Minnesota at Cleveland

The Twins have to be feeling good about themselves. They have won 9 of 12, and five in a row, and just became the first team to beat Eric Bedard in a couple of months. The Twins have out-scored the opponent in this five-game streak 39-14, which means they are getting it all around, hitting, starting pitching and bullpen. Tonight their hottest pitcher Carlos Silva takes the mound. Silva has worked seven innings or more in each of his last five starts, 36 innings, just 28 hits and an ERA of just 1.75. He has walked just two batters in these games, so his control and location have been nearly perfect. The Indians have gotten some good pitching, but have really struggled on offense. The Tribe has scored three runs or less in 18 of their last 31 games, and it is the sole reason why they have managed a sub-.500 record over the last month. Paul Byrd has been roughed up lately. His last three starts have produced just 13.1 innings of work, 22 hits and 14 earned runs good for a 9.45 ERA. This is a crucial series for the Twins, as they have worked themselves to within 5.5 games of the Tribe, and we look for them to take game one.