Cleveland Guardians vs Minnesota Twins Match Player Stats On Aug 17, 2017

The Sports Xchange
Aug 17, 2017

MINNEAPOLIS -- Yan Gomes and Jason Kipnis each had three hits with a homer, and Carlos Carrasco continued Cleveland's strong run of starting pitching as the Indians beat the Minnesota Twins 9-3 in the first game of Thursday's split doubleheader.

Jay Bruce had a two-run single in the first inning for Cleveland, which has won six games in a row and is 9-0 at Minnesota's Target Field this season.

Gomes provided a big insurance blast with a three-run homer in the eighth after the Twins had closed within a run. Kipnis followed with his second homer in as many games, a solo shot, later in the inning.

Carrasco (12-5) surrendered one run on a Byron Buxton home run with five hits allowed in five innings while striking out nine batters.

The Indians' starting pitching has given up no more than one run in 10 of the past 13 games.

The Twins struck out 19 times in the game to set a new record for a single game.

Twins starter Kyle Gibson (6-10) yielded three runs on seven hits and a walk in four innings. Minnesota has been outscored 62-18 at home by Cleveland this season.

Carrasco lasted just five innings after some initial struggles. He threw 39 pitches in the first inning but escaped a bases-loaded, no-out situation without giving up a run. From there, the right-hander had the Twins swinging and missing at his offerings.

After Buxton's leadoff homer in the second, Carrasco retired nine in a row. He struck out five straight batters at one point and six of seven. He gave up two hits to start the fifth, but held Minnesota off the board again.

Gibson threw 31 pitches in a long first inning. Miguel Sano's was charged with an error when he couldn't pick up Jose Ramirez's slow ground ball, adding to the woes. Gibson excited after allowing the first two batters to reach in the fifth.

Gibson has allowed nine runs in 14 innings in three starts since getting his spot in the rotation back when Jamie Garcia was traded to New York. He hasn't made it out of the fifth inning in seven of his 21 starts this season.

NOTES: Cleveland 3B Jose Ramirez left the game in the second inning after being hit in the right forearm area by a fastball from Kyle Gibson. Ramirez was down in obvious pain before as he was attended to by an athletic trainer and was replaced by Giovanny Urshela. ... Minnesota activated LHP Glen Perkins from the 60-day disabled list on Thursday. Perkins has rehabbed from surgery to repair a torn labrum in his throwing shoulder last year. He pitched in the ninth inning for his first appearance in the majors since April 10, 2016, a span of 273 games. He allowed two runs on two hits, a walk and hit two batters while getting one out. ... The Twins placed LHP Dietrich Enns on the 10-day disabled list with a left shoulder strain. Enns, who was acquired from the New York Yankees in the Jamie Garcia trade, had allowed four runs -- three earned -- in four innings for Minnesota. ... The Indians will recall LHP Ryan Merritt (0-0, 3.60 ERA) as the 26th man for the doubleheader and Merritt will start Thursday's second game. The Twins recalled RHP Aaron Slegers after the first game to start the evening game as the 26th man. Slegers will be making his major league debut.