CLEVELAND _ The Minnesota Twins were knocking on the door all night and finally broke it down against the Indians' bullpen, as the Tribe fell, 5-3, in the first game of a three-game series between the two divisional contenders at Progressive Field.
Friday night's game was the first of 13 games between the two teams over the second half of the season, and it was one carried with it a playoff-like atmosphere. The Twins' lead in the division was increased to 6 { games.
The Indians broke through in the fourth inning to take a 3-1 lead, one they'd spend the next several innings desperately trying to protect.
Carlos Santana opened the fourth by belting a solo home run _ further denying the belief that the Home Run Derby ruins a hitter's swing _ off Twins starting pitcher Kyle Gibson to center field, marking his 20th of the season.
Jason Kipnis followed with a walk and Jose Ramirez reached via a fielder's choice with still nobody out. Bobby Bradley tapped a ball back to Gibson for the first out and Jake Bauers struck out. Roberto Perez saved the inning, though, sending a single to right field to score both runners and put the Indians on top 3-1.
The Indians spent the next several innings escaping scoring threats. They were successful, at least until the seventh.
In the fifth, with the Indians (50-39) still leading 3-1, twins second baseman Luis Arraez singled and Miguel Sano doubled off the wall to put two runners in scoring position. Clevinger responded by getting Ehire Adrianza to ground out to third before he struck out both Byron Buxton and Max Kepler to end the inning. Both he and Roberto Perez were animated as they headed toward the dugout with the two-run lead preserved.
An inning later, Adam Cimber would do the same. A walk, a fielder's choice and a hit batsman put the tying runs on base with one out. Cimber then induced the needed inning-ending double play off the bat of Mitch Garver, again saving the lead.
In the seventh, the Twins were finally able to respond to the Indians' three-run fourth. Two lineouts, an error on Nick Goody and a walk put two runners on with two outs. Kepler, facing Oliver Perez after he relieved Goody, grounded a ball that was fielded by Francisco Lindor. It would have been a highlight play, but Kepler beat the throw to first in a bang-bang play to score a run and keep the inning alive.
The Twins, then, finally came away with the two-out hit they couldn't find earlier in the game. Jorge Polanco drilled a ball to straightaway center field that ended up over the head of Oscar Mercado to score both runs and put the Twins up 4-3.
In the eighth, the Twins (57-33) kept knocking around the Indians' bullpen. Facing Tyler Clippard, Garver sent an outside fastball over the wall in center field for a solo home run to extend the Twins' lead to 5-3. The Indians' offense was punchless in the eighth and ninth innings.
Indians starting pitcher Mike Clevinger allowed one run on four hits in five innings and struck out six. His lone blemish was Nelson Cruz's solo home run in the first inning.
