Fresh off a doubleheader sweep of the Minnesota Twins, the Indians hope Brantley continues his torrid hitting at Target Field on Tuesday night.
8:10 PM ET, July 19, 2011Cleveland (51-44) leads the Central by one game over Detroit after beating Minnesota 6-3 on Monday night following a 5-2 victory in the afternoon to open this four-game series.
Target Field, Minneapolis, Minnesota
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The Indians have won three of their last four against the Twins (44-51), but manager Manny Acta is wary of the two-time reigning division champions, who are seven games back of Cleveland.
"We know that these guys are going to be in it. The title runs through Minnesota," Acta said.
Brantley's bat may continue making a difference for the Indians, especially after Grady Sizemore was placed on the disabled list for the third time this season Monday.
Brantley is hitting .412 with six RBIs and nine runs over his last 11 games after collecting five hits in Monday's twinbill. He's also feasting on Twins pitching, going 11 for 19 with a homer and two doubles in the past five meetings.
Justin Masterson (8-6, 2.80 ERA) wouldn't mind some offensive assistance as he looks to beat Minnesota for the first time.
The right-hander is 0-4 with a 4.37 ERA in nine games -- six starts -- against the Twins, getting 1.99 runs of support per nine innings.
That trend continued in his only meeting with them this season on June 8, as he was backed by one run while yielding two in eight innings of a 3-2, 10-inning Cleveland loss.
Masterson has received plenty of support while winning his last three starts behind a 2.05 ERA. The bats helped him in Thursday's 8-4 victory at Baltimore, where he labored through six innings while allowing four runs and eight hits with eight strikeouts.
"I worked out of a few jams here and there," Masterson said. "I felt in control most of the time."
Despite the start to this series, Minnesota has taken 21 of the past 30 home matchups with Cleveland.
Joe Mauer is a .350 career hitter against the Indians, and has dominated them at home lately by batting .536 with two homers and 11 RBIs in his last 15 games. He accumulated six hits in Monday's doubleheader.
Francisco Liriano (6-7, 4.76) gets the ball Tuesday looking to continue his own success against Cleveland in Minnesota.
The left-hander has won his last three home starts against the Indians while not allowing a run in 21 innings, although he hasn't faced them there since tossing seven innings in a 6-0 win July 21 last year.
Liriano is 3-0 with a 3.24 ERA in five starts at Target Field since returning from left shoulder inflammation June 7. He was solid in an 8-4 win over Kansas City on Thursday, allowing three runs -- one earned -- in seven innings.