Cleveland vs Minnesota   Results, Match Player Stats & Records

The Minnesota Twins outfielder might still be trying to come to grips with his dream debut, in which he homered in his first at-bat in the big leagues. His blast sparked a four-run third inning, which proved to be enough for a 4-3 win over the Cleveland Guardians on Saturday.

Now comes a high-stakes rubber match as the regular season nears its end.

Cleveland (75-74) will try to win the series when it takes on Minnesota (70-78) on Sunday afternoon in Minneapolis. The Guardians slipped 1 1/2 games behind the Chicago White Sox for first place in the American League Central after the Guardians' loss on Saturday, but they still have time to try to rally for the division title.

Cleveland, which currently holds the third and final AL wild-card spot, will host Chicago in a crucial three-game series starting Monday night.

Meanwhile, the Twins face long odds in their quest for a wild-card playoff berth, and they know the only way to achieve their goal is by putting together a string of wins.

Rodriguez will try to do his part. After he was promoted from Triple-A Saint Paul on Saturday, he blasted a 420-foot home run over the wall in center field.

"I'm still going through that moment where nothing feels real yet," Rodriguez said. "But I know once I go and have a good time with my family and am able to reflect on it, that's when it's going to feel more real. Right now, I'm still riding that high of all the emotions."

Cleveland will try to subdue the Twins' excitement in the series finale. Right-hander Tanner Bibee (5-15, 4.22 ERA) is slated to start.

Bibee will try to find his footing after enduring tough outings in his past two starts. He did not get out of the fifth inning either time, including in his most recent start, when he allowed five runs on six hits in 4 1/3 innings in his team's 9-5 win over the Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday.

This will be Bibee's 12th career start against the Twins. He is 3-0 with a 2.84 ERA in his first 11 meetings and has walked 16 and struck out 69 in 63 1/3 innings.

Minnesota likely will counter with right-hander Joe Ryan (6-9, 3.68 ERA), who is in line to make his 25th start. He also will look to bounce back from a bumpy stretch in which he has lost his past four starts.

In his most recent outing, Ryan allowed three runs (two earned) on three hits in four innings in a 5-4 defeat to the Detroit Tigers on Monday. He walked one and struck out seven.

Ryan is no stranger to facing Cleveland. He is 3-6 with a 3.59 ERA in 14 career games (13 starts) against the franchise.

Guardians manager Stephen Vogt doesn't think his players need to change their approach after Saturday's loss. Despite falling short, the team had a good showing at the plate, he said.

"I thought we had good at-bats," Vogt said. "We hit a lot of balls hard, right at people. We got traffic. ... We just weren't able to score enough runs."

Twins shortstop Kaelen Culpepper's status is uncertain for Sunday's game. He left after being hit by a pitch and sustaining a shoulder contusion on Saturday, and the team described him as day to day.

--Field Level Media