Cleveland Guardians (15-16, third in the AL Central) vs. Minnesota Twins (19-14, first in the AL Central)
Minneapolis; Saturday, 7:10 p.m. EDT
PITCHING PROBABLES: Guardians: Shane Bieber (1-2, 4.41 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 29 strikeouts); Twins: Devin Smeltzer (0-0)
LINE: Twins -164, Guardians +141; over/under is 8 runs
BOTTOM LINE: The Minnesota Twins take a 1-0 advantage into the latest game of the series against the Cleveland Guardians.
Minnesota has a 19-14 record overall and a 12-7 record in home games. Twins hitters have a collective .391 slugging percentage to rank fifth in the AL.
Cleveland has gone 7-5 in home games and 15-16 overall. The Guardians rank seventh in the AL with 30 total home runs, averaging one per game.
The teams meet Saturday for the second time this season.
TOP PERFORMERS: Jorge Polanco has eight doubles, four home runs and 20 RBI while hitting .241 for the Twins. Gilberto Celestino is 9-for-21 with three doubles over the last 10 games.
Owen Miller has 10 doubles and three home runs for the Guardians. Josh Naylor is 11-for-27 with two doubles and three home runs over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Twins: 5-5, .258 batting average, 4.40 ERA, outscored by 13 runs
Guardians: 6-4, .262 batting average, 5.14 ERA, outscored opponents by three runs
INJURIES: Twins: Chris Paddack: 60-Day IL (elbow), Danny Coulombe: 15-Day IL (left hip), Jhon Romero: 60-Day IL (biceps), Carlos Correa: 10-Day IL (finger), Trevor Larnach: 10-Day IL (groin), Dylan Bundy: 10-Day IL (covid-19), Kyle Garlick: 10-Day IL (calf), Miguel Sano: 10-Day IL (knee), Bailey Ober: 10-Day IL (groin), Jorge Alcala: 60-Day IL (elbow), Randy Dobnak: 60-Day IL (finger), Kenta Maeda: 60-Day IL (elbow)
Guardians: Josh Naylor: 10-Day IL (covid-19), James Karinchak: 10-Day IL (shoulder), Carlos Vargas: 60-Day IL (undisclosed), Cody Morris: 60-Day IL (shoulder)
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