MINNEAPOLIS _ If the Twins fall just short of a postseason berth, they can look at their lack of success against Cleveland at Target Field as a big reason why.
And they can blame Carlos Santana and Edwin Encarnacion directly.
Cleveland hit four home runs _ including solo blasts by Santana and Encarnacion that moved them up the Target Field home run list for visitors _ that fueled an 8-1 victory over the Twins in the opener of a three-game showdown series.
Santana added a two-run homer in the ninth, giving him 14 in his career at Target Field; that moves him into a three-way tie for most home runs by visiting player at Target Field. He shares the mark with Toronto's Jose Bautista and Kansas City's Salvador Perez.
But this has been a season series in which the road team has ruled.
The Indians have won all eight games at Target Field while the Twins have won five of six at Progressive Field. If those trends continue, the Twins will be eight games out of first place in the AL Central by the time Cleveland leaves. And it certainly wouldn't help their wild-card hopes.
Cleveland right-hander Danny Salazar (5-5) continued his dominance since returning from the disabled list on July 22, helping the Indians win their fifth consecutive game. He gave up one run, on Byron Buxton's RBI single in the second, over seven innings with now walks and 10 strikeouts. He has a 1.39 ERA in five starts since coming off of the DL.
Twins right-hander Bartolo Colon had fans out of their seats early as he danced out of a bases loaded, no-out jam in the second inning by striking out Bradley Zimmer and Yan Gomes then getting Francisco Lindor to fly out.
Colon was at it again in the third, when he got a double-play ball with two on to end the inning. Colon was making the right pitches at the right times _ but danger was lurking. He had six three-ball counts in the first three innings. He never retired the side in order. And many of Cleveland's outs were loud.
It all caught up to Colon during a span of eight batters over the fourth and fifth innings.
Colon, on a 2-2 pitch, threw a 91-mph fastball down the middle of the strike zone to Santana, and the first baseman rifled it down the right field line that tied the game at 1-1.
Jason Kipnis led off the fifth inning with a solo shot to give the Indians a 2-1 lead. Again, Colon laid a fastball over the plate and watched it leave the park.
Two batters later, Encarnacion got a meaty pitch like Santana and Kipnis did. And he nearly belted it into the third deck. The 417-foot shot, his 27th of the season, was his 12th at Target Field, tying him with Detroit's Miguel Cabrera for fourth.
Colon, 4-10, lasted five innings, giving up three runs on seven hits and four walks while striking out three.
Cleveland led 3-1 at the time, which looked insurmountable, given the way Salazar was pitching.
Buxton's RBI single was the highlight for the Twins, as Salazar retired the next 12 batters before Max Kepler hit a two-out single in the sixth. Joe Mauer struck out on a pitch well outside the strike zone to end the inning. The Twins weren't happy with some ball and strike calls by home plate umpire Alfonzo Marquez, but Salazar kept the ball down and on the corners all night.
