| SEASON | CAREER |
| W0 | 5 |
| L2 | 12 |
| G3 | 144 |
| IP14.1 | 151.0 |
| BB12 | 92 |
| SO8 | 128 |
| SEASON | CAREER |
| W1 | 1 |
| L4 | 4 |
| G9 | 12 |
| IP44.1 | 48.0 |
| BB12 | 15 |
| SO39 | 44 |
One bright spot during the Minnesota Twins ' dismal season might be how well they've played against the Cleveland Indians .
The Twins look to complete a three-game sweep with a sixth consecutive win over the Indians on Thursday at Progressive Field.
The only team with a worse record than Minnesota (62-87) in the AL is Cleveland (61-88). That's in part because the Twins have won 12 of the 17 games between the clubs this season. Josh Willingham had four hits with four RBIs as the Twins improved to 6-2 at Progressive Field with a 6-4 win Wednesday.
Though Minnesota will finish with its second consecutive losing season, Willingham has set career highs with 35 homers and 110 RBIs in his first year with the Twins. His home run total is the most by a Minnesota player since Hall of Famer Harmon Killebrew 's 41 in 1970.
Willingham has hit .314 (11 for 35) with two home runs and eight RBIs at Progressive Field this season.
"He can put it in the seats and we knew that when we signed him," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. "He has some big RBIs for us."After Liam Hendricks earned his first major league win Wednesday, scheduled Minnesota starter Esmerling Vasquez (0-2, 7.53 ERA) makes his fourth straight start since being called up from the minors, and second against the Indians this month.
The right-hander allowed four runs and walked five in three innings of an 8-7 win over Cleveland on Sept. 9. The base on balls continue to be a problem for Vasquez, who walked four while giving up three runs and three hits in 5 2-3 innings of a 6-0 home loss to Chicago on Friday.
"He's got good stuff," White Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski said. "I'm sure they're telling him this all the time: If he cuts down on his walks, he's doing pretty good. But you can see it. You can see why he's here. You can see why he's starting. And the guy has potential."The Indians counter with Corey Kluber (1-4, 5.48), who has posted a 4.66 ERA while not earning a decision in two starts versus Minnesota in 2012. The right-hander allowed five runs in 3 2-3 innings of an 8-7 loss at Minnesota on Sept. 9, then gave up four in five innings of a 4-0 loss to Detroit on Friday.
Jason Kipnis had two hits with two RBIs and Asdrubal Cabrera homered Wednesday for Cleveland, which has gone 39-72 since it held a four-game lead in the AL Central on May 17.
Batting .167 with two home runs and seven RBIs in his last 21 games, Cabrera is not expected to play in the finale after he left Wednesday's contest because of a sore wrist.
Teammate Travis Hafner could be in the lineup for a second straight game after he went 0 for 3 on Wednesday in his first contest since missing more than a month because of lower back inflammation. He is 3 for 12 against the Twins in 2012.
@
AVG
HRRUNSSBSOBBOBPSLGOPSERAQSSOBBSVBSBAAWHIPE
VS.
| HITTERS | AB | AVG | H | HR | RBI | BB | SO | OBP | OPS | SLG |
| Jose Lopez | 1 | 1.000 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 2.000 | 1.000 |
 Minnesota Twins |
|||
| Date | Player | Status | Injury |
| September 11, 2012 | Joe Mauer | Day-to-Day | Back spasms |
| September 09, 2012 | Cole De Vries | 15-Day DL | Cracked rib |
| September 02, 2012 | Josh Willingham | Day-to-Day | Slightly strained left hamstring |
| August 28, 2012 | Denard Span | 15-Day DL | Strained right sternoclavicular joint |
| August 28, 2012 | Denard Span | 15-Day DL | Strained right sternoclavicular joint |
| August 24, 2012 | Josh Willingham | Day-to-Day | Stiff neck |
 Cleveland Indians |
|||
| Date | Player | Status | Injury |
| September 19, 2012 | Asdrubal Cabrera | Day-to-Day | Left game - sore right wrist |
| September 15, 2012 | Jason Donald | Day-to-Day | Right forearm contusion |
| September 13, 2012 | Michael Brantley | Day-to-Day | Sore left pectoral muscle |
| September 09, 2012 | Asdrubal Cabrera | Day-to-Day | Left game - sore right wrist |
| August 27, 2012 | Roberto Hernandez | Day-to-Day | Left game - sprained right ankle |
| August 13, 2012 | Josh Tomlin | 60-Day DL | Right elbow inflammation |
CLEVELAND (AP) -- The Cleveland Indians ' goals have changed considerably in the last two months.
Instead of battling for the AL Central title, they're fighting to stay out of the division cellar. The Indians took a step toward that Thursday with a 4-3 victory over Minnesota in 10 innings.
Cleveland, 12-39 since July 26, moved into a fourth-place tie with the Twins in the Central. Minnesota won 12 of the 18 games between the clubs this season.
"No one wants to finish last," Indians manager Manny Acta said. "It's a pride thing. ... It just doesn't sound good."
Casey Kotchman ended the game with a bases-loaded single.
"The objective is the same every day for us, whether you're in first place or last," he said. "You're trying to win. Unfortunately, the last month and a half or two months, it hasn't happened a whole lot. It still doesn't change why we show up each and every day."
The Twins came within a win of sweeping the series.
"Bummer," manager Ron Gardenhire said. "This was a bummer of a day at the end there."
Pinch hitter Shin-Soo Choo doubled off the wall in left-center to start the inning against reliever Anthony Swarzak (3-5). Choo took third on Jason Kipnis ' groundout before Carlos Santana and Michael Brantley were intentionally walked to load the bases.
Kotchman fouled off the first pitch before bouncing a ground ball up the middle against the drawn-in infield for his third hit of the game.
"I wanted to get a pitch to hit and put it in play and see what happens," Kotchman said. "Luckily, it found a hole."
"We felt good at the end of the game," Acta said. "Choo has been scuffling, but he got us started. It was a great at bat by Kipnis, getting the runner over, and Casey, we felt good with him up there because he smoked the ball the whole day, and he got the game winning hit."
Gardenhire thought his strategy worked, but the results didn't pay off.
"We gave up a leadoff double in the 10th," he said. "After that happens, you just try to find the right guy to face. We got a ground ball, which we wanted, but unfortunately it went right up the middle. Kotch is a veteran hitter and hit it in the right spot."
Both of Cleveland's wins on its six-game homestand came on walk-offs. The Indians scored two runs off Detroit closer Jose Valvedre for a 7-6 win Sunday.
"I felt we could have done better on this homestand, but we won today," Acta said.
The Indians open a six-game trip Friday in Kansas City. Cleveland then plays three games in Chicago before finishing the season with a six-game homestand against the Royals and White Sox.
"It's nice to get on this flight with a win," Kotchman said. "Winning makes everything a little bit better."
Esmil Rogers (3-1) pitched a perfect inning for the win. Both teams used five pitchers.
Minnesota's Joe Mauer was hitless with a walk in four at-bats, dropping his average to .321.
Neither starter was involved in the decision. Cleveland's Corey Kluber allowed three runs in six innings, while Esmerling Vasquez gave up three runs in 5 2-3 innings.
Minnesota scored the game's first run in the fourth on Kluber's wild pitch. Run-scoring singles by Kotchman and Brent Lillibridge gave Cleveland the lead in the bottom of the inning. Denard Span 's RBI double tied it in the fifth. Trevor Plouffe 's solo homer in the sixth gave Minnesota the lead, but Jack Hannahan 's RBI single made it 3-3.
Plouffe, swinging at a 3-0 pitch, hammered a drive to center that caused confusion on both sides. Brantley went back toward the warning track, but never saw the ball, which cleared the wall a few feet to his left. Plouffe, not realizing the ball had left the park, stopped between first and second. He finally began his trot around the bases after an umpire gave the home run signal.
NOTES: Twins 1B Justin Morneau , who has six homers and 20 RBIs against Cleveland this season, wasn't in the lineup, but pinch hit in the ninth and was hit by a pitch. ... The Twins begin a three-game series in Detroit on Friday. Samuel Deduno faces Rick Porcello in a battle of right-handers. ... Indians SS Asdrubal Cabrera didn't start after re-injuring his right wrist Wednesday night. Acta thinks Cabrera will be able to take batting practice Friday. ... DH Travis Hafner also got the day off. ... On Friday night, Cleveland RHP Justin Masterson will start against Kansas City RHP Luis Mendoza in the series open. ... Former Notre Dame football player and motivational speaker Rudy Ruettiger threw out the first pitch.
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Minnesota Twins