Field Level Media
Sep 6, 2021
Jorge Polanco homered and doubled three times, while Byron Buxton also went deep, for the visiting Minnesota Twins during their 5-2 win over the Cleveland Indians on Monday night.
It was the second four-hit game this season for Polanco, who, according to the Twins' television broadcast, tied a club record with four extra-base hits in a game. Buxton and Luis Arraez each posted two hits for Minnesota (60-77), which has won two straight following a four-game losing streak.
Franmil Reyes belted a two-run homer for Cleveland (68-67), which has lost three of four at home and dropped to 5-8 against Minnesota this season.
Five pitches and three batters into the game, Minnesota had a 2-0 lead against Cleveland's Logan Allen. Buxton led off with an infield hit, Polanco followed with a double to left field and Rob Refsnyder drove both home with a single to right.
Polanco made it a 3-0 game with a shot well into the left-field seats in the third to increase his career-high homer total to 27.
The Indians got within a run when Jose Ramirez opened their half of the fourth with a bunt single and Reyes followed with his 27th homer of the season.
Buxton clubbed his 11th of the campaign, just over the high left-field wall, in the fifth for a 4-2 Minnesota advantage.
Minnesota starter Bailey Ober yielded his only runs on Reyes' homer, with five other hits, and struck out four without a walk over four innings. Michael Pineda (5-8) followed by giving up two hits and striking out three with a walk over three innings to earn the winning decision.
Allen (1-6), meanwhile, allowed all five runs with eight hits over 5 1/3 innings for Cleveland. He struck out four with one walk.
Arraez's pinch-hit RBI single extended the Twins' lead in the sixth.
Minnesota manager Rocco Baldelli was away from the team and back in Minneapolis for the birth of his first child.
--Field Level Media