CLEVELAND — The Twins are in the midst of a Cy Young stretch, with Corey Kluber last night and David Price and Rick Porcello scheduled to pitch at Target Field (along with last year's runner-up, Chris Sale) next week.
But first, they get Carlos Carrasco, who can be just as difficult for the Twins to manage as any award-winner. The Cleveland righthander beat Minnesota three times last year, and gets the start in today's mid afternoon matchup with the Twins.
"He's got a nice resume. We know him pretty well," Twins manager Paul Molitor said. "When he's on, he's tough. You've got to try to get the ball up, because he can run the sinker and the slider and the split-change all below the zone and get you to expand. It's going to be a matter of showing a little more patience with him."
Fernando Romero is on the mound for the Twins, and he's as confident as ever about his chances, Molitor said. "He kind of acts like he's been here a long time. Sometimes that's good, sometimes you want him to understand that he's a little bit low on the food chain, if you will," Molitor said. "I like the confidence factor, a little bit of moxie about how he goes about his work. And he's smart enough to be able to pick the brains of these guys who have been doing it for awhile."
Joe Mauer will be the designated hitter today, after grounding out four times on Friday in his return from the disabled list. Molitor said he hasn't decided yet of Mauer will play all three games here.
Byron Buxton took batting practice on the field, then packed his belongings and left for the airport to return to Minneapolis. He'll fly to Rochester, N.Y., in time to begin his rehab assignment Tuesday. The Twins haven't put an end date on his stint in Triple-A, in order to take the pressure off of him. He's made some tweaks to his swing, Molitor said, and the Twins hope he'll come back not only completely healthy, but with better results at the plate.
Here are the lineups for today's game at Progressive Field:
TWINS
Mauer DH
Rosario LF
Escobar 3B
Morrison DH
Dozier 2B
Grossman RF
Kepler CF
Adrianza SS
Wilson C
Romero RHP
INDIANS
Lindor DH
Brantley LF
Ramirez 3B
Encarnacion 1B
Kipnis 2B
Gomes C
Chisenhall RF
Naquin CF
Gonzalez SS
Carrasco RHP
