Indians flex muscle with four homers to topple Twins
CLEVELAND -- Four players belted home runs as the Cleveland Indians powered their way to a 9-2 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Thursday afternoon at Progressive Field.
The win halts Cleveland's three-game losing streak - all to the Twins, who erupted for 35 runs in the first three contests.
On Thursday, it was the Indians who were doing the mashing as Jason Kipnis, Carlos Santana, Francisco Lindor and Jose Ramirez all homered.
Cleveland reliever Dan Otero (3-1) picked up the win while Minnesota starter Hector Santiago (10-5) took the loss. The setback also snapped the Twins' four-game winning streak.
The Indians only had the lead in one of the first 27 innings played in the series, but they grabbed the early advantage Thursday off Santiago. The hurler was making his Twins debut after being acquired in a trade with the Angels on Monday.
With one out in the first inning, Kipnis hit a 1-0 pitch over the wall in center field to give Cleveland a 1-0 lead. It's Kipnis' career-high 18th home run, eclipsing his previous best total in 2013.
Santiago came into the game on a roll. He was 6-0 with a 1.78 ERA in his previous six starts, but after pitching a scoreless second inning, he gave up three more runs in the third.
With two outs and nobody on base, Lindor singled to center. Mike Napoli, who had homered in his previous five consecutive games, drew a walk before Santana blasted an 0-1 pitch over the left field wall for a three-run home run. His 24th blast gave the Indians a 4-0 lead.
Cleveland's Mike Clevinger was recalled from Triple-A Columbus to start the game, and remains in the rotation as the replacement for Danny Salazar, who was placed on the disabled list Tuesday with an inflamed right elbow.
Clevinger was trying to halt a streak of three consecutive disastrous outings by Indians starting pitcher. Salazar, Carlos Carrasco, and Trevor Bauer, the starters in the first three games of the series, combined for a 22.68 ERA in those three outings, allowing 21 earned runs and 23 hits in 8 1/3 innings.
Clevinger held Minnesota scoreless on two hits through the first three innings, but the Twins scored a run in the fourth on an RBI single by Kurt Suzuki, cutting the Cleveland lead to 4-1.
Minnesota chopped another run off the lead in the fifth. Brian Dozier led off the inning with a home run into the left field bleachers. It's the 22nd home run for Dozier, who went deep in each of the last three games of the series.
Cleveland blew it open with a three-run seventh inning off reliever Michael Tonkin. With two outs and nobody on base, Rajai Davis singled and stole second and third. Kipnis walked and Lindor belted his 13th home run over the wall in center field, extending the Indians' lead to 7-2.
A home run by Ramirez and an RBI single by Davis in the ninth made the final 9-2.
NOTES: The Indians recalled RHP Mike Clevinger and LHP Ryan Merritt from Triple-A Columbus prior to the game. They will take the roster spots of RHPs Shawn Armstrong and Cody Anderson, who were optioned to Columbus following Wednesday's game. ... Indians 1B Mike Napoli, who has hit home runs in five consecutive contests entering Thursday's game, has gone deep nine times since the All-Star break, the most in the majors. ... Since July 1, the Twins lead the majors in runs scored, hits, doubles and triples. ... Twins INF Trevor Plouffe, who is on a rehab assignment with Triple-A Rochester, is expected to be activated off the disabled list on Monday. He has been on the disabled list since July 4 with a cracked rib.