CLEVELAND _ If Tyler Duffey was pitching for his job Wednesday, everybody on the field seemed to be trying to help.
The Twins' offense remained on its historic, baseball-crushing roll, Indians baserunning chipped in a couple of extra outs, and even the umpires helped with a couple of razor-thin calls that went the Twins' way.
With that much aid and comfort, Duffey did enough to remain in the rotation, probably. For the first time in franchise history, Minnesota scored 10 or more runs in three consecutive games of a single series, cruising to a 13-5 victory that felt _ and the Indians fervently believed _ was a lot closer.
Cleveland manager Terry Francona and pitching coach Mickey Callaway were even ejected for expressing that conviction to umpire Jim Reynolds.
At issue was Lonnie Chisenhall's diving attempt at catching Max Kepler's sinking line drive in the third inning, a play that scored two runs and ended Indians starter Trevor Bauer's night when Reynolds ruled the ball bounced on the grass an instant before landing in Chisenhall's glove. Replays seemed to indicate that Chisenhall may have made the catch, and certainly Francona, Callaway and the 17,176 in attendance at Progressive Field believed they did.
But when Francona challenged the call, umpires in New York found ambiguity in the blurry replays, uncertainty over whether the ball ricocheted off a blade of grass or leather. The call stood, the runs scored, the fans booed, and Callaway and Francona charged Reynolds, insisting that they were robbed. Automatic ejection followed _ and so, eventually, did the Twins' fourth straight victory, tying their longest winning streak of the season.
The challenge even had a lingering advantage for the Twins; when Abraham Almonte nearly reached first base on a third strike that rolled to the screen, the Indians believed he had beaten catcher Juan Centeno's throw. But they had used their manager's challenge, and could not appeal the play.
The last time Duffey's rotation spot appeared in danger, he responded by retiring the first 17 batters in Yankee Stadium in June. The second-year righthander appeared equally sharp this time, striking out three of the first four hitters he faced. But he gave up two runs in the second inning, one due to his own wild pitch, and then surrendered a couple of mammoth home runs, a two-run blast to Tyler Naquin in the fifth inning, and yet another homer by Mike Napoli in the sixth, his fifth consecutive game with a home run.
In all, it amounted to five runs on eight hits for Duffey over six innings, not a quality start, not what the Twins were hoping to see _ but certainly better than the 11-runs-and-11-outs mess he delivered in his last two starts to endanger his job.
And really, with the Twins' offense in such a high gear right now, it was more than good enough to make Duffey the Twins' first starter to reach six wins, tying him with Ryan Pressly for the team lead.
Joe Mauer had four hits, including two doubles and a triple _ giving him five doubles in August's first three days, or exactly as many as he had in May, June and July combined. Brian Dozier tripled and homered, giving him four home runs in his last four games.
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