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Twins set to play Indians despite heavy hearts

Aug 3, 2007 - 2:49 PM Cleveland (61-47) at Minnesota (55-52) 8:10 pm EDT

MINNEAPOLIS (Ticker) - The Minnesota Twins and Cleveland Indians will get their series started on Friday at the Metrodome despite continuing recovery efforts just eight blocks away.

The Twins postponed Thursday's contest against the Kansas City Royals due to a bridge over the Mississippi River on Interstate 35W that collapsed on Wednesday.

"The Minnesota Twins and all of Major League Baseball are shocked and saddened by the tragic events which took place on the I-35W bridge in Minneapolis (Wednesday)," Twins president Dave St. Peter said in a release. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the individuals and families who are impacted by this horrific situation.

"Since the moments following (Wednesday's) tragedy, the Twins organization has been in regular contact with public safety officials. Those discussions led to the decision to play (Wednesday's) game and the postponement of (Thursday's) game versus the Royals. Following additional consultation with various agencies - including the Minneapolis Police Department and the Department of Public Safety today - the Twins have been encouraged to proceed with the series against the Indians as scheduled."

The heavy-hearted fans who attend Friday's contest should expect to see a terrific pitching matchup, as lefthander's C.C. Sabathia and Johan Santana are set to duel.

Sabathia (13-6, 3.58 ERA) has had a hard time finding wins of late despite some strong performances. The burly lefthander has lost his last two starts while allowing just two total earned runs in 14 2/3 innings against the Red Sox and the Twins.

Santana (11-8, 2.92) is winless in his past three starts, going 0-2 with a 4.95 ERA over that span. He did not factor in the decision last Saturday at Cleveland, allowing two runs and four hits over seven innings.