(Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN -- Tribe closer Brad Hand found himself in trouble attempting to close out the pesky Twins, as he was faced with runners on first and second with only one out in a 3-1 ballgame. Houston slugger Marwin Gonzalez ripped a double into the gap as pinch-runner Luis Arraez rounded third base attempting to tie the game, and was thrown out at home. Tyler Naquin barehanded the baseball off of the left field wall before hitting Lindor on a seed, as Lindor turned the relay with perfection, placing the ball in the perfect spot for Kevin Plawecki to place the tag. The Indians carried the momentum from that play into the tenth inning, where Carlos Santana launched a go-ahead grand slam home run to lift the Indians over the Twins by the final score of 7-3.
Twins closer Taylor Rogers was called upon after giving two innings of relief in yesterday's matchup. Rogers allowed two singles and a walk, loading up the bases with zero outs. Santana quickly erased the late-inning drama with a no doubt blast to left field.
Aaron Civale contributed yet another solid performance for the Cleveland Indians in just his third career start. The young right hander tossed six smooth innings, giving up one earned run on four hits, striking out five batters and walking none. Civale has been lights out since being called up to the big leagues. Civale's line through his first three starts goes as follows: 1.00 ERA, 9 H, 4 BBs, 18 Ks 18 IP.
Greg Allen put the Indians on the board early with a solo shot in the top of the first, which was later followed by an RBI double off of the bat of Yasiel Puig. Scoring first has been extremely important for the tribe, who are now 51-11 in games where they are the first team to score. With today's win the Indians take three out of four in the Twin Cities, and are now tied for first place in the American League Central Division with the Minnesota Twins.
The Cleveland Indians will head home for a quick three-game homestand against the Boston Red Sox. Zach Plesac will get the nod for the hometown tribe, taking on Red Sox starter Eduardo Rodriguez. First pitch is set for 7:10 pm ET at Progressive Field in Cleveland, Ohio. Check out highlights from today's victory below!