Twins at Tigers
The Minnesota Twins are taking advantage of a weak spot in the schedule to pad their lead in the American League Central before entering their final tough stretch of the regular season. The Twins will try to wrap up another series victory when they visit the AL-worst Detroit Tigers in the finale of a four-game series on Monday.
Minnesota, which will play 12 in a row against teams in contention in their respective leagues starting Tuesday before finishing up the regular season with 13 in a row against sub-.500 division foes, won seven of its last eight to push the lead over the Cleveland Indians in the AL Central to 5 1/2 games. The Twins scored at least seven runs in each of their last five contests and proved they could score without the long ball while going homerless in Sunday's 8-3 triumph - one day after setting a major league record by reaching 268 home runs on the season. The Tigers had a chance to shake things up in the Central over the last two weeks but fell to 2-7 in a stretch of 10 straight against Cleveland and Minnesota with Sunday's setback. Detroit will try to earn a split of the series on Monday behind veteran right-hander Jordan Zimmermann while the Twins hand the ball to righty Jake Odorizzi.
TV: 1:10 p.m. ET, FS North (Minnesota), FS Detroit
PITCHING MATCHUP: Twins RH Jake Odorizzi (14-6, 3.55 ERA) vs. Tigers RH Jordan Zimmermann (1-9, 6.24)
Odorizzi allowed three or fewer earned runs in each of his last six starts and yielded two runs and five hits in six innings to earn a win at Chicago on Wednesday. The 29-year-old stuck out eight against the White Sox without surrendering a home run and kept the ball in the park in each of his last four outings. Odorizzi is 2-0 in two starts against Detroit this season, allowing a total of one run and six hits in 13 innings.
Zimmermann is enjoying a solid stretch with two or fewer runs allowed in each of his last three outings. The Wisconsin native saw his ERA climb as high as 7.57 in late July but settled down in August and turned in his first quality start since June 30 by holding Cleveland to two runs in six innings on Wednesday. Zimmermann started at Minnesota on April 14 and was ripped for five runs on eight hits and a walk in three innings to absorb a loss.
WALK-OFFS
1. Twins OF Max Kepler (leg) left Sunday's game and is day-to-day.
2. Detroit CF Victor Reyes is 7-for-14 in the series.
3. Minnesota DH Nelson Cruz is 10-for-18 with eight RBIs in the last four games.