Dodgers vie for 13th sweep of season vs. Twins

LOS ANGELES -- Manager Dave Roberts was surprised to hear his Los Angeles Dodgers earned their 70th win of the season on Tuesday night.

He was only thinking about one game, and that was the Wednesday series finale against the Minnesota Twins.

"I've just got such narrow vision," he said. "I think (the 70 wins) is a credit to those guys in the clubhouse, but we've got a lot of work to do."

The Dodgers (70-31) have won four straight after taking the first two games of the series against Minnesota (49-50). Los Angeles will try for its 13th sweep of the season in the finale.

A key player through the first two games of the series was Yasiel Puig, who went 5-for-7 with an RBI and two runs while playing exceptional defense in right field.

"I think if you look back at this season right now, and the production and what he's doing across the board playing defense and the production at the plate, you could argue it's one of his best (seasons)," Roberts said. "He's an exciting player."

Dodgers right-hander Brock Stewart (0-0, 0.00 ERA) will make his first start of the season after throwing a combined 13 scoreless innings over six relief appearances since June 20. He has struck out 10, walked three and limited opponents to a .122 batting average.

Stewart, who has never faced the Twins in his two-year career, will be seeking his first win since beating the Arizona Diamondbacks on Sept. 16.

He made three starts for Triple-A Oklahoma City this season, allowing three earned runs in 8 1/3 innings. He hasn't thrown more than 34 pitches in any of his four relief appearances this month, so Stewart likely will be on a limited pitch count.

Stewart started five games for Los Angeles last season, posting a 2-2 record and a 5.79 ERA.

For the Twins, right-hander Ervin Santana (11-7, 3.26 ERA) will make his first start at Dodger Stadium in just over 10 years.

He is 5-4 with a 3.24 ERA in nine starts against the Dodgers in his career, but his past five appearances came on his home field.

Santana last faced the Dodgers as a member of the Atlanta Braves on Aug. 13, 2014, earning the victory after tossing six innings in a 3-2 decision. The only current member of the Dodgers who started that game was Puig, and he struck out in all three plate appearances against Santana.

Santana last pitched at Dodger Stadium on June 15, 2007, when he was with the Los Angeles Angels.

Among the regular starters for the Dodgers, no player has more than five at-bats against Santana.

Santana has lost three of his last four starts, with his ERA climbing from 2.80 to 3.26 in that span.

"With as well as he's pitched in a majority of his starts, there have been some games where the numbers get a little crooked," Twins manager Paul Molitor told the Pioneer Press after Santana's most recent start Friday, when the veteran allowed five runs on seven hits in 3 1/3 innings during a 6-3 loss to the Detroit Tigers.