Rosario's Homer Helps Lynn, Twins Beat Indians 7-1
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Eddie Rosario hit a two-run home run and Brian Dozier drove in two runs to support Lance Lynn's third straight victory, leading the Minnesota Twins past the Cleveland Indians 7-1 on Saturday.
Dozier hit an RBI triple in the third inning against Trevor Bauer (4-4), right before Rosario's 10th homer of the season. Dozier added an RBI double during a four-run sixth that was fueled by a fielding error on second baseman Jason Kipnis.
Lynn (4-4) walked five batters in six innings, but he struck out five and allowed only two hits while throwing a season-high 113 pitches. After an awful April and a couple of rough appearances in May, too, the right-hander has begun to find a rhythm. So have the Twins hitters, with 30 runs over their last four games.
Rosario has been the steadiest of all, with a team-leading 36 RBIs and a strong case to become a first-time All-Star. Dozier has recently heated up, too.
Bauer didn't finish the sixth. He struck out 11 batters, but he gave up six hits and three walks. Four of the seven runs charged to him were unearned. Max Kepler and Ryan LaMarre had RBI singles during the Twins rally after the error on Kipnis.
Oliver Perez entered in the sixth inning, becoming the 15th reliever used by the Indians already this season. They used 17 different relief pitchers last year, including a one-inning mop-up appearance by position player Michael Martinez and a one-off relief outing by Bauer.
The Indians went 0 for 10 with runners in scoring position and 2 for 16 with runners on base.
ALLEN'S HUSTLE
Greg Allen, who could be bound for Triple-A next week with the expected return of injured outfielders Lonnie Chisenhall and Brandon Guyer, gave the Indians the lead in the second inning with a delayed steal of home after Jason Kipnis took off for second during a strikeout by Roberto Perez. That was the first time the Indians stole home since Francisco Lindor did so on June 28, 2016.
Allen played right field, while Bradley Zimmer was back in center field for the first time in 21 games after being out with a bruised left rib. Allen's seven-game hitting streak ended.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Indians: LHP Andrew Miller has been scheduled to throw a bullpen session on Sunday, manager Terry Francona said before the game. He's been out for the last eight games because of nagging right knee inflammation.
Twins: 3B Miguel Sano, who is 2 for 24 with 11 strikeouts in his career against Bauer, was on the bench after playing in eight straight games following his reinstatement from the DL for a strained left hamstring. Manager Paul Molitor said he wants to be mindful of giving Sano breaks because of his injury proneness.
UP NEXT
Indians: RHP Mike Clevinger (4-2, 3.14 ERA) will start on Sunday afternoon. He was second in the American League entering the game on Saturday with a 1.61 ERA on the road among pitchers with more than one start.
Twins: RHP Kyle Gibson (1-3, 3.57 ERA) will take the mound for the series finale. Gibson, who has a 5.82 ERA in 13 career starts against the Indians, has taken three losses and seven no-decisions since winning his first turn of the season.
(© Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
