Indians 10, Twins 2 (Game 2)
CLEVELAND -- Cody Anderson pitched seven scoreless innings on two hits and Francisco Lindor and Jose Ramirez homered as the Cleveland Indians beat the Minnesota Twins 10-2 in the second game of a doubleheader Wednesday night at Progressive Field.
Minnesota won the first game 7-1, as first baseman Joe Mauer and center fielder Byron Buxton homered and right fielder Torii Hunter drove in three runs in support of right-hander Kyle Gibson. Gibson (11-11) pitched six scoreless innings on four hits while matching his career high with nine strikeouts.
Cleveland right-hander Carlos Carrasco (14-12) had a strange game, retiring nine of the first 10 batters he faced. But he allowed the first six batters to reach base in the Twins' four-run fourth inning.
Losing the second game prevented the Twins from taking a big step in the race for the second wild card spot. They began the day one game behind Houston and 1 1/2 games behind the Angels in the race for that second wild card spot.
In the second game, Anderson was nearly unhittable. The rookie right-hander has emerged in the second half of the season as one of the Indians' better starting pitchers. In 15 starts overall, Anderson finished the season with a record of 7-3 and a 3.05 ERA. In his last five starts he was 5-0 with a 1.09 ERA.
The Twins failed to get a runner as far as third base against Anderson. The only hits allowed by Anderson were a single by Hunter in the second inning and a single by third baseman Trevor Plouffe in the sixth.
The Twins' only runs came on solo home runs by designated hitter Miguel Sano in the eighth inning and left fielder Eddie Rosario in the ninth.
Leading 7-1, the Indians added three more runs in the eighth inning on a three-run homer by second baseman Jose Ramirez.
Right-hander Mike Pelfrey (6-11) started for the Twins but only lasted 1 2/3 innings, giving up four runs on six hits. Pelfrey's early exit forced Manager Paul Molitor to use five relievers to get through the game.
Twins right-hander Mike Pelfrey, whose last win was Aug. 12, started didn't stick around for long. He pitched 1 2/3 innings, giving up four runs, six hits and two walks.
In eight starts since his last win, Pelfrey is 0-4 with a 6.31 ERA and opposing teams are batting .357 against him.
Pelfrey pitched out of a bases-loaded jam in the first inning but wasn't as fortunate in the second.
Center fielder Abraham Almonte led off the second with a double to center. Catcher Adam Moore struck out, but left fielder Michael Martinez singled to score Almonte. A throwing error by center fielder Aaron Hicks allowed Martinez to go to second.
Designated hitter Jason Kipnis lined out to short for the second out. But second baseman Jose Ramirez doubled to left field, scoring Martinez to make it 2-0.
Shortstop Francisco Lindor reached on an infield single, moving Ramirez to third. Ramirez scored on a wild pitch by Pelfrey, and a single by first baseman Carlos Santana scored Lindor to make it 4-0.
Pefrey was removed from the game after Santana's single.
Right-hander J.R. Graham relieved Pelfrey and the Indians scored again in the third on an RBI single by catcher Adam Moore to stretch the lead to 5-0.
Left-hander Brian Duensing relieved Graham after Moore's hit and the Indians continued their assault in the fourth, scoring two runs. Second baseman Brian Dozier's error allowed Kipnis to reach first and one out later Lindor belted his 12th home run of the season, a two-run, opposite field shot over the right field wall to give Cleveland a 7-0 lead.
NOTES: Twins OF Torii Hunter is hitting .444 (12-for-27) with five doubles, three home runs and 11 RBIs at Progressive Field this year. ... RHP Kyle Gibson made 73 career starts for the Twins. The Twins have won 35 of those games, and in those 35 games Gibson has a 1.65 ERA. ... Indians SS Francisco Lindor is just the third Indians rookie to have 10 or more home runs and 10 or more stolen bases in a single season. The other two are Earl Averill in 1929 and Von Hayes in 1982. ... Indians 2B Jason Kipnis has 18 three-hit games, the second most in the American League behind Jose Altuve's 20.