MINNEAPOLIS — Jorge Polanco's bases-loaded single in the bottom of the 11th inning lifted the Twins to an 8-7 victory over Cleveland on Wednesday afternoon.
It was his third walk-off, game-winning hit in the past four games.
The four-hour, 16-minute game was viewed by 19,949 at Target Field.
The Twins held a 7-5 lead in the top of the ninth, but Alexander Colome gave up a run-scoring double to Jose Ramirez, then threw a two-out wild pitch that allowed Ramirez to score from third base to tie the game.
Owen Miller started the top of the 10th as the second-base runner. Andres Gimenez was walked by Tyler Duffey. Austin Hedges sacrificed both runners. Ernie Clement struck out and Myles Straw lined out to second.
Nick Wittgren took the mound for Cleveland in the bottom of the 10th with Rob Refsnyder on second for the Twins. Luis Arraez lined out to third, and Miguel Sano was intentionally walked. Nick Gordon, after getting ahead 3-0, struck out and Ryan Jeffers lined out to center fielder Straw.
In the 11th, Twins reliever Danny Coulombe survived when Zimmer's liner to center with two runners on was corraled by Nick Gordon.
The Twins loaded the bases with out in the 11th thanks to an error by first baseman Miller and a walk by Jake Cave off reliever Justin Garza. Polanco followed with a single to right.
Sano's fourth-inning home run and two-run double in a five-run fifth inning had staked the Twins to that 7-5 advantage.
It was their fourth consecutive series victory, this one against a Cleveland team that scored in each of the first five innings while it played its 20th consecutive game without a day off.
The first three series victories for the Twins came against each of the three American League division leaders -– Houston in West, the Chicago White Sox in the Central and Tampa Bay in the East. Wednesday's victory came against second-place Cleveland.
Trailing 4-1 and 5-2, the Twins scored five runs in their fifth to turn those three-run deficits into a 7-5 lead.
Lead-off hitter Max Kepler also led off and ended that fifth inning by striking out, but in between the Twins went around the order. Arraez's RBI single with two outs made it 5-3, then Sano hit a double off the center field wall that drove in Josh Donaldson and Arraez and tied the game at 5.
Gordon drove in Sano with a single off the glove of Miller before Andrelton Simmons' ground-rule double scored Gordon for the fifth run and a 7-5 lead.
Sano's fourth-inning, lead-off home run on a 93 mph four-seam fastball and a 1-0 count traveled 475 feet 10 rows deep into the right-field grandstand's upper deck.
It was his 20th homer this season and it brought the Twins within 4-2.
Twins starter Lewis Thorpe, brought up from Triple-A St. Paul on Wednesday, left the game in the second inning because of what the team termed "left shoulder soreness" after he walked the inning's first three batters.
He spent nearly two months on the St. Paul Saints' injured list this summer because of a left shoulder strain, initially on June 5. He pitched two rehab games with the Twins' rookie affiliate in Florida in late July and early August.
Thorpe made his fifth Twins' appearance of the season but his first since he pitched the first game of a May doubleheader against the Angels in Anaheim.
He left in the second inning after he walked those three consecutive batters and then summoned a large huddle on the mound while he was being attended.
Edgar Garcia came on without any time warming in the bullpen. He entered and got out of the inning allowing just one run that gave Cleveland a 2-1 lead.
Ramirez and Franmil Reyes homered for Cleveland.
