(Sports Network) - The spiraling Minnesota Twins will match up against a longtime nemesis when they continue a three-game series with the host Cleveland Indians from Progressive Field.

Cleveland's Paul Byrd owns an impressive 10-3 record against Minnesota during his 13-year career and is 5-1 with a 2.82 earned run average over his last seven starts against the Twins. In his 17 lifetime starts versus Minnesota, the crafty veteran has posted a 3.50 ERA over 115 2/3 total innings.

Byrd also enters tonight's tilt off a strong seven-inning showing to beat Detroit this past Friday. The 37-year-old held the Tigers to two runs -- both as a result of solo homers -- and just four hits while not issuing a walk.

In five starts at Progressive Field this year, Byrd is 2-0 with an outstanding 1.89 ERA.

He'll be facing a Minnesota squad that has lost a season-high six consecutive games and was shut out by the Tribe's C.C. Sabathia in Tuesday's series opener. The big left-hander went the distance on a five-hitter as the Indians edged the Twins by a 1-0 count.

Sabathia (4-8) didn't walk a batter and fanned five, while throwing 77 of his 106 pitches for strikes to outduel Minnesota's Scott Baker.

The game's lone run came in the bottom of the first inning, when Ben Francisco doubled with one out and later scored on Ryan Garko's single.

Baker (2-1) held Cleveland scoreless over the remainder of his seven-inning stint, with the right-hander scattering eight hits and walking just one.

Minnesota has not lost seven in a row since an eight-game skid from July 5-13, 2003. The Twins are 0-5 on a current 10-game road trip and slipped to 12-18 on the road for the season with Tuesday's setback.

The Twins also haven't fared well at Progressive Field in recent years. Minnesota is just 11-19 in Cleveland since 2005 and lost seven of nine games to the Indians as the visitor a year ago.

Minnesota turns to Nick Blackburn in hopes of breaking out of its funk this evening. The rookie righty has some issues of his own to deal with, as he was rocked for seven runs and eight hits while lasting just four innings in his last start, a 10-6 loss at Chicago on Friday.

That was Blackburn's first game since he was forced to exit a June 1 contest against the Yankees in the fifth inning after being hit in the face with a line drive off the bat of New York's Bobby Abreu.

Blackburn did toss a gem in his only career start against the Indians, which took place in Minnesota on April 19. The 26-year-old worked around eight hits and walked none over 7 2/3 innings to lead the Twins to a 3-0 win.

Minnesota won two of three tests from the Indians at the Metrodome from April 18-20, but Cleveland is 9-2 over the last 11 meetings between the clubs.