(Sports Network) - Omar Vizquel returns to Cleveland for the first time since 2004 this evening when the San Francisco Giants play the first of three interleague games against the Indians at Progressive Field.

Vizquel spent 11 seasons with the Tribe after being traded to them following the 1993 season from Seattle. During his time in Cleveland, the Indians made the playoffs six times, appeared in two World Series, while Vizquel won eight of his 11 Gold Glove Awards. However, he signed with the Giants prior to the 2005 campaign.

The 41-year-old Vizquel, who is hitting a mere .171 this season, recently broke Luis Aparicio's major league record for most games played at shortstop.

San Francisco, though, has been brutal of late, dropping nine of its last 12 games, including a heart-breaking 11-10 setback on Sunday against the Kansas City Royals in the rubber match of a three-game series at Kauffman Stadium.

The Giants led the game 10-3 in the fifth inning, only to see Kansas City score eight unanswered runs to steal the victory.

Getting the call tonight for the Giants will be left-hander Jonathan Sanchez, who had a four-start winning streak stopped in his previous trip to the hill last Tuesday against Detroit. Sanchez carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning, but wound up surrendering three runs and six hits in seven frames of that one, as he slipped to 6-4 on the season to go along with a 4.23 ERA.

Cleveland will pin its hopes tonight on 23-year-old lefty Aaron Laffey, who is 4-4 with a 2.98 ERA. Laffey was also tagged with a loss in his last start on Wednesday against the Colorado Rockies, who reached him for three runs and eight hits in six innings.

Both pitchers will be making their first appearance against their opponent tonight.

Cleveland took two of three over the weekend from the Los Angeles Dodgers, but was denied a sweep in the series thanks to a 4-3 loss in Sunday's finale at Dodger Stadium.

Paul Byrd (3-8) was effective through seven frames, allowing four runs on seven hits, but was still tagged with the loss. Jhonny Peralta went 2-for-3 with a run scored and Ryan Garko had two hits and an RBI.

This will be San Francisco's first-ever visit to Cleveland, but the Indians swept a three-game set at home from the Giants back in 2005.