Cleveland Indians (22-31) at Minnesota Twins (25-27), 8:10 p.m.
Sports Network | June 2, 2009
(Sports Network) - Texas-born right-hander Kevin Slowey continues one of the majors' best starts of 2009 tonight when the Minnesota Twins host the Cleveland Indians in the opener of a three-game series at the Metrodome.
A veteran of 16 wins in 40 big-league starts entering this season, Slowey began April with four consecutive victories and has added three more in a row since suffering his lone loss at Baltimore on May 6.
He allowed six hits and two runs in six innings in his most recent outing, a 4-2 defeat of the Boston Red Sox on May 27.
The 25-year-old turned in his best performance against the Indians on April 25 at Progressive Field, scattering eight hits and allowing a single run over eight innings of a 7-1 victory.
He's 2-2 lifetime against Cleveland in five starts with a 4.35 earned run average in 31 innings.
For the Tribe, 24-year-old lefty David Huff takes the mound for the fourth time in his brief major-league career.
A product of UCLA and a supplemental draft pick in 2006, Huff debuted in St. Petersburg on May 17 and was saddled with a 7-5 loss after giving up seven hits and seven runs in 3 2/3 innings.
Two no-decisions have followed in two subsequent starts, first in an interleague matchup at Cincinnati on May 23 and the most recent against the Rays in Cleveland on May 28.
In those two outings, the 6-foot-2, 190-pounder has pitched a combined seven innings while allowing 11 hits and six runs.
The Indians won both games, outscoring their opposition, 9-7.
On Monday in Cleveland, Nick Swisher and Alex Rodriguez each knocked in a pair of runs in the seventh inning for the Yankees, guiding New York to a 5-2 decision over the Indians.
Victor Martinez hit a solo homer, while Shin-Soo Choo recorded two hits and two steals for Cleveland, which was coming off a four-game sweep of Tampa Bay before losing three of four to the Yankees.
Jeremy Sowers held the Yankees to a run on three hits and five walks in five- plus innings of a no-decision, while Greg Aquino (1-1) was saddled with the loss, allowing four runs in 1 1/3 frames.
On Sunday in St. Petersburg, Carlos Gomez' humpback single into shallow right- center plated the go-ahead run in the seventh and the Twins avoided a three- game sweep from Tampa Bay with a 3-2 triumph at Tropicana Field.
Nick Blackburn (5-2) posted a third quality win in as many outings, surrendering just a pair of runs on seven hits and one walk over six full frames. Joe Nathan fanned a pair of batters in a perfect ninth to earn his ninth save of the season.
Brendan Harris had a solo home run and Justin Morneau an RBI single for Minnesota, which stopped a three-game slide and won for just the second time in 13 road games.
The Twins took two of three from the Indians earlier in the season.
