Cleveland Guardians

Twins seek three-game sweep of Indians (Jun 25, 2017)

Published Jun. 24, 2017 10:43 p.m. ET

CLEVELAND -- The Cleveland Indians and Minnesota Twins continue to beat up each other, in each other's back yard. The two teams have played 12 times this year and the visiting team has won 11.

Minnesota will attempt to complete a three-game sweep of Cleveland on Sunday at Progressive Field, one week after the Indians swept a four-game series from the Twins in Minnesota.

"We're the road Twins for a reason," Minnesota utilityman Chris Gimenez said. "We only win on the road."

The Twins are 22-9 on the road, the second-best road record in the majors. Only Houston's 27-9 mark is better.

"These guys have a lot of confidence on the road," Minnesota manager Paul Molitor said. "This is a nice response to what happened last weekend."

Molitor was referring to his team, after having gotten swept at home last weekend by Cleveland, going for a sweep of the Indians in Cleveland this weekend.

"Trying to connect the dots between the last series we had with them and this one, there's just a lot going on," Indians pitcher Corey Kluber said. "We haven't played great the last two days and they did. It was vice-versa last weekend."

Coincidentally, the teams are the top two in the American League Central. Last weekend in Minnesota, Cleveland's four-game sweep allowed the Indians to vault from two games behind the first place Twins to two games ahead of them.

The Twins can return the favor Sunday as a win pushes them back into first place, a half-game ahead of Cleveland.

The pitching matchup Sunday will be Minnesota ace Ervin Santana (9-4, 2.97 ERA) vs. Cleveland's Josh Tomlin (4-8, 6.07).

Santana pitched a no-hitter at Progressive Field in 2011 as a member of the Angels. In his last start against the Indians on May 12 in Cleveland, Santana pitched seven innings and combined with three relievers on a two-hit 1-0 shutout.

In 23 career starts against the Indians, Santana is 6-11 with a 4.00 ERA. He has made 11 career starts at Progressive Field and is 3-6 with a 4.88 ERA.

Tomlin will make his third start of the season against the Twins on Sunday. He went 1-1 with a 2.57 ERA in the first two starts. In his career versus Minnesota, Tomlin is 5-5 with a 5.13 ERA in 16 games (13 starts).

Tomlin, a 13-game winner last year, has struggled in his recent starts. In four June starts, he is 1-2 with a 6.86 ERA. In those four games, he has given up six home runs in 19 2/3 innings.

The Indians came into this Minnesota series on a roll. They went 7-1 on a road trip to Minnesota and Baltimore, outscoring the Twins and Orioles 56-18.

But in losing the first two games this weekend, the Indians have been outscored 9-2.

"They've outplayed us. We've got to come out (Sunday) and get after it," Indians manager Terry Francona said.