Danny Salazar turned and watched the fourth pitch he threw on Sunday sail over left field, caroming off the pole down the line for a home run by Twins leadoff man Brian Dozier. That was all the Tribe’s starter allowed Minnesota to have in a dominant effort that led the Indians to an 8-2 win in the series finale at Progressive Field.
“I think he got upset with himself, and we saw what happened,” Indians manager Terry Francona said. “He really kicked it in gear, and besides velocity, his changeup, his breaking ball, he really had everything working. And it was nice, we gave him a little cushion. That’s a nice way to pitch, too.”
Salazar limited Minnesota to just that lone first-inning hit, piling up 11 strikeouts (matching a career high) in seven innings. The hard-throwing right-hander issued no walks and retired the final 21 batters he faced, improving to 4-1 on the year.
“I think the more frustrated you get sometimes,” Twins manager Paul Molitor said, “it just increases how much you try. And sometimes that doesn’t work when you’re going against a guy who’s really in a groove. The velocity seemed to pick up. He was throwing harder at the end than he was in the beginning.
“His changeup was disappearing, especially on the left-handed hitters. He was tough, no doubt about that.”
The Tribe’s offense offered plenty of support.
Against Twins righty Trevor May (2-3), Cleveland struck for six runs on nine hits in his four innings on the hill. Lonnie Chisenhall contributed a three-run home run, David Murphy collected four hits and the Tribe’s new one-two punch atop the order — Jason Kipnis and Carlos Santana — combined for a 5-for-9 showing with five RBIs.
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