MINNEAPOLIS _ Nik Turley did little right on Friday. When he threw strikes, they were hit. When he started missing the plate he wouldn't stop.
Cleveland hit him early in the count and when they were patient. And it allowed them to land the first blow in this AL central division showdown at Target Field.
The Indians took control early on a three-run home run by Edwin Encarnacion and rolled to an 8-1 victory in the first game of a four-game series. This coming after Twins catcher Chris Gimenez suggested on Thursday that the Twins welcome Cleveland by "punching them in the mouth."
Indians right-hander Carlos Carrasco dominated the Twins for 61/3 innings, giving up one run on four hits and three walks with five strikeouts.
Twins manager Paul Molitor cautioned to not read too much into a June series between teams separated by two games in the division. While true, it ignores the fact that the Twins being division leaders at this point of the season is one of the unexpected developments in Major League Baseball this season. For fans wondering if it is real, the matchup with the defending AL champions is a chance for them to assess their team.
And many in the announced crowd of 30,563 probably arrived at the same conclusion: Pitching could keep the Twins from being good.
Because of injuries and ineffectiveness, the Twins have turned to Turley, a 27-year-old who pitched for Class AA Chattanooga and AAA Rochester before getting called up Sunday. He gave up four runs in a no-decision at San Francisco, but the Twins hoped he would settle down in his second major league start.
And then Turley plunked Jason Kipnis with the third pitch of the game. So much for that.
But Turley got out of the first inning without giving up a run. Given a clean slate in the second, Turley watched all five Cleveland batters swing at his first pitch. Jose Ramirez and Carlos Santana blooped in singles, and Yan Gomes singled to right to drive in the game's first run.
Perhaps that weighed on Turley's mind as he began the third as he walked Kipnis and watched him steal second, had Daniel Robertson bunt him to third then walked Francisco Lindor on four pitches.
Turley threw a first-pitch fastball to Encarnacion, and the designated hitter pummeled it into the Home Run Porch in the second deck in left to give Cleveland a 4-0 lead. The blast was estimated at 435 feet.
Cleveland wanted more in the fifth. Turley nearly got out of the inning but issued a two-out walk to Lindor, who saw 20 pitches over his first four at-bats. Ramirez, who led Cleveland with three hits, followed with a double. And Santana was intentionally walked after Turley issued a third ball to him.
Gomes hit the first pitch to left for a two-run single. Lonnie Chisenhall blasted a two-run double to right. It was 8-0 Cleveland, and fans began verbalize their disappointment as Molitor emerged from the dugout with the hook. Turley left the field with a 12.46 ERA.
It leaves the Twins with more questions about the state of their staff. If it's not a starter starting a fire, it's a reliever bringing kerosene out of the bullpen.
A measure of a good team is how many games it wins by five or more runs. What about teams that lose by that many? Friday marked the 13th time the Twins have lost by five or more runs. That's 20 percent of their games.
