Cleveland Indians (40-31, second in the AL Central) vs. Minnesota Twins (31-42, fifth in the AL Central)
Minneapolis; Thursday, 8:10 p.m. EDT
PITCHING PROBABLES: Indians: J.C. Mejia (1-2, 6.11 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, 16 strikeouts) Twins: Jose Berrios (7-2, 3.56 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, 87 strikeouts)
LINE: Twins -171, Indians +148; over/under is 9 runs
BOTTOM LINE: Jose Ramirez and the Indians will take on the Twins Thursday.
The Twins are 12-15 against AL Central teams. Minnesota has hit 107 home runs this season, second in the league. Nelson Cruz leads them with 16, averaging one every 13.9 at-bats.
The Indians are 21-12 against opponents from the AL Central. Cleveland has a team on-base percentage of .293, led by Jose Ramirez with a mark of .337.
The Twins won the last meeting 8-5. Hansel Robles secured his first victory and Max Kepler went 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBIs for Minnesota. James Karinchak registered his first loss for Cleveland.
TOP PERFORMERS: Cruz leads the Twins with 16 home runs and is slugging .572.
Ramirez leads the Indians with 16 home runs and is batting .264.
LAST 10 GAMES: Twins: 6-4, .260 batting average, 4.99 ERA, outscored by 10 runs
Indians: 6-4, .231 batting average, 4.55 ERA, outscored opponents by five runs
INJURIES: Twins: Devin Smeltzer: (elbow), Michael Pineda: (elbow), Edwar Colina: (elbow), Rob Refsnyder: (hamstring), Kyle Garlick: (hernia), Jake Cave: (back), Byron Buxton: (hand), Mitch Garver: (groin).
Indians: Zach Plesac: (thumb), Cam Hill: (wrist), Aaron Civale: (finger), Shane Bieber: (shoulder), Jordan Luplow: (ankle), Franmil Reyes: (side), Roberto Perez: (finger), Austin Hedges: (concussion).
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
