Preview: Twins vs. Indians 4/20

Pitching Matchup - Justin Masterson (0-1, 2.45 ERA) vs. Kevin Slowey (1-1, 3.48 ERA)

This should be a good match up between two hot teams. Cleveland is coming off of a four-game win streak and will face three tough teams in succession on the road. The Twins are coming off of a tough loss to Kansas City in which they left 11 runners on base and came up short in the clutch.

Key Matchups
Jason Kubel vs. Justin Masterson
In a limited sample, Kubel has gone 2-3 in his career against Masterson with an RBI

Joe Mauer vs. Justin Masterson
Mauer is 3-5 liftetime against Masterson and has 5 hits in his last two games.

Russel Branyan vs. Kevin Slowey
Branyan is coming off of the DL and will make his first start against Slowey who he holds a career .417 avg against with 2 HRs in 12 ABs.

Grady Sizemore vs. Kevin Slowey
Sizemore has hit Slowey at just a .250 clip in 16 matchups with 1 HR and 3RBI

What to Expect
Another beautiful day in the Twin Cities in mid-April with a first pitch temp of around 70 degrees.

The Twins have won the season series the last two years 10-8 and look to get off to another good series start by taking the first against a hot Cleveland team. In the last week Shin-Soo Choo has hit .545 with 4 HRs and 12 RBIs. Kevin Slowey will do his best to contain him. Should be a fun one to watch.

Interesting Notes
Nick Blackburn's next start will be pushed back a day to deal with some elbow soreness.

Pat Neshek has still not thrown a bullpen session after injuring a finger on his throwing hand. Ron Gardenhire likely won't wait much longer before making a move to give him some more flexibility in his bullpen.

Nick Punto will be a game time decision, but don't be surprised to see him sit one more as a precaution to his injured groin. It's early in the season and Gardenhire won't push his luck.