An important series in the AL Central wraps up Thursday night when the Cleveland Indians host the Minnesota Twins. After the Indians won the first two games of the series, the betting odds are even for Thursday’s series finale.
Even after beating the Twins Tuesday and Wednesday, the Indians are desperate to complete the sweep. Those two wins moved the Tribe a game over .500 but only brought them within 9.5 games of the Twins atop the division. It’s been a struggle for the Indians this season, and if they’re going to win a fourth straight division title, they need to beat the Twins head-to-head as often as possible.
The Twins, meanwhile, have been one of the biggest surprises in the majors this season. Despite the two losses to Cleveland this week, the Twins are 40-20 on the season, which is why they have such a comfortable lead in the AL Central. Even after dropping the first two games of the series, Minnesota is still 15-5 over its last 20 games. They also have just six games against teams with a winning record the rest of June, making this game even more vital for Cleveland.
The New Ace
Jose Berrios will start for Minnesota on Thursday. As the Twins had hoped, Berrios is blossoming into a frontline starter. In his 12 starts this season, he’s 7-2 with a 3.27 ERA. Even after winning 26 games over the past two seasons, Berrios is taking things to another level this year despite some uneven outings during the month of May.
This will be the first time Berrios is facing the Indians since opening day, when he tossed 7.2 shutout innings, allowing just two hits and striking out 10. The Cleveland lineup has changed a little since that outing. However, Carlos Santana and Francisco Lindor are the only two hitters who have produced with any kind of consistency. Lindor is also scorching hot at the moment, but he’ll obviously need a little help from the rest of the lineup to do any damage against Berrios.
The Last Remaining Ace
Trevor Bauer is in line to start for the Indians on Thursday. With most of the team’s frontline starters on the IL, Bauer needs to give the Indians an ace-like performance every time out. However, he’s been steady but unspectacular for most of the season. After a strong April, Bauer posted a 5.50 ERA in May, as the pressure to lead the rotation by himself could be getting to him.
On the bright side, Bauer gave up just one run over seven innings when he faced the Twins in late March. Of course, Minnesota’s lineup is no joke. The Twins have five players with at least 10 home runs this season. Also, most of their regulars have an OPS over .800. Bauer has good numbers against most of Minnesota’s hitters, but the Twins are still a difficult lineup to traverse multiple times. The Indians also need Bauer to go deep after using their bullpen for all nine innings on Wednesday.
Put the Brooms Away
It’s just not in the cards for the Indians to pull off the sweep. The bullpen is tired, Bauer will have to shut down a potent Twins lineup on his own, and Berrios is poised for a strong outing. Bet on the Twins to win on Thursday and salvage the series.
