Minnesota @ Cleveland preview

Last Meeting ( Aug 29, 2016 ) Minnesota 0, Cleveland 1

A return home did nothing to boost the sluggish offense of the Cleveland Indians, who will look to get their bats untracked in the middle contest of a three-game set versus the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday night. Despite being limited to one run for the seventh time in eight games, the Indians earned their second 1-0 win in that span in the series opener.

Jason Kipnis stretched his hitting streak to four games with a walk-off single in the 10th inning as Cleveland sent Minnesota to its 11th consecutive defeat. Despite scoring just twice in their last 28 innings, the Indians own a 4 1/2-game lead over the Detroit Tigers atop the American League Central. Right-hander Josh Tomlin looks to avoid going 0-for-August and snap a five-start losing streak when he opposes Twins left-hander Andrew Albers, who made his last start nearly three years ago -- also against the Indians. Minnesota's losing streak is the third-longest in franchise history and is three shy of the record set in 1982.

TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, FSN North (Minnesota), SportsTime Ohio (Cleveland)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Twins LH Andrew Albers (0-0, 4.32 ERA) vs. Indians RH Josh Tomlin (11-8, 4.70)

Albers gave up four runs to the Indians in his last major-league start on Sept. 26, 2013. He also turned in the best performance of his career against Cleveland with a two-hit shutout in his second career start earlier that same season. The 30-year-old Saskatchewan native gave up five runs (three earned) on 11 hits over six innings in his season debut on Aug. 11 and an unearned run in 2 1/3 innings at Toronto on Aug. 26.

Tomlin has surrendered at least six runs in four of his five defeats this month while failing to get through five innings in all but one occasion. He was smacked around for eight runs over 4 1/3 innings at Texas to push his totals to 31 runs allowed during his five-start skid. Tomlin, who has yielded nine of his league-worst 34 homers during that span, beat Minnesota with 7 2/3 innings of one-run ball on July 17.

WALK-OFFS

1. Cleveland's last 1-0 walk-off win in extra innings came on July 23, 1992.

2. Twins 3B Trevor Plouffe is 7-for-16 during a four-game hitting streak.

3. Indians LHP Andrew Miller has nine strikeouts over 3 1/3 innings in his last three appearances.

PREDICTION: Indians 5, Twins 4