Series Preview: Cleveland Indians to host Twins with first place on the line

Tuesday, Aug. 25, 7:10 p.m. EST 

Projected Starters: Rich Hill (1-1, 4.70 ERA) vs. Shane Bieber (5-0, 1.11 ERA) 

There may not be a pitcher in baseball history who had a better first six starts to a season than Shane Bieber.

Bieber is off and running with a 2.1 WAR, leads baseball in strikeouts, innings pitched, and wins. His first start against Minnesota was the Indians sole win in that series, he went eight innings, had 13 strikeouts, and did not allow a run.

While Bieber has been dominant in 2020, he has had some struggles against Twins outfielder Eddie Rosario in the past.

If there is a player to watch while Bieber is on the mound, it’s Rosario who has three career homers off the Indians ace and a .353 batting average. Career stats may be irrelevant, though, as Bieber has been otherworldly so far this season.

The Twins will counter by sending veteran Rich Hill on the mound. The 40-year-old Hill has struggled with shoulder fatigue this season and has only logged 7.2 innings in two starts.

In his last start against Milwaukee, Hill lasted only 2.2 innings, allowing four runs and three walks. Twins manager Rocco Baldelli hasn’t stated if Hill is on any pitch limitations or still injured, but in his two starts, he hasn’t made it to 70 pitches.

No Indians hitter has more than six career at-bats against Hill, but many have at least one hit. This matchup appears on the surface to be one of the games in this series where the Indians offense and pitching have a clear advantage.