(My Sportsbook) - Fausto Carmona likely won't receive the same kind of run support he enjoyed his last time out, but still hopes to build upon his first win of the season when the Cleveland Indians open a three-game series with the Minnesota Twins this evening at Progressive Field.

After struggling with injuries last year, Carmona, a 19-game winner in 2007, was slow getting out of the gates this season, losing his first two starts while surrendering 10 runs.

However, in his last time to the hill on Saturday against the New York Yankees, Carmona's offense provided him with 20 runs of support and the right- hander allowed four runs and six hits in six innings to nail down his first win of the season in Cleveland's 22-4 rout.

Carmona was hit hard by the Twins in his only outing against them last year, giving up nine runs and seven hits and three walks over 2 1/3 innings of a loss back on July 26. He is 3-3 lifetime against them with a 3.83 earned run average in 10 games, six of which have been starts.

After a dreadful start, Cleveland seems to have turned things around and enters tonight's opener on the heels of its first series win of the season. On Thursday, Grady Sizemore belted a three-run homer to cap a four-run eighth inning, leading the Indians to a 5-2 victory over the Kansas City Royals in the rubber match of a three-game series.

The Indians trailed 2-1 heading to the eighth and Kansas City starter Gil Meche had retired 16 straight batters before Ryan Garko led off the fateful inning with a double.

Things started to unravel from there for the Royals.

Ben Francisco dropped a bunt down the third base line and Meche threw wildly past first. Tony Graffanino, running for Garko, tried to score the tying run, but second baseman Alberto Callaspo was alertly backing up the play at first base and threw home in plenty of time to nail the runner.

Travis Hafner, though, followed with a single to put runners on the corners and Francisco scored easily from third on Asdrubal Cabrera's slow bouncer to second that was booted by Callaspo for an error.

Ron Mahay took over for Meche and Sizemore greeted the new pitcher with a drive into the right field seats for his sixth home run and a 5-2 lead.

Kerry Wood set down the Royals in order in the ninth to earn his third save for Cleveland, which has won five of its last eight games after starting the season with losses in seven of its first eight.

Minnesota, meanwhile, comes into tonight's opener struggling and particularly on the road, where it has managed just five runs over four straight losses. The Twins' road woes continued on Wednesday in Boston, as they were swept in a day-night doubleheader, falling 10-1 in a game called after 6 2/3 innings because of rain and then losing the night cap by a 7-3 score at Fenway Park.

The Twins had swept a three-game series from the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim before heading to Beantown.

Getting the call for Minnesota tonight will be righty Nick Blackburn, who is 0-1 with a 5.71 ERA in three starts. Blackburn did not get a decision his last time out Friday against the Angels, as he allowed four runs and eight hits in 6 1/3 innings of his team's 11-9 win.

Blackburn beat the Indians all three times he faced them last season, giving up just four runs in 27 2/3 innings over four starts.

Minnesota was 10-8 last season against the Indians, but won just three of the nine games contested in Cleveland.