th, Minnesota is in the bottom half of the league in walks, notching 83 this season. Cleveland ranks in the top 10 at ninth with 100.
When the Indians hit at least one home run, they are 9-10. When the Twins hit at least one homer, they have a 13-3 record.
