Cleveland @ Tampa Bay preview

Last Meeting ( Jul 16, 2012 ) Cleveland 3, Tampa Bay 2

If the Cleveland Indians are to stay in the American League Central Division and wild card races, they’ll have to improve greatly on their .246 average with runners in scoring position. Their 14-5 record in one-run games, though, has helped offset their untimely hitting. The Indians will try to make it two straight over the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday despite going 2-for-12 with runners in scoring position in their 3-2 victory on Monday. Cleveland is three games behind Chicago in the AL Central and one-half game out in a wild card race which has eight teams fighting for the two spots.

Cleveland sends out Josh Tomlin, who shut down Tampa Bay in a 3-1 victory on July 5 in his last start. He will oppose Tampa Bay’s Matt Moore, who had won four straight decisions before losing at Cleveland on July 7. The Rays have lost three of four since the All-Star break, but are only one-half game behind the Indians.

TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, STO (Cleveland), Sun Sports (Tampa Bay)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Indians RH Josh Tomlin (5-5, 5.45 ERA) vs. Rays LH Matt Moore (5-6, 4.42)

Tomlin, who has won two straight starts, allowed one run and two hits in seven innings against the Rays and didn’t walk a batter for the first time since April. He yielded 11 runs and 13 hits in nine innings in his previous two outings. The Tampa Bay roster is hitting .238 against Tomlin, with Jose Molina (4-for-7, home run, two doubles, three RBIs) the toughest out and B.J. Upton (1-for-9, five strikeouts) among the easiest. Tomlin is 3-2 on the road this season.

Moore allowed five runs, five hits and walked five in 4 2/3 innings, and threw only 54 of his 96 pitches for strikes in the 7-3 loss to the Indians. It was his first loss since a 2-1 setback against the Chicago White Sox on May 28, a span of six starts. Moore has walked 14 and struck out 17 in his last four outings after walking nine and striking out 331 in his previous four games. Tampa Bay is 0-4 against the American League Central in games started by Moore.

WALK-OFFS

1. The Indians’ Jason Kipnis has done quite well with runners in scoring position (.374), but Carlos Santana, Casey Kotchman, Shelley Duncan, Johnny Damon and Travis Hafner are a combined .176.

2. Tampa Bay has lost 12 of its last 18 games and has been held to four runs or less in 15 of those contests.

3. Esmil Rogers, who allowed a home run to Desmond Jennings on Monday, has a 2.25 ERA in 13 games since being acquired by Cleveland after posting an 8.06 ERA in 23 appearances with Colorado.