Cleveland Indians Kick Off Roadtrip in Minnesota Against the Twins

The Cleveland Indians kick off a seven-game roadtrip on Friday night in Minnesota against the Twins. What do you need to know before first pitch?

The Cleveland Indians completed their penultimate homestand of the 2016 season in winning fashion, coming out on top against the Houston Astros in a wild game on Thursday afternoon. The Tribe went 8-2 at Progressive Field, and now hits the road with a six-game lead in the American League Central Division.

Cleveland begins a seven-game roadtrip on Friday against the only team in the Central that it does not have a winning record against, the Minnesota Twins. Through the first 16 meetings, the two sides have played to an even 8-8 split, with the Twins having outscored the Indians 85-79 in those contests.

This will be the final three games the two sides will play in 2016, and the stakes for each couldn’t be more different. While Cleveland looks to continue its push towards the postseason, Minnesota is already waiting for next year, sitting 52-88 on the year and 29.5 games out of first place. Paul Molitor’s squad is squarely in spoiler mode right now, hoping to make things tough for contenders before going home for the long offseason.

First pitch is slated for 8:10 p.m. ET at Target Field in Minneapolis, with the Tribe looking to keep its winning ways going. Here’s what to look for before the series gets started.

Next: Number crunching.