Indians 5, Twins 0
Mike Aviles homered among three hits and two RBIs in support of T.J. House as visiting Cleveland blanked Minnesota.
Jason Kipnis and Zach Walters each drove in a run and scored for the Indians, who have won seven of nine to pull within 4 1/2 games of the Detroit Tigers for the American League's second wild card. House (2-3) scattered four hits and three walks over 5 1/3 innings and four relievers combined to finish off the shutout for Cleveland.
Ricky Nolasco (5-9) was reached for four runs on eight hits in 6 2/3 innings as the Twins dropped their fourth straight. Joe Mauer singled and walked as Minnesota failed to record an extra-base hit.
Walters found the second deck in right-center in the second inning for his third home run since joining the Indians at the trade deadline. Kipnis doubled off the wall in right-center to score Carlos Santana in the fourth and raced home when Aviles followed three batters later with a bloop single to center.
The Twins stranded runners in scoring position in the first, second and fifth innings against House and put a runner on third in the sixth without pushing across a run. Michael Bourn’s RBI single in the seventh made it 4-0 and Aviles put the game away with a towering drive into the second deck in left in the ninth.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Twins 2B Brian Dozier recorded his 20th stolen base in the first inning, becoming the first Minnesota player to post a 20/20 season since Torii Hunter in 2004. … Indians 1B Nick Swisher will undergo surgery on both his knees, ending his season. … Twins CF Jordan Schafer made a pair of sparkling catches to save extra bases but went 0-for-3 at the plate.