For the second time in four games, the Indians called on late-inning thunder to rally from a large deficit.
Then the Tribe relied on small ball to seal the win.
After singles by Nick Swisher and Jason Kipnis to start the 12th, Carlos Santana moved Swisher to third with a flyout to right, then Michael Brantley sent Swisher home with the winning run on a sacrifice fly to center, handing the Indians a 9-8 win over the Twins on Wednesday at Target Field.
“[The win is] nice, because we have a day off tomorrow,” Indians manager Terry Francona said. “Anytime it’s a travel day, you’d like to leave on a good note. Other than that, you turn the page and try to get our bullpen guys as much rest as you can.”
Trailing 7-3 entering the eighth, the Tribe pushed across four runs to tie the Twins, capped by Jason Giambi’s three-run blast to right field. Then Santana led off the 10th looking to seal the deal on Cleveland’s comeback. His only hit of the series landed in Cleveland’s bullpen, giving the Indians an 8-7 lead.
“G’s was obviously a huge one,” Francona said. “We pecked away and worked our way back into the game, then they scored the two and kind of spread it out — G, with just a huge hit.”
“I threw a cutter. I left up and over the plate right into his swing,” Twins reliever Casey Fien said. “He’s a dead-pull hitter. I missed my spot. I’m a strike-thrower, but it wasn’t a quality strike.”
When Santana took Glen Perkins deep, it marked the third time in Santana’s career that he’s homered off Minnesota’s closer in eight at-bats.
“I see him a lot in the division,” Santana said. “He’s a good pitcher. I tried to make a good approach on him.”
Twins catcher Joe Mauer rained on Cleveland’s comeback parade in the bottom of the 10th, when he belted a game-tying opposite-field homer off Cleveland closer Chris Perez. It was Mauer’s fifth hit and fourth RBI on the day.
“I was hoping he’d be too tired to come to the plate [in the bottom of the 12th],” Francona joked. “That’s a pretty good day, especially when you take into consideration he’s catching. That’s pretty impressive.”
Indians starter Carlos Carrasco’s outing could’ve gone a long way to providing clarity regarding his role moving forward. Instead, it left more questions than answers.
Making his first start since July 6, Carrasco got touched up for two runs in each of the first two innings. The right-hander went fewer than five innings for the fifth time in seven starts this season.
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