MINNEAPOLIS _ Only one challenger left.
The Twins completed a weekend sweep of Cleveland on Sunday, bashing four more home runs to rally for a 7-5 victory at Target Field that all but eliminates last year's chief nemesis from contending for their American League Central championship. Cleveland drops 3{ games behind Minnesota with just a dozen games remaining in the regular season.
Minnesota, which clinched at least a .500 season by winning its 30th game, remains one game behind the White Sox for the division crown. But the teams will play four games in Chicago beginning Monday, which could clarify that race entering the final 10 days.
Marwin Gonzalez, Ryan Jeffers, Nelson Cruz and Josh Donaldson all homered for the Twins, one day after they clubbed Cleveland with five home runs. That two-day total is more home runs than Cleveland had allowed in any entire series in 2020.
The Twins needed them, too. Eight of Michael Pineda's 14 outs were strikeouts, but he allowed eight hits, too. Seven of them were singles, though, helping to limit the damage to three early runs. But Caleb Thielbar and Cody Stashak each allowed a run as well, keeping Cleveland within striking distance even as the Twins kept blasting pitches into the bullpen.
And when Sergio Romo allowed a leadoff single to Cesar Hernandez in the ninth, he faced the middle of Cleveland's order with the tying run at the plate. Carlos Santana singled off Romo to increase the threat, but the righthander, suspended for getting into a shouting match with Cleveland two nights earlier, struck out Franmil Reyes and retired Tyler Naquin on a liner to center to finish off Cleveland.
Gonzalez, who broke a 19-game home run drought on Saturday, reached the seats again Sunday, hitting a two-run blast in the third inning to break rookie righthander Triston McKenzie's rhythm. Cruz followed with his 16th homer in the fourth, tying him for the major league lead.
Jeffers ended McKenzie's day with a 411-foot rocket to center field, a two-run shot, and Donaldson greeted reliever Cal Quantrill two batters later with his fourth as a Twin and third this month.
