The series against Kansas City didn't end quite the way the Indians wanted as they struggled scoring runs, losing the last two games of the three game series. The Indians are now 2-6 at home and 7-2 on the road. In fact, every team in the AL Central has a losing record at home (Kansas City is worse with an 0-10 record) and a winning record on the road (Cleveland is best at 7-2). This strange scenario has allowed the Tribe to remain in first place going into the series with Los Angeles.

Shin-Soo Choo comes into the series with an injured hamstring and it is unknown as of now when he will return. The injury is said not to be serious, but he has already missed two games for it. The Indians are really missing his defense as Aaron Cunningham is no comparison. Cunningham has fit well into the lineup, however as he has two RBI hits in his last two games.

It is safe to say that the Angels have been this years most disappointing team thus far as their Yankee like free agent signings have not been enough to give them a winning record (6-13). Currently they sit at the bottom of the AL West behind the rebuilding Seattle Mariners and Oakland A's. The Angels come into this game after losing 4 in a row and the Indians will look to continue that streak.

Jered Weaver, RHP, 3-0, 2.43 ERA vs Justin Masterson, RHP, 0-2, 6.65

The Indians will need Masterson to step up his game in this match up as he goes against the Angels ace and multiple Cy Young candidate, Jered Weaver. He is one player who hasn't struggled and has recorded half of the Angels wins this season. Over time the Indians have performed slightly better than the average team against Weaver, but he is still good enough that you shouldn't see more than 2 runs scored while he is in the game. It is up to Masterson to keep it close until the Angels bullpen comes in. Their bullpen is currently ranked as the third worst in the AL with a 4.96 ERA and 5 losses.

Dan Haren, RHP, 0-1, 4.07 ERA vs Jeanmar Gomez, RHP, 1-0, 1.93 ERA

Gomez's suspension is finally over and he will look to go deep into a game for the first time this season. His 1.93 ERA looks fantastic, but he has only pitched 9 total innings in his last three games. In his last start he was taken out in the 5th inning even though he had yet to give up a run and had only thrown 88 pitches. The bullpen gave up the runner that he had left on base which is one of the only two runs he's allowed this year. 

He will be pitching against the Angels second ace, who has not been as successful this year as he was last season (Tenth in AL with 3.17 ERA). Haren struggled in his first game of the season, but has gotten progressively better each game. In his last game he went into the 8th inning and only allowed 2 runs with 9 strike outs. The first two games of this series will not be easy going for the Cleveland Indians.

Ervin Santana, RHP, 0-4, 7.23 ERA vs Derek Lowe, RHP, 3-1, 3.00 ERA

If there ever was a good match up for the Tribe, this is it. Derek Lowe has been the Indians most consistent pitcher all season and currently leads the team in wins. Santana, on the other hand, has been the Angels worst starter and currently leads the Majors in losses. He hasn't been much better against the Indians in his career either, with a record of 1-6.

Roster Moves: Rafael Perez has been placed on the 15 day disabled list for a strained lat. He is eligible to come off the DL on May 11. In his place, the Indians have recalled another left-hander, Nick Hagadone. Hagadone pitched well in three games during his first stint with the Tribe this year and will look to earn a permanent place with the Tribe even after Perez's return.

The Indians lost the final game of the road trip, but still managed to win all three series including a sweep of Kansas City. Overall they went 7-2 against the A's, Royals and Mariners. This amazing turnaround has put them right back in the divisional fight with the Tigers and White Sox. At 8-6 they are just one game behind the division leading Detroit.

The upcoming series in Cleveland will see the return of Asdrubal Cabrera to the team, back from his trip to Venezuela. This should help the Tribe immensely on both offense and defense, freeing up Jason Donald for a reserve role and bumping Jason Kipnis back down the the bottom of the lineup. Cabrera's return means the departure of Nick Hagadone after just three appearances. Hagadone pitched very well during his short time with the team and remains the next pitcher in line should any of the current Major Leaguers falter.

Jonathan Sanchez, LHP, 1-0, 6.39 ERA vs Derek Lowe, RHP, 2-1, 3.50 ERA

This game will see a rematch between Sanchez and the Indians, specifically Shin-Soo Choo. After all that happened last time, I wouldn't be surprised if the umpire gave warnings before the game starts. I don't actually think there will be any issues during this game, but if Sanchez does happen to let one loose, there will almost certainly be ejections and suspensions.

Derek Lowe has been the Indians most consistent pitcher from one week to the next and will hopefully continue on with that trend as he has to this point in his career. While his ERA will probably rise a little eventually from 3.50, he should continue to win games as long as he gets some run support. 

Luke Hochevar, RHP, 1-1, 5.87 ERA vs Josh Tomlin, RHP, 1-1, 4.86 ERA

The Indians shelled Hochevar in his start to the tune of 7 runs in 4 innings. He is nothing new to the Indians who have seen the Central Division foe often. Shin-Soo Choo and Jack Hannahan have been especially successful against him, both having batting averages above .500 and multiple home runs.

Josh Tomlin turned in one of his best starts of his career last time out. In 8 innings he allowed only one run and struck out 7 batters. Tomlin has only walked one hitter this season, making him the only pitcher with decent control this year. Tomlin's game is all about allowing batters to put the ball in play, so he has to be around the plate to be successful and he has been. 

Luis Mendoza, RHP, 0-2, 6.92 ERA vs Ubaldo Jimenez, 2-0, 4.00 ERA

Mendoza also struggled against the Tribe last week as he allowed 9 runs in 4 innings although 4 of them were unearned. The right hander is the Indians favorite type of pitcher as he has struck out only 3 while walking 9 this season. The Indians continue to lead the Major Leagues in walks and Travis Hafner leads the league in on base percentage.

Like the Indians ace, Justin Masterson, Ubaldo Jimenez is not performing to quite the standard that is expected of him. Luckily for him, the Indians have not had any problem hitting the Royals, so he should have enough run support. 

The Indians have completely turned things around after losing the first two series and have now won two series in a row, winning 4 of their last 5 games. Of course these series have been against a couple of the weaker teams in the American League, but you have to start somewhere. The Tribe is making the short trip down to Oakland next to take on the Athletics for three. Currently Oakland is 7-7 and are having a surprising start as no one thought the Angels would begin the season this poorly.

This may be the first series this year that the Indians patience at the plate will not be an asset. Oakland's pitching has been tremendous to this point (2.91 team ERA) and they have walked the least amount of hitters in the American League. Offensively the Indians have walked the most. The starting pitchers will be as follows:

Ubaldo Jimenez, RHP, 1-0, 4.50 ERA vs Graham Godfrey, RHP, 1-2, 4.09

Ubaldo will be looking to improve on his last start when he gave up 4 runs in 5 innings. He was even worse than the end results show as he gave up 9 hits and threw 112 pitches, making the bullpen come into the game early. Oakland is currently the worst offensive team in the league with a line of .200/.270/.318 so he should have an easy time getting back to the way he pitched in his first start.

This is Godfrey's rookie season as he only has 25 innings under his belt to this point. The Indians have never faced this pitcher so it may take a couple times through the lineup for the hitters to get used to him. Looking at his career numbers, he doesn't really seem to be anything really special, but he does have good control, just like the rest of the A's pitching staff. Judging by his first two starts, he seems very hittable. He was only able to go 11 total innings against the two teams the Indians just beat, Seattle and Kansas City.

Jeanmar Gomez, RHP, 0-2, 2.25 ERA vs Brandon McCarthy, RHP, 0-2, 3.60 ERA

Jeanmar Gomez has had a rough season so far and it's only getting worse. He has been pitching extremely well, but scheduling issues forced him to miss a start and put him in the bullpen. In his last start he stuck up for Shin-Soo Choo by hitting Mike Moustakas and was ejected. He has since been suspended for the hit batter (Jack Hannahan and Chris Perez have each been fined for the altercation as well) and will be forced to miss another start. Gomez is currently appealing which will allow him to play in this game, after which he will drop the appeal and serve the five game suspension. 

The Indians know McCarthy well from his time with the White Sox and Rangers. He has thrown more than 50 innings against the Tribe with an ERA of 4.61. Of the current Indians, Casey Kotchman has the most experience against McCarthy with 13 at bats and a .462 batting average against him. He has made four starts so far this season, due to Oaklands's early series against Seattle and has pitched well in two of those games (against Seattle and Kansas City). Hopefully the Indians experience against McCarthy will help them get Jeanmar his first win of the season.

Justin Masterson, RHP, 0-1, 6.48 ERA vs Tyson Ross, RHP, 0-0, 3.00 ERA

The Indians ace will be making his 4th start of the season, which to this point has gotten progressively worse for him. In his last start, Masterson was only able to go 3.2 innings as he gave up 8 runs against Seattle. Justin was having command problems and his pitches just weren't moving the way they did on opening day when he struck out 10 Blue Jays. These on and off pitching results have been going on since Spring Training. One day he will look like the masterful Masterson of early 2011 and the next he will fall apart like he did last May. 

Tyson Ross is another young starter for the A's. He was converted from relief pitcher to starter last season and performed very well. This will be his second start of 2012 after going 6 innings and allowing only 2 runs against the Angels. The Indians play against him once last year when he allowed one run over 6.1 innings. 

Milestone Alert: Travis Hafner's next hit will be his 1,000th as a Cleveland Indian and he is two home runs away from being 8th all time.

After a dominant sweep of Kansas City, the Indians will go to Safeco Field in Seattle to take on the Mariners. Get ready for some late night baseball as all three games start at 7 pm, Pacific time. The Indians and Mariners are have built a little history between the two teams the past couple seasons with the Indians basically stealing their best two minor league players, Shin-Soo Choo and Asdrubal Cabrera. In the past off-season two more players have switched sides with former Indian Kevin Millwood joining the Mariners and former M Jose Lopez coming to Cleveland. 

The Mariners have had some early success in 2012 for what was predicted by many to be a cellar dweller. They are currently 6-5, right behind the powerful Texas Rangers in the AL West. The Indians have finally found some success as well. With their sweep of Kansas City they have moved to third in the Central and marched back to .500. Hopefully the Indians didn't leave their hitting shoes in Kansas City as they will need them all season.

Pitching Matchups

Justin Masterson, RHP, 0-1, 2.77 ERA vs. Kevin Millwood, RHP, 0-1, 1.50 ERA

The Indians will be going into their fourth series of the season and somehow, Justin Masterson will be making his third start. Although he was not as strong as his first outing, Masterson maintained his poise in his last time out and did not let the game get away from him. Masterson did only go 5 innings though, so he should be well rested for this start.

If it seems like Kevin Millwood has been around forever, then you may have been born in the mid 1990's. When Millwood pitched for the Indians in 2005 it was his 10th season and 3rd team. He is now entering his 17th season with his 7th team. Millwood is out to prove that he still has something left in the tank and he just might. His junk-ball style of pitching should be well suited for the Tribe as many of the Indians hitters are already among the league leaders in walks. Patience is a key against Millwood and that is something the Indians have in abundance. 

Derek Lowe, RHP, 2-0, 1.98 ERA vs Jason Vargas, LHP, 1-1, 3.44 ERA

Lowe leads the Indians in wins as he took the only win that happened before the Royals series and another one during that series. His 1.98 ERA is completely unsustainable, but the Indians should enjoy it while it lasts. If he can keep his good luck and injury free lifestyle going on he could be a total surprise and lead this team in wins for the whole year, just by going out there 33 times. 

Jason Vargas hasn't had much success against Cleveland in his career, going 1-2 with a 6.75 ERA, but most of that was against hitters that are no longer with the team. The only player on the current roster that has had consistent success against Vargas is Asdrubal Cabrera, who is 5/10 with a home run.

Josh Tomlin, RHP, 0-1, 8.31 ERA vs Felix Hernandez, RHP, 1-1, 3.80 ERA

Just one appearance after Jeanmar Gomez was used in relief to bail out Justin Masterson, Tomlin was needed in relief to take over for Gomez after he was ejected against the Royals. Josh Tomlin fell apart in that game, but one can hardly blame him as it was his first ever appearance out of the bullpen and his appearances this year have been anything but regular. Indians fans should just go ahead and consider this his first start of the season and try to forget what has happened already. Barring anymore rain outs, suspensions or off days, the Indians should be able to make their rotation actually rotate and get Tomlin his regular starts.

Former Cy Young Award winner King Felix is starting this season in dominant fashion as usual. He currently sits third in the AL with 19 strikeouts and has been dominant in two out of three starts. All three starts have come against Oakland, but if you exclude the one that actually happened at the Coliseum he has pitched 15 innings allowing 3 runs on 12 hits with 12 strikeouts. His command has also been impressive, only walking 4 batters compared to his 19 K's.

The Indians will be taking the show on the road for the first time in 2012, traveling to Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City to face the Royals. The season has been dismal to this point with the Tribe only managing one win so far. Last series they were swept by the White Sox in a series shortened to two games by snow. Hopefully the weather will cooperate and the Indians will remember how to hit against the Kansas City pitching staff.

Derek Lowe, RHP, 1-0, 0.00 ERA vs. Luke Hochevar, RHP, 1-0, 2.84 ERA

Lowe was surprisingly effective in his first start, allowing no earned runs in the Indians only win of the season. His goal for that game was the same as it will be for the next one. Throw strikes and keep the ball down in the zone. If his sinker is working anywhere near as good as it did last week this should be no problem. Hopefully Jack Hannahan and Casey Kotchman will have recovered from their defensive lapses by then and the Tribe infield will be ready to go behind him.

Luke Hochevar has been starting for the Royals since 2008 and has become a very effective innings eater for their team. Last year was his best season at 11-11 with almost 200 innings pitched in 31 games and he hopes to improve on that effort this season as he nears his prime years. The Indians have fared well against Hochevar in the past, especially Shin-Soo Choo who has a batting average over .500 against the right-hander in more than 20 at bats. Choo has 3 home runs and 10 RBI against him as well.

Jeanmar Gomez RHP, 0-0, 0.00 ERA vs. Jonathan Sanchez, LHP, 1-0, 3.60 ERA

Gomez pitched in the finale against the White Sox in relief as the Indians needed a little help in the bullpen to make up for Masterson's early departure. The shuffling of the rotation along with the off days allowed him to throw 2 innings in that game and still be ready for the second start against KC. Gomez was perfect in that outing (his second career appearance out of the bullpen) and was fantastic in Spring Training. Hopefully he will continue his success on Saturday in Missouri.

Jonathan Sanchez is a newcomer to the Royals after being an integral part of the San Francisco Giants starting rotation for 4 years. Last season was disappointing for Sanchez, but he has already started off on the right foot with the Royals, winning his first game against the AL West favorite Los Angeles Angels. Sanchez was only able to go 5 innings in the game as he was already at about 100 pitches thrown. This bodes well for the Tribe as the one good thing the Indians have done offensively is work the count. Carlos Santana is tied for first in the AL in walks while Michael Brantley, Shin-Soo Choo, Shelley Duncan and Travis Hafner are all in the top 20.

Ubaldo Jimenez, RHP, 0-0, 2.57 ERA vs. Luis Mendoza, RHP, 0-1, 1.59 ERA

The suspension is finally over as Jimenez prepares to take the mound for the second time this year. Ubaldo kind of fell apart after pitching 5+ perfect innings in his first start, but if he can match his last outing every time he pitches it might make it worth losing the top two pitchers in the farm system. He goes up against Luis Mendoza who has been in the Majors since 2007, but has only made a total of 17 starts. Mendoza had an amazing Spring, leading the Cactus League in ERA. Of course Spring Training stats are meaningless as soon as April begins, but with his success in his first start against Oakland, you have to wonder if Mendoza has finally turned things around.

The Indians managed to pull one out against the Blue Jays in the opening series after playing a whopping 37 innings of baseball. Aided by an off day and great starting pitching, the Indians bullpen should be remarkably intact although three pitchers, including closer Chris Perez pitched in all three games. The White Sox lost their last game with the Rangers before coming to Cleveland and are tied with the Indians for third place in the Central with a 1-2 record after just one series. Each team will be going with a trio of young starters for this series as Ubaldo Jimenez is currently serving his 5 game suspension. Some players to look out for in this series include the "young as ever" Paul Konerko who hit .417 against the Rangers in the opening series and the resurgence of Adam Dunn, who has already hit his first home run. After a dismal 2011 where he only hit 11 total home runs to go along with a .159 batting average, the White Sox have placed renewed confidence in him, hitting him third in the lineup.

Chris Sale, LHP, 2-1, 4.18 vs. Josh Tomlin, RHP, 0-1, 6.18 ERA (Spring Training)

Sale will be making his first career start after being a part time closer in 2011. He is a young hard-throwing lefty, so it will be interesting to see how the Indians left handed heavy lineup matches up against him. The lineup that the Indians have put out for each of the first three games includes only Casey Kotchman and Shelley Duncan as right handed bats (along with the switch hitting Asdrubal Cabrera and Carlos Santana), so will see if Manny Acta intends on playing his strengths or if he will shuffle some things around to create what he perceives are better match-ups.

Josh Tomlin will be making his first start of 2012 as well and if the first three games are any indication, we should be in for a treat. Tomlin was somewhat of a surprise in 2011, but he doesn't seem to be a fluke. His primary goal should be to throw strikes and let his defense work behind him. Tomlin doesn't really have the stuff to strike batters out at will or comeback from behind, so it is integral that he get ahead often. If he is on, look for there to be very few base runners, but watch out for the occasional long ball if he makes a mistake.

Philip Humber, RHP, 1-0, 3.18 ERA (ST) vs. Justin Masterson, RHP, 0-0, 1.13 ERA

Humber will be making his first start of the season as the White Sox fifth starter. He has been around since 2006, but never pitched more than 10 games in a season before last year. A success story for Chicago, Humber started 26 games, going 9-9 with an ERA under 4.00.

Justin Masterson will be making his second start for the Tribe, taking advantage of an early season off-day to move up in the rotation. His first start was spectacular and brought back memories of last season, when he was practically unhittable during April. Although he didn't get the win, he did strike out 10 batters in 8 innings, good enough for second in the American League to this point. His sinker looked especially good last time out, which is great as it is his out pitch. 

John Danks, LHP, 0-1, 4.50 ERA vs. Jeanmar Gomez, RHP, 1-1, 1.37 ERA (ST)

The White Sox ace will be going up against the Indians number five starter as the rotation gets shuffled and Jimenez finishes out his suspension (he will be able to pitch the second game of the next series). As a long-term member of a Central Division foe, the Indians have seen him many times in the past. In the past 3 seasons, Danks is 2-3 with a 4.06 ERA against the Tribe, although there are some new members on the team this year who have never faced him. 

Jeanmar Gomez was the Indians most dominant pitcher during Spring Training this year and won his position handily, defeating David Huff and Kevin Slowey for a spot in the rotation. He has pitched in parts of the last two seasons and has seen some success, particularly against the White Sox, where he is 2-0 with a 2.25 ERA. He will be looking to prove himself to the team early as David Huff may challenge him for his spot when he comes off the disabled list in a couple weeks.

The first series of 2012 features the Cleveland Indians hosting the Toronto Blue Jays at Progressive Field. As usual this matchup will see each teams top pitchers going against each other to start the season off. Here are those matchups:

Ricky Romero, LHP, 2-0, 0.00 ERA vs. Justin Masterson, RHP, 0-3, 9.00 ERA (Spring Training numbers)

Both teams aces had breakout seasons in 2011 cementing their position as ace in their first year in the job. While Romero had a much better overall Spring, Masterson did have a couple very well pitched games in addition to two poor outings. Masterson's main goal on opening day will be to keep the ball down and let his sinker work, testing out the improved Indians infield. With the addition of Casey Kotchman and the inclusion of Jack Hannahan, the Tribe will have no excuses for any ball that finds its way into the outfield on the ground.

Brandon Morrow, RHP, 2-0, 0.52 ERA vs. Ubaldo Jimenez, RHP, 1-4, 7.43 ERA

Like the rest of the Blue Jays (24-7 record during Spring Training) Brandon Morrow was extremely successful this Spring. Of course we all know how important Spring Training numbers are (just ask the 2011 AL champion Kansas City Royals, 20-10 last year). Even so, the former closer turned starter is definitely a formidable opponent. On the Indians side there is some need for worry. Jimenez had more starts this Spring than any other pitcher but has not been able to put anything consistent together. This comes after a very erratic 2011 and a drop in his fastball velocity as well. Jimenez could find his old self sometime this season, but he is unlikely to find it this week. Jimenez is able to play in the game as he is appealing his five game suspension to start the season.

Joel Carreno, RHP, 0-0, 5.40 ERA vs. Derek Lowe, RHP, 0-1, 3.50 ERA

Carreno will be starting his rookie campaign as the Jays third starter after only pitching in 5 innings this Spring. He has very little Major League experience, limited to only 11 games in relief last season. He jumped straight from AA to the pros last year to throw those 15 innings in his 6th professional year. Derek Lowe will be pitching his first game for the Tribe and is almost the exact opposite of Carreno as we know just what to expect. After 15 years in the Major Leagues, he is a known quantity. Expect about 4 runs allowed per game, 6 strike outs and 3 walks. Ever since he became a starter in 2002, Lowe has started 32 or more games every season. Hopefully he will be able to bring that kind of mediocrity to the Cleveland Indians this season.

Indian's Ace Justin Masterson is ready to go against the Blue Jays tomorrow afternoon.

Summary:

The Indians have lost seven straight to the Tigers, including consecutive three-game sweeps in August and September to take them out of the running in the AL Central. Detroit has outscored the Tribe, 78-59. The Tigers clinched the AL Central on Sept. 16. They've won 27 of their last 36 games. Victor Martinez is hitting .311 (14-for-45) with three homers and 15 RBI against the Tribe this year. Fister (2-1), Scherzer (2-0) and Porcello (1-1) have seen plenty of the Tribe this year.

Pitching Matchups:

RHP Ubaldo Jimenez (4-3, 4.62) vs. RHP Doug Fister (10-13, 2.94) Tonight at 7:05 p.m.

RHP Jeanmar Gomez (5-2, 3.52) vs. RHP Max Scherzer (14-9, 4.37) Tuesday at 7:05 p.m.

RHP Zach McAllister (0-1, 5.83) vs. RHP Rick Porcello (14-9, 4.76) Wednesday at 7:05 p.m.

Tigers News/Notes:

• 1B Miguel Cabrera precipitated a couple of skipped heartbeats when he experienced a few moments of dizziness while batting in the seventh inning. Cabrera, who hit his 29th home run of the season with a man on in the first, got a visit from manager Jim Leyland and head trainer Kevin Rand after taking three straight balls. He remained in the game and lined out to left on a 3-2 pitch. Leyland took him out of the game as a precaution.  Cabrera went 2-for-3 in the game and is challenging for the batting title with a .341 average.

• DH Victor Martinez joined 1B Miguel Cabrera with 100 RBI when he hit a three-run home run in the fifth inning. It gave him 101 RBI and he and Cabrera made it nine times since 1961 that Tiger teammates have breached 100 RBI. Cabrera has 103.

• RF/1B Don Kelly gave Detroit some breathing room with a three-run home run in the sixth. Kelly came in to play right for RF Magglio Ordonez in the top of the sixth, shifting to first in the seventh when 1B Miguel Cabrera was removed after going through a spell of dizziness at bat. Kelly has seven home runs this season, three this month.

• RHP Brad Penny is struggling to make a case to be included in Detroit's postseason rotation, if not the roster. Penny wiped runners off the bases in the first two innings with double plays, but in the fifth gave up an RBI double plus an RBI single to the eighth and ninth hitters in Baltimore's batting order, tying the score at 3. He was removed after giving up a one-out double in the sixth. Penny has not allowed less than three earned runs in consecutive starts since June 26-July 1.

• RHP Al Alburquerque showed manager Jim Leyland what he wanted to see, effective pitching in back-to-back games, to confirm his spot on Detroit's postseason roster providing he reports no unusual effects on Monday. Alburquerque, who worked a scoreless eighth Saturday, was brought in after RHP Brad Penny gave up a one-out double in the sixth. He got a groundout on a 3-2 pitch and a strikeout on a 2-2 slider. He had been battling a hip problem until pitching Thursday night.

• SS Jhonny Peralta hit his 20th home run of the season, a solo shot leading off the eighth. His two hits put him at .301 after he had recently dipped under that mark for one of the few periods this season. He now has 84 and is at the high side of the figures Detroit was hoping to get when it signed him to a two-year deal with an option during the winter.

• 3B Wilson Betemit, out of action since Sept. 16 with a left knee sprain, will return to action Monday night against the Tribe.  Betemit had essentially been a platoon partner with 3B Brandon Inge before getting hurt sliding into home plate. He's started against right-handed pitchers.

• 2B Carlos Guillen is looking less and less likely to be on manager Jim Leyland's roster for the divisional round of the AL playoffs.

Pitching Matchups:

 RHP Carl Pavano (8-13, 4.40) vs. RHP Justin Masterson (12-10, 3.15) tonight at 7:05

LHP Scott Diamond (1-5, 4.81) vs. LHP David Huff (2-6, 4.20) Saturday at 1:05 p.m.

LHP Francisco Liriano (9-9, 4.77) vs. RHP Mitch Talbot (2-6, 6.33) Saturday at 7:05 p.m.

RHP Liam Hendriks (0-2, 6.23) vs. RHP Fausto Carmona (7-15, 5.23) Sunday at 1:05 p.m.

Summary:

The Twins have lost 16 of their past 19 games. Danny Valencia is hitting .294 (10-for-34) with two homers and seven RBI against the Indians this year. Pavano is 1-1 against the Indians this year. At the end of the most recent trip, the Indians swept a three-game series from the Twins. They outscored them, 23-15. Asdrubal Cabrera is hitting .327 (17-for-52) with three homers and 11 RBI against the Twins this year. Masterson is 1-0, with a 1.53 ERA, allowing five earned runs in 291/3 innings, against Minnesota this season.

Twins News/Notes:

• 1B Justin Morneau is suffering from his second debilitating concussion in the last 14 months, and his status for next season won't be known at least until February, when he reports to Fort Myers, Fla., for spring training.  Morneau, the 2006 AL MVP, might not ever play first base again.

• Before Thursday's game against Seattle, manager Ron Gardenhire took a look at the lineup card that had just been spit out of his printer. "Well, that's not a good lineup card," he said, tearing up the card and throwing it into the trash bin next to his desk. "Even the computer is sick." Because of injuries (the Twins have used the disabled list 24 times this season and shut down three players for the rest of the season) Gardenhire is on his last stack of official Major League Baseball lineup cards. That's the first time it's ever happened, he said. "I can't even tell you how many I've had to change (the lineup card)," he said. "It's crazy. It's really crazy."

• C Joe Mauer, shut down for the season since being diagnosed with pneumonia, was resting at home Thursday, but team trainer Rick McWane said he might join the Twins for their last series of the season, Monday through Wednesday against the Royals at Target Field.

• OF Jason Kubel hasn't played since Sept. 16 because of a left foot sprain sustained on May 30 in Detroit. Still, he told manager Ron Gardenhire he wants to be available as a pinch hitter this weekend

• C Drew Butera snapped a 0-for-21 skid with his RBI single in the fifth Thursday. Before that hit, Twins' catchers, Butera, Rene Rivera and Joe Mauer, were a combined 0-for-27. Butera hadn't hit safely since Sept. 2 at Anaheim.

Twins Injuries:

• CF Denard Span (migraine symptoms) went on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to Aug. 14. He missed two months earlier this season because of a concussion. He resumed baseball activities Sept. 3 and took batting practice Sept. 7. On Sept. 16, Span went through his third consecutive workout without experiencing any problems. He was activated Sept. 21 and played four innings as the Twins eased him back into action. He sat out Sept. 22 but expects to play tonight.

• OF Jason Repko (concussion symptoms) was hit in the helmet by a pitch Sept. 18, and he hasn't played since. There is a chance he won't return this season.

• DH/OF Jason Kubel (sore left foot) left the Sept. 16 game, and he didn't play Sept. 17-22. He might be able to return as a pinch hitter before the end of the season.

• C Joe Mauer (pneumonia) was diagnosed Sept. 16, and he requires at least two weeks of rest. He's out for the rest of the season.

• SS Tsuyoshi Nishioka (sore right oblique) did not play Sept. 6-8. He was back in the lineup Sept. 9, but he didn't play Sept. 10-14. He was shut down for the season on Sept. 16.

• 1B Justin Morneau (left knee surgery and right foot surgery in September 2011) did not play Aug. 29-Sept. 18 due to a mild concussion and left shoulder stiffness. On Sept. 19, he had season-ending surgeries to remove a cyst in his left knee and bone spurs from his right foot.

• 2B Alexi Casilla (strained right hamstring) went on the 15-day disabled list July 28. He was activated Aug. 12 but then was placed back on DL Aug. 13 after aggravating the injury. He began a rehab assignment with Class A Fort Myers on Aug. 29, but he was re-injured in that game. He was running at Target Field in mid-September, and he hopes to be activated before the end of the season.

• RHP Nick Blackburn (right lateral forearm strain) went on the 15-day disabled list Aug. 22. An MRI revealed an entrapped nerve caused by inflammation. He was transferred to the 60-day disabled list Sept. 4, ending his season.

Pitching Matchups:

Today 9/20: Gavin Floyd (12-11, 4.42) vs. Fausto Carmona (6-15, 5.26)

Tonight: Dylan Axelrod (0-0, 2.25) vs. Zach McAllister (0-1, 12.27).

Wednesday 9/21: Mark Buehrle (11-9, 3.74) vs. Ubaldo Jimenez (4-2, 4.56).

Thursday 9/22: Philip Humber (9-8, 3.59) vs. Jeanmar Gomez (4-2, 3.78).

Sox Medical Watch:

• C Ramon Castro (broken right hand) went on the 15-day disabled list July 10. He had the cast and pins removed Aug. 9, and he hopes to return to action in late September.

• INF/OF Brent Lillibridge (broken right hand) went on the 15-day disabled list Sept. 9. He'll miss the rest of the season.

• RHP Tony Pena (right elbow tendinitis) went on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to May 28. He began a rehab assignment with Class AAA Charlotte on June 16. After making a solid appearance June 24, Pena informed trainers that there was further soreness, prompting him to be shut down. He started a new rehab assignment with Charlotte on July 20, but he suffered yet another setback with his elbow after four pitches. He had season-ending Tommy John surgery in August.

Sox News/Notes:

• C A.J. Pierzynski is signed through the 2012 season, and gets $6 million for next season. Although with C Tyler Flowers showing some ability, especially behind the plate and working with a veteran pitching staff, there is a good chance the White Sox might try to move Pierzynski's contract. Not real easy to do at that price, but it would only take one other general manager in need of a veteran catcher for it to happen.

• 1B/DH Paul Konerko continued to cement himself into the White Sox record books, as his home run on Sunday was the 30th of the season, giving him 30 for the seventh time in his career. It was also the fifth time he has recorded 30 home runs and 100 RBI in a season, second most in franchise history to Frank Thomas, who did it eight times.

• DH Adam Dunn had three hits off left-handed pitchers in the series against Kansas City, which doubled his season total. While the 2011 season has been a complete bust for Dunn, anything he can take from it that will help for 2012 will be embraced by the organization.

• 2B Gordon Beckham entered this week with an AL leading fielding percentage .992 among second basemen, attempting to become the first White Sox second baseman to lead the league in fielding since Nellie Fox in 1963. So while his offense has been dismal this season, Beckham can at least take that with him to the offseason.

• RHP Gavin Floyd was scheduled to start in the early game of todays doubleheader, with RHP Dylan Axelrod getting the nod in the night game. It will be his second start since being called up, and is yet another pitcher trying to make a statement to the organization heading into the offseason. With LHP Mark Buehrle a free agent and Floyd, as well as LHP John Danks probably trade candidates, the White Sox need to know that there are some safety nets to fall back onto, just in case.

By the Numbers:

29-35—The White Sox's record against the AL Central this season, heading into the four-game series against the Tribe this week. That's yet another reason why the White Sox fell short of overtaking Detroit. So sad.