Indians-Twins preview

CLEVELAND -- Two struggling American League Central Division teams will meet at Progressive Field Monday night. One has been struggling all year. The other has been struggling for a week.

The first place Cleveland Indians will host the last place Minnesota Twins. That the Twins are struggling is not news. At 49-81 they have the worst record in the American League and the second worst record in the majors.

At 73-56 the Indians have the second best record in the American League, but they are coming off a disastrous seven-game trip to Oakland and Texas in which they lost five of the seven games. They could easily have lost six of the seven games because the score in one of their wins was 1-0.

In their five losses on the trip that ended Sunday with a 2-1 loss in Texas, the Indians were out-scored 32-3. Overall, they scored one or zero runs in six of the seven games.

The recent slump has not dimmed Manager Terry Francona's enthusiasm for his team.

"This team to me is pretty special," he said. "Are we good enough (to reach the postseason)? I don't know. We're going to find out. I prefer to embrace the journey. You see teams in the World Series that look real glamorous, but those same teams had to weather stuff during the year. You weathered it enough to move on. I don't think that anybody claimed we were the '27 Yankees, but you look up and we're in first place."

On paper the first place Indians would seemingly welcome some games against the last place Twins, but in one of the season's more inexplicable trends Minnesota has more wins against Cleveland than against the other three division teams combined. The Twins are 8-5 vs. the Indians and a combined 7-30 vs. the Tigers, Royals and White Sox.

The two teams played a four-game series in Cleveland in early August and the Twins won three consecutive blowouts: 12-5, 10-6 and 13-5.

Monday's pitching matchup will feature two pitchers who have struggled against the team they are facing. Cleveland will start Trevor Bauer (9-6, 3.88). In 10 career starts vs. Minnesota Bauer is 1-5 with a 5.86 ERA. In three starts against the Twins this year he is 0-2 with a 7.63 ERA.

The Twins will start Hector Santiago (10-8, 5.16). In 13 career appearances vs. the Indians Santiago is 2-3 with a 6.10 ERA. In two starts against the Indians this year he is 0-2 with a 12.79 ERA.

Santiago will be making his first start since Aug. 20. Due to a bruised left thumb, he was given some extra days off between starts. The injury occurred on July 2 when he was pitching for the Angels.

In four starts since his trade to Minnesota Santiago is 0-4 with a 10.89 ERA. The thumb might be part of the problem.

"He talked about how it affects his ability on his off-speed stuff a little bit, his curveball, to have the same feel that he would like to have," Twins manager Paul Molitor told MLB.com. "People have to pitch through things at times. It's not an issue for me that he's kind of trying to find a way to work himself through it."

The Twins come into Monday's game having lost their last 10 games in a row.