Corey Kluber (8-15, 3.55 ERA), seeking his 200th strikeout of the season, gets the start for the Cleveland Indians (77-77) as they go up against Phil Hughes (11-9, 4.43 ERA) and the Minnesota Twins (80-75) in the first of a four-game series at Progressive Field. The game gets underway at 7:10 p.m. ET on Monday, Sep. 28 and will air on STOh and FSN.
In his most recent outing, Kluber pitched 3.2 innings, allowing four runs, striking out six and walking two in a 4-2 loss to the Twins. Francisco Lindor (.320, 47 Rs, 10 HRs, 47 RBIs, 9 SBs) went 1 for 4 yesterday. The Twins were victorious over the Indians 4-2 the last time Hughes pitched. He went 5.0 innings, giving up zero runs and striking out four. Brian Dozier (.242, 101 Rs, 28 HRs, 75 RBIs, 11 SBs) has been hitting the ball well, going 2 for 5 yesterday with one run and two RBIs.
Cleveland, a -167 favorite, will look to capitalize at home against Minnesota. The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is seven runs. The Indians are 51-47 as the favorite and have an overall money line of -1,167. They have disappointing records of 19-29 as the favorite and 31-39 SU within their division. Cleveland has averaged 5.4 runs per game over the last 10 games, higher than its season average of 4.2. The Indians rank fourth in the AL in hits at home with 9.3 per game. They typically aren’t overmatched by pitchers, ranking fifth in the AL with an average of only 7.2 strikeouts per game. Turning to the pitching staff, the Indians don’t allow many hitters to get on base, ranking third in the league with a 1.19 WHIP. The have been extremely effective at striking opposing batters out, leading the AL with 8.8 strikeouts per game.
Across the field, the Twins have a record of 60-59 when they are the underdog and are +1,947 overall with the money line. Against divisional opponents, they are 36-32 SU and 26-25 as the underdog.
The Twins have gotten the better of the Indians in head-to-head matchups this season, going 9-6. This game will feature Hughes (RHP) on the mound against the Indians, who have a 55-46 record when they take on a right-handed starter. Taking the hill against the Twins will be the right-hander Kluber. They sport a 52-48 record against righties.
Predictions: SU Winner – Cle, O/U – Over
Notes
Minnesota has won 48% (28-30) of its games when leading after 7 innings. However, Cleveland has won 52% (28-26) of its games when taking a late lead.
The Twins are coming off of a weak pitching game where they recorded six strikeouts. The Indians have a record of 38-29 when opponents’ pitchers have that many strikeouts or fewer.
When they outhit their opponents, the Indians are 65-13. The Twins have a 56-8 record when outhitting opponents.
Ranking 19th, Cleveland is in the bottom half of the league in runs, scoring 641 this season. Minnesota ranks in the top half at 12th with 676.
Ranking 21st, Minnesota is near the bottom of the league in walks, notching 413 this season. Cleveland ranks in the top 10 at sixth with 517.
The Indians are 58-30 when they hit at least one home run. The Twins perform similarly when they hit one or more homers with a 62-35 record.
