Minnesota @ Cleveland preview

Last Meeting ( Aug 28, 2018 ) Minnesota 1, Cleveland 8

Michael Brantley is healthy after two injury-plagued seasons and the All-Star outfielder is warming up again as his Cleveland Indians try to clinch the season series with the visiting Minnesota Twins on Wednesday night. Brantley was 3-for-5 with a run scored in Tuesday’s 8-1 victory over the Twins and boasts multiple hits in six of his last eight games, going 13-for-35 in that stretch to raise his batting average to .304.

Jason Kipnis is 6-for-8 with four RBIs and four runs scored while teammate Francisco Lindor went 6-for-11 - scoring three times - in the last two games for the American League Central-leading Indians, who own a 9-8 edge in the season series. Adam Plutko hopes to snap out of a rough stretch when he takes the mound for Cleveland in the middle contest of the three-game set Wednesday against fellow rookie Kohl Stewart, who is looking for his first major league victory. Joe Mauer extended his hitting streak to six games (9-for-25) on Tuesday for the Twins, but remains one run shy of becoming the third player in franchise history to reach 1,000. Minnesota has lost four straight overall, scoring six runs total, and has dropped six of the last seven against the Indians after leaving nine runners on base in the latest setback.

TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, FS North (Minnesota), STO (Cleveland)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Twins RH Kohl Stewart (0-1, 6.94 ERA) vs. Indians RH Adam Plutko (4-4, 5.09)

Stewart has yet to finish five innings in his first three major league starts, although he has not given up more than three runs in any of them. The 23-year-old Texan, who was picked fourth overall in the 2013 draft, allowed three runs on seven hits and two walks over 4 2/3 innings in a no-decision with Oakland last Thursday. Stewart served up 18 hits over 11 2/3 innings since being recalled from the minors, but just one home run.

Plutko is winless in his past five trips to the mound and yielded eight runs on eight hits and six walks over 11 1/3 innings combined to lose his last two. The 26-year-old UCLA product permitted five runs on five hits and as many walks across 4 1/3 innings in a 7-0 loss at Boston on Thursday. Eddie Rosario homered against Plutko, who allowed one run on two hits over two innings of relief versus Minnesota on June 16.

WALK-OFFS

1. Minnesota 1B-3B-DH Miguel Sano worked a pair of walks Tuesday to extend his on-base streak against the Indians to 15 games.

2. Cleveland C Yan Gomes is 10-for-19 with a homer during a five-game hitting streak that raised his batting average to .260.

3. Rosario notched his 150th hit of the season Tuesday, leaving him seven away from his career high in 2017.

PREDICTION: Indians 7, Twins 4