BASEBALL PREVIEW: Guardians at Twins MINNEAPOLIS (Interstat) — A pair of American League Central rivals hovering near .500 meet Wednesday night when the Cleveland Guardians visit the Minnesota Twins at Target Field in a pivotal series matchup. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. CDT under threatening skies, with a forecast of 80 degrees and rain. Cleveland (47-44) enters having lost two straight, including a 2-1 defeat to the Twins on Tuesday. The Guardians dropped three of four to the Chicago White Sox over the weekend, closing that series with a 7-6 loss Sunday despite two home runs from right fielder Chase DeLauter, who went 2-for-5 with a home run and two RBIs. DeLauter has been Cleveland’s most productive hitter over the past week. In his last 10 games, the rookie is batting .355 (11-for-31) with one home run, eight RBIs and multiple hits in six of those contests. He went 3-for-5 with an RBI on July 1 against Texas. Twins starter Joe Ryan (8-5) takes the mound after one of his finest outings of the season. The right-hander threw seven innings of three-hit, shutout ball Sunday at Yankee Stadium, striking out nine in a 6-1 victory. It was a sharp rebound from his previous start June 30 at Houston, where he was tagged for six earned runs over four innings in a loss. Over his last two starts, Ryan has a 3.27 ERA. Minnesota (44-47) has won three of four and took the series opener Tuesday on the strength of timely hitting. The Twins went 2-1 in May against Cleveland, taking two of three at Target Field. The Twins’ lineup also features first baseman Royce Lewis, who drove in two runs Sunday. The Guardians’ bullpen was taxed over the weekend, using six relievers in Sunday’s loss, including Hunter Gaddis, who threw a scoreless inning. Cleveland seeks to even the three-game series before the clubs meet again Thursday in the finale. Interstat’s game simulator projects a 6-5 Twins victory.