Minnesota Twins at Cleveland Indians Preview

The Cleveland Indians will be hosting the Minnesota Twins this weekend at Progressive Field, and the first game of the series is Friday night. Cleveland has played much better than Minnesota all season long and will be favorites in these games.

The Twins have gone just 3-9 in their last 12 games, and that has been how the season has gone for Minnesota. They come into this series with a record of 15-28 and are sitting in the last place in the AL Central.

Cleveland has been inconsistent to begin the 2021 season, but they have played well of late. The Indians have improved to 23-18 and are just 2.5 games out of first place in the AL Central.

Twins Not Getting Outs

The Minnesota Twins have one of the worst starting rotations in baseball, and the bullpen has not been any better. Minnesota has a team ERA that is approaching 5.00, and they have a struggling hurler on the mound on Friday night.

Randy Dobnak has gone 0-3 with an ERA over 8.00 to begin the year, and this could be a great opportunity for Cleveland to score some runs. Minnesota does have some big arms in the bullpen, but that unit has also been giving up some leads this season.

The Indians will have to find a way to get Nelson Cruz out as he continues to put up some big numbers for the Twins. Cruz leads the team with ten home runs and 24 RBIs, and he does have some help from his teammates.

Cleveland Must Find Offense

The Indians continue to be carried by their pitching staff, and the offense has yet to really get things going. Jose Ramirez has put up some impressive numbers for the Indians, but there are some holes in this lineup.

Ramirez has blasted 12 home runs, and he also leads the way with a .265 batting average. The Indians don’t have one of their aces on the mound Friday night, and they are going to have to find ways to score runs.

Triston McKenzie will toe the rubber in the series opener, and the Indians need him to figure things out soon. McKenzie has gone 1-2 with a 5.79 ERA in 2021, and this might be a game where the Indians bullpen plays a key role.

Indians Have Big Advantage

There is no doubt that the Indians have a big advantage all weekend long, but baseball can be a tricky game. Cleveland is going to have to start scoring some more runs if they plan on staying in the playoff race.

Minnesota just can’t find any pitching, and that problem is only going to get worse as the season moves along. The Twins have shown that they can score some runs, and the Indians will have to find a way to keep them in the park.

Cleveland has an edge on Friday night, but it’s up to the Indians bats to score enough runs to come away with this win.