MINNEAPOLIS _ After four days of constantly trying to catch up, the Twins took a lead on Saturday night. By doing so, they took the lead in the AL Central once more, too.
Jake Odorizzi turned in his seventh scoreless start of the season but first in more than two months, and the Twins took their first lead since Monday and made it hold up. The result was a rain-delayed 4-1 victory over the Indians that restored the Twins to the top of the division, at least for now.
The Twins ended their season-worst four-game losing streak, moved one game in front Cleveland in the AL Central, and guaranteed themselves no worse than a tie for first place when the homestand ends on Sunday.
After four days of facing big deficits _ they trailed 11-0, 7-0, 4-0 and 6-0 in their last four games, all losses _ the Twins finally established their offense first, though it took awhile. Cleveland right-hander Adam Plutko held the Twins to one hit while recording 11 outs, but with two outs in the third inning, the Twins finally broke through.
Mitch Garver hit a sharp ground ball down the third-base line that just snuck under Jose Ramirez's glove, and the Twins' catcher reached second base with a two-out double. Luis Arraez followed with a long at-bat, working the count to 3-2 before driving a pitch to right-center. When it rolled to the wall, Arraez stretched it into an RBI triple, breaking the Twins' streak of 39 consecutive innings without a lead.
C.J. Cron then singled Arraez home, and Martin Gonzalez singled, too. And when Ehire Adrianza delivered the Twins' fifth consecutive hit, a single to Yasiel Puig, it appears the twins would add to their lead. But Puig caught the ball on one hop, didn't rush the throw, and nailed Cron easily with a perfect throw to the plate.
The Twins added two more runs in their usual way _ via home runs. Max Kepler led off the fifth inning by slicing a ball just beyond the flower pots atop the left field wall, just the second home run to left field in his five-year career. And Marwin Gonzalez led off the sixth the same way, with an opposite-field homer that carried into the Indians' bullpen.
That was more than enough offense for Odorizzi, who made his own task much harder by issuing four walks in the first three innings and precisely one hit in all six, but never let the Indians get a game-breaking hit. He stranded runners on third base in the first, third, fifth and sixth innings, and on second base in the other two, but Cleveland finished the night just 1 for 12 with runners in scoring position.
Odorizzi, removed with two outs in the sixth after throwing 102 pitches, turned in his third strong start, after allowing one run to the Marlins on the last road trip, and one run to the Braves on Monday. The four walks tied his season-high, but he also struck out six and improved to 13-5 on the season, with an ERA of 3.44 that now ranks among the 10 best in the American League.
With his bullpen rested and a lead to protect for a change, Twins manager Rocco Baldelli stuck to a simple script to finish off the Indians: Setup man Sergio Romo, closer Taylor Rogers, and nobody else. Romo relieved Odorizzi, retired Francisco Lindor to end the sixth inning, then pitched the seventh, too, allowing nothing but a 455-foot solo home run to Yasiel Puig, who raised his average to .533 in nine career games against the Twins with his second consecutive three-hit night.
Rogers took over to pitch the final two innings, erasing a leadoff single in the eighth inning on a nice double play turned by Cron and Adrianza and recording four more outs for his 18th save of the season.
