Series Preview: Indians vs. Twins

The Indians come into Minnesota after a tough loss on Thursday in Kansas City. Josh Tomlin pitched a gem, but the bullpen could not close the game. They will look to bounce back against the last place Twins.

Game 1: Friday April 22, 8:10 EST.

Fausto Carmona vs. Brian Duensing

Fausto has pitched great in his last three starts, going 1-1 with an ERA of 1.25. His ERA on the year is 4.74, but that is inflated due to his opening day debacle. He will need the support of the offense to get a win this time out.

Brian Duensing is 1-0 with a 3.60 ERA on the season. He is 2-0 in his career against the Indians, but this is the strongest Indians lineup that he has ever seen.

Game 2: Saturday April 23, 1:10 EST.

Carlos Carrasco vs. Francisco Liriano

Carrasco is 1-1 on the year with a 4.85 ERA. He, like Fausto, had a rough first outing. In his last 3 starts he is 1-0 with a 3.26 ERA with 15 strikeouts. He has limited experience against the Twins, with a 0-1 record.

Liriano has been on the decline for the past few years, and is continuing his struggles in 2011. He is 1-3 with an ERA of 7.40. He has a career record of 5-3 against Cleveland.

Game 3: April 24, 2:10 EST.

Jeanmar Gomez vs. Carl Pavano

Gomez had a rough first outing, giving up 5 runs in 4 1/3 innings on Tuesday. He will be looking for his first win of the year on Easter Sunday.

Pavano, and his 70’s moustache, is 1-2 on the year with a 5.47 ERA. The former Indian is 2-2 in his career against the Tribe.

Probable Lineups:

Cleveland

1. CF Grady Sizemore

2. SS Asdrubal Cabrera

3. RF Shin-Soo Choo

4. C Carlos Santana

5. DH Travis Hafner

6. 2B Orlando Cabrera

7. LF Michael Brantley

8. 1B Matt LaPorta

9. 3B Jack Hannahan

Minnesota- With all of their injuries, it is tough to predict an exact lineup for the Twins. These are the players that should be on the field, just maybe not in this order.

1. CF Denard Span

2. SS Alexi Casilla

3. RF Jason Kubel

4. 1B Michael Cuddyer

5. DH Jim Thome

6. 3B Danny Valencia

7. 2B Luke Hughes

8. C Drew Butera

9. LF Jason Repko