A 162-game regular season schedule features numerous peaks and valleys. And the Indians, following a 3-2 loss to the Twins on Sunday afternoon, are currently mired in a valley.
Facing Carlos Carrasco, Minnesota raced out to 2-0 lead in the bottom of the 3rd courtesy of Justin Morneau and his 2-run double. However, the Twins shot themselves in the foot with poor base running. Shin-Soo Choo twice gunned down runners at the plate as the Twins squandered what could have been a much better offensive inning.
Choo's strong arm seemed to ignite the Tribe, which scored 3 times in the top of the 4th. Orlando Cabrera hit a RBI double and Michael Brantley settled for a 2-run double after his 3-run homer was overturned by replay.
Due to elbow tightness, the 3rd frame was Carrasco's last. Jeanmar Gomez, who was skipped in the rotation as a result of Friday's rainout, was forced to pitch in long relief. Gomez tossed 3 scoreless innings, but he allowed a single to begin the 7th. Rafael Perez was summoned, and the 1st batter he faced reached on Orlando Cabrera's critical error. Moments later, Jason Kubel crushed a 2-run double high off the right field wall.
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| An elbow injury shortened Carrasco's outing |
Kubel's heroics enabled Carl Pavano to earn the victory. Pavano yielded only 3 runs in 7 solid innings of work.
Cleveland was unable to rally off the Twins' stout bullpen in the contest's final 2 frames. Denard Span's diving catch in center allowed Matt Capps to work around a Grady Sizemore double in the 9th and earn the save.
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