Twins return home only to face strong Indians road team
The Cleveland Indians have been a very strong road team this season, while the Minnesota Twins have been much better at home.
Win Differential, Home Better Than Road -- MLB 2016
The Indians have been stellar during their current five-game road winning streak -- especially their pitching staff.
Indians, Stats in Last Five Road Games
| Team | Home Record | PCT | Away Record | PCT | Diff | MLB Rank |
| Twins | 4-4 | .500 | 1-10 | .091 | plus-.409 | 3rd |
| Indians | 3-5 | .375 | 6-2 | .750 | minus-.375 | 26th |
The Twins' road woes continued yesterday, as they couldn't hold a lead late in extra innings in their loss to the Washington Nationals.
Losses When Having a Lead Entering Bottom 15th or Later, MLB Since 1996
| Team | Cle | Opp |
| Wins | 5 | 0 |
| Runs Scored | 28 | 6 |
| ERA | 1.20 (6/45.0) | 5.00 (25/45.0) |
| Starters | 0.86 (3/31.1) | 4.74 (13/24.2) |
| Batting Avg | .278 (50/180) | .148 (23/155) |
| On-Base Pct | .342 (68/199) | .195 (32/164) |
| Slugging Pct | .467 (84/180) | .194 (30/155) |
| Home Runs | 7 | 1 |
| Pitcher K/BB | 53/9 | 43/18 |
Tommy Milone gets the start for Minnesota Monday night. He's only lost once at Target Field in nearly a calendar year.
Mark Buehrle, not currently on an MLB roster, was 6-1 (.857) at home for the Blue Jays during this stretch.
| Winner | Date/Opp/Loser | Inn/Trailed | Final |
| Nationals | 04/24/2016 vs Twins | Bot 15/5-4 | 6-5 (16) |
| Marlins | 04/29/2013 vs Mets | Bot 15/3-2 | 4-3 (15) |
| Athletics | 04/29/2013 vs Angels | Bot 15/8-7 | 10-8 (19) |
| Pirates | 05/27/2006 vs Astros | Bot 17/7-6 | 8-7 (18) |
| Diamondbacks | 04/13/1999 vs Dodgers | Bot 16/6-4 | 7-6 (16) |
Danny Salazar is an elite strikeout pitcher who stands out even more in that department early in the season.
Joe Mauer and Miguel Sano are displaying the patience to draw plenty of walks.
| Player | Record | Win Pecentage |
| Cole Hamels, Tex | 6-0 | 1.000 |
| Dallas Keuchel, Hou | 14-0 | 1.000 |
| Drew Hutchison, Tor | 6-1 | .857 |
| Tommy Milone, Min | 5-1 | .833 |
| Jered Weaver, LAA | 5-1 | .833 |
Most Combined Walks by Teammate Duos, MLB 2016
Francisco Lindor is reaching base at a very good rate for the Indians.
| Jose Fernandez | 12.5 |
| Danny Salazar | 11.8 (23/18.1) |
| Clayton Kershaw | 10.7 |
| Stephen Strasburg | 10.7 |
| David Price | 10.6 |
The Indians are hoping Michael Brantley makes his season debut in this series at his primary position in left field. In the meantime, that spot has been manned capably so far this season.
Cleveland Indians Starting Left Fielders, 2016
| Twins | 28 | Joe Mauer (15) & Miguel Sano (13) |
| Cubs | 28 | Dexter Fowler/Anthony Rizzo/Ben Zobrist (14) |
| Diamondbacks | 28 | Paul Goldschmidt (18) & Jake Lamb (10) |
| Blue Jays | 27 | J. Bautista (17) & J. Smoak/T. Tulowitzki (10) |
| Pirates | 26 | Gregory Polanco (14) & Andrew McCutchen (12) |
| Daniel Murphy, Was | .465 |
| Jose Altuve, Hou | .409 |
| Francisco Lindor, Cle | .391 |
| Carlos Correa, Hou | .385 |
| Ben Zobrist, ChC | .385 |
| Games | 16 |
| BA | .333 (19/57) |
| OBP | .361 |
| SLG | .579 (33/57) |
| HR | 3 |
| RBI | 12 |