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09/17/08 1:12 AM ET

Lee seeks revenge vs. Twins in finale

Cleveland (74-77) vs. Minnesota (82-69), Wed., 7:05 p.m. ET

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CLEVELAND -- The Minnesota Twins are that rarest of baseball teams in 2008.

They actually beat Cliff Lee.

"We got him once," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. "I don't know how we did it, but we got him."

They got him on July 6 in Minnesota. Lee gave up four runs on six hits over seven innings that day and suffered just his second loss of the season.

He hasn't lost since.

Lee is 11-0 with a 2.27 ERA over his past 12 starts and 22-2 with a 2.36 ERA in 29 starts on the season. His current winning streak is the longest in the Majors this season, the longest by an Indians pitcher since Gaylord Perry rattled off 15 in a row in 1974 and the longest in the bigs since the Cardinals' Chris Carpenter won 13 straight in 2005.

So while the Twins might have figured Lee out before, they aren't exactly itching to face him Wednesday night at Progressive Field.

"I don't know how best you can describe him, but he's unflappable," Gardenhire said. "He repeats his pitches so well and locates them. He's always had good stuff, but right now, he's pinpoint. He puts it where he wants to all the time."

Lee also figures to put some fans in the seats, as this will be his last start in front of the home crowd. He is 10-0 with a 2.34 ERA in 13 starts at Progressive Field.

And Lee will be gunning for a little bit of Tribe history when he takes the mound Wednesday. He is one win shy of tying Vean Gregg for the most single-season wins by a left-hander in club history. Gregg won 23 games way back in 1911.

As you might expect, Lee is expecting to tie that record.

"I expect to give the team a chance to win every time," he said after his last win over the Royals.

The Twins and the Reds, thus far, have been the only two teams who have managed to put Lee in the loss ledger this season.

"We've got another shot at him, so we'll try to make history," Gardenhire said. "He's not easy. It's always a challenge to face him. We know who we face [Wednesday], believe me. You always look at your schedule and see what pitchers you are facing. His name is not one you like to see too many times."

Pitching matchup
CLE: LHP Cliff Lee (22-2, 2.36 ERA)
Lee notched his 22nd win on Friday with another strong outing against the Royals. He went 8 1/3 innings before running into trouble in the ninth, allowing five runs on 11 hits. At 22-2, Lee is the first pitcher to be 20 games over .500 since Bob Welch was 27-6 in 1990. In three starts against Minnesota this season, Lee is 2-1 with a 2.35 ERA. Lifetime, he is 7-3 with a 3.74 ERA in 15 starts against the Twins.

MIN: RHP Scott Baker (9-4, 3.57 ERA)
Baker was extremely effective in the first game of the Twins' doubleheader on Saturday, holding the Orioles to just one run on four hits over six innings. The right-hander was all set to come back out for the seventh, but a long top of the inning prevented Baker from running back out to the mound. Baker will be throwing on short rest, but manager Ron Gardenhire seemed convinced that of all the young pitchers on his staff, Baker would be best equipped to handle it. Baker is 1-1 in three starts against the Indians this season, allowing seven earned runs in 18 combined innings.

Tidbits
Lee is the ninth pitcher since 1956 (the year the Cy Young Award was initiated) to stand at least 20 games above .500 at any point in a season. Each of his eight predecessors (Don Newcombe in 1956, Whitey Ford in '61, Sandy Koufax in '63, Denny McLain in '68, Ron Guidry in '78, Dwight Gooden in '85, Roger Clemens in '86 and Welch in '90) won the Cy Young that season. ... Grady Sizemore hit his first home run in 20 games on Tuesday. ... Cleveland Indians Charities and the Cleveland Indians Wives Association raised $50,000 for Providence House and $20,000 for the Domestic Violence Center through the "Mystery Ball" and "Shirt Off the Players' Backs" auctions. The money will officially be presented before Wednesday's game. ... Victor Martinez's 11th-inning homer in Tuesday night's 12-9 win over the Twins was the first walk-off homer of his career.

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Up next
• Thursday: Off-day
• Friday: Indians (Fausto Carmona, 8-7, 5.16) vs. Tigers (Armando Galarraga, 12-6, 3.58), 7:05 p.m. ET
• Saturday: Indians (Jeremy Sowers, 3-8, 5.70) vs. Tigers (Justin Verlander, 10-16, 4.78), 7:05 p.m. ET

Anthony Castrovince is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

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