Minnesota Twins (16-22, fifth in the AL Central) vs. Cleveland Guardians (20-19, first in the AL Central)
Cleveland; Friday, 7:15 p.m. EDT
PITCHING PROBABLES: Twins: Connor Prielipp (1-0, 3.86 ERA, 0.93 WHIP, 15 strikeouts); Guardians: Parker Messick (3-1, 2.40 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, 44 strikeouts)
LINE: Guardians -140, Twins +118; over/under is 7 1/2 runs
BOTTOM LINE: The Cleveland Guardians host the Minnesota Twins to start a three-game series.
Cleveland has a 9-7 record in home games and a 20-19 record overall. The Guardians are 8-2 in games when they hit at least two home runs.
Minnesota has a 6-12 record in road games and a 16-22 record overall. The Twins have a 1-4 record in games decided by one run.
Friday’s game is the first time these teams square off this season.
TOP PERFORMERS: Jose Ramirez leads the Guardians with six home runs while slugging .394. Chase DeLauter is 18 for 35 with five doubles, a home run and seven RBIs over the past 10 games.
Brooks Lee leads the Twins with a .270 batting average, and has five doubles, five home runs, nine walks and 23 RBIs. Ryan Jeffers is 13 for 36 with two home runs and six RBIs over the past 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Guardians: 5-5, .232 batting average, 3.93 ERA, outscored opponents by four runs
Twins: 4-6, .259 batting average, 6.14 ERA, outscored by 12 runs
INJURIES: Guardians: Shawn Armstrong: 15-Day IL (groin), Gabriel Arias: 10-Day IL (hamstring), Andrew Walters: 15-Day IL (lat)
Twins: Cody Laweryson: 15-Day IL (forearm), Cole Sands: 15-Day IL (forearm), Garrett Acton: 15-Day IL (shoulder), David Festa: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Mick Abel: 15-Day IL (elbow), Pablo Lopez: 60-Day IL (elbow)
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