Time is very quickly running out on those teams who are still on the outside looking in at the playoff picture, and the week ahead is likely to see many of those clubs finally get eliminated. The series between the Cleveland Indians and Minnesota Twins has huge Wild Card ramifications, and it’s fair to say that both teams need a series win on MLB lines in order to stay alive. The second of the three games will be played on Tuesday night in Minnesota.
Cleveland Indians vs Minnesota Twins MLB Betting Lines
Date: Tuesday, September 22, 2015 Time: 8:10PM Venue: Target Field
Your updated AL Wild Card standings. We have 14 to go. Astros and Angels begin a three-game series tomorrow night. pic.twitter.com/q9ekawzZV4
— Cleveland Indians (@Indians) September 20, 2015
The Twins (76-73) have hit a losing streak at the worst possible time, and to make matters worse, 3 of the losses they suffered last week came at the hands of one of the other teams trying to steal the final AL Wild Card spot. Everyone knew that the series against the LA Angels was a huge one, and losing 3 of the 4 games has put the Twins in a hole that they may not be able to dig themselves out of. They are still just 2.5 games back of that final spot, but the momentum seems to have shifted very much in the favor of the Angels. The Twins are now just 4-6 in their last 10 games, and desperately need a solid winning week if the final week of the season is to mean anything to them. Ervin Santana (5-4, 4.55 ERA) has pitched very well of late, and has only given up 5 earned runs in his last 4 starts.
The Cleveland Indians (74-74) are still clinging to their postseason dreams, but they did very little last week to turn them into a reality. They started out by splitting a 4-game series with the Royals, and then followed that up with a series win over the Chicago White Sox. The end result of it all was that they made up no ground in the Wild Card race, and remain 4 games back of the Houston Astros, who have the final spot. It really does look as though time has run out for Cleveland, and you have to think that nothing less than a sweep of the Twins will be required to keep things interesting. They will have 4 more against Minnesota next week, but that may well end up being a series that means nothing. Danny Salazar (13-8, 3.48 ERA) will get the start for the Indians.
