MINNEAPOLIS _ Things started out poorly and got worse for the Twins as Thursday's game went along.
Twins pitchers walked seven batters.
They were dominated by a Cleveland pitcher who began the season as the No. 4 starter.
They lost their incredibly red-hot designated hitter because of an injury.
A three-run eighth inning got the Twins close, but it wasn't quite enough. Cleveland then tacked on a ninth-inning home run from Tyler Naquin, held on to win, 7-5, and moved within a game of the Twins for the AL Central lead, the closest the Indians have been since July 27.
The four-game series continues Friday when Cleveland sends All-Star right-hander Shane Bieber to the mound opposite Twins rookie Devin Smeltzer.
The Twins might take the field Friday without DH Nelson Cruz, who took a mighty swing at a Mike Clevinger pitch in the fourth inning and immediately grimaced. He left the game because of a strained left wrist _ the same problem that landed Cruz on the injured list in mid-May _ and is considered day to day. Cruz entered Thursday with 14 home runs in his previous 17 games, so any games missed is a blow to the offense.
Clevinger was a blow to the Twins offense, too, firing 97-mph fastballs by them for seven innings, giving up two earned runs on three hits and a walk with nine strikeouts.
A troubling trend continued for the Twins. For the third consecutive game, a Twins starter's disastrous outing provided the opponent with an early lead and puts pressure on the offense to claw its way back into the game. On Thursday, it was right-hander Kyle Gibson. When he wasn't nibbling at the corners, he was flat-out missing the plate and falling behind hitters. He threw first-pitch balls to eight of the first 14 batters he faced, and the Indians took advantage.
Yasiel Puig scored the first run of the game in the second, when he raced home from third when Gibson was charged with a throwing error during a pickoff attempt at first.
After a 1-2-3 third, Gibson opened the fourth by missing the plate with eight of his first nine pitches. That lit the fuse for an inning in which Jose Ramirez delivered an RBI single and a seemingly rejuvenated Jason Kipnis line a two-run double to left-center. After Gibson walked the normally unwalkable Franmil Reyes _ it was his first walk in eight games since being traded to Cleveland _ a chunk of the audience of 32,517 began to boo.
The Twins, trailing 4-0, scored twice in the bottom of the inning _ on two-out singles by Luis Arraez and Marwin Gonzalez _ to get within 4-2. Clevinger entered the game with a sparkling 1.69 ERA over his previous six starts.
The past three games have brought out the worst of the Twins starting rotation. Martin Perez, All-Star Jose Berrios and Gibson have combined for an 11.25 ERA over the past three games on 24 hits and 12 walks. That's more than a leak, that's a gusher.
The Twins rallied in the eighth, scoring three runs on Jorge Polanco's RBI double, a run-scoring groundout by Eddie Rosario and a Miguel Sano double. But Brad Hand _ the fourth Indians reliever of the inning _ came in to get Marwin Gonzalez to fly out with two on to end the threat.
And two pitches into the ninth, Cleveland doubled its lead when Naquin launched a Trevor May fastball into the stands in right field. Hand then finished off the Twins in the bottom of the inning _ but again, dodging trouble. The Twins got two-one out singles, then both runners advanced on Jorge Polanco's deep fly ball. With the count 3-1 to C.J. Cron, the Indians elected to walk him to load the bases, but Hand then retired Eddie Rosario on a flyout for his 29th save.
