Indians at Twins
The Cleveland Indians have climbed all the way back from double digits down in the American League Central and can take over the top spot when they visit the Minnesota Twins on Saturday night. The Indians are 41-16 since June 4 after earning a 6-2 victory Friday against the Twins, who are 30-28 since holding an 11 1/2-game advantage in the division and have dropped four straight for the first time this season.
Jose Ramirez continued his torrid stretch with three hits, two runs scored, an RBI and a stolen base in Friday’s triumph to extend his hitting streak to eight games (13-for-29, eight runs, seven doubles, eight RBIs) for Cleveland. The Indians hand the ball to right-hander Adam Plutko on Saturday and Minnesota will try to turn the series around with All-Star Jake Odorizzi on the hill as he attempts to add to his career-high total with his 13th victory. The Twins were 0-for-3 with runners in scoring position and left eight on base in Friday’s loss while dropping to 4-4 on a 10-game homestand and have yielded 36 runs during their current losing streak. Minnesota was forced to place slugger Nelson Cruz (left wrist) on the 10-day disabled list, but Eddie Rosario (in his 600th major-league game) and Jason Castro went deep Friday to give the team a franchise-record 226 homers on the season.
TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, STO (Cleveland), FS North (Minnesota)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Indians RH Adam Plutko (4-2, 4.55 ERA) vs. Twins RH Jake Odorizzi (12-5, 3.61)
Plutko snapped a six-game winless streak last Saturday when he held the Los Angeles Angels to one run on five hits and one walk over 5 1/3 innings of a 7-2 victory. The 27-year-old UCLA product has limited opponents to two or fewer earned runs in six of his last nine outings but served up 15 homers across 59 1/3 innings overall this year. Rosario is 2-for-4 with a double and a homer versus Plutko, who is 1-0 with a 5.31 ERA in four games (three starts) on the road in 2019.
Odorizzi has recovered from his worst start of the season with two solid efforts, allowing two runs on nine hits and four walks combined over 11 2/3 innings with 12 strikeouts. The 29-year-old Illinois native is 6-1 with a 3.59 ERA in 11 starts at home and has held opponents to a .229 batting average overall. Ramirez boasts three solo homers and Francisco Lindor is 7-for-20 with a pair of blasts against Odorizzi, who is 1-0 with a 1.59 ERA in two starts versus Cleveland in 2019.
WALK-OFFS
1. Minnesota rookie OF-INF Luis Arraez has the fifth-best batting average (.345) in franchise history through his first 50 games.
2. Cleveland OF Yasiel Puig had three hits Friday and is 11-for-33 with four RBIs and four runs scored in nine games with the club.
3. Rosario needs one homer to reach 100 in his career and is 14-for-43 with three blasts and 10 RBIs over his last 10 contests.