Field Level Media
Aug 8, 2018
Mitch Garver hit a three-run homer, and Eddie Rosario had four hits to lead the visiting Minnesota Twins to a 3-2 victory over the Cleveland Indians on Tuesday night at Progressive Field.
Left-hander Adalberto Mejia (2-0) picked up the win, blanking the Indians on one hit over the first five innings. He walked one and fanned three, including a strikeout of Jason Kipnis for the second out in the fifth.
Mejia appeared to wince after throwing the final strike but stayed in to get Rajai Davis to ground out before leaving the game with what was announced as a left wrist strain. He threw just 68 pitches, 42 for strikes.
Fernando Rodney picked up his 25th save with a scoreless ninth.
Francisco Lindor homered and had two hits for Cleveland, which had a three-game winning streak snapped. Carlos Carrasco (13-6) took his first loss since a 9-3 defeat to the Twins on June 16, allowing 10 hits, a walk and three runs while striking out eight.
The Twins, who left the bases full in the first inning, snapped a 22-inning scoreless streak against Indians pitching in the second on Garver's sixth homer of the season. The three-run shot traveled 411 feet into the bleachers in left-center.
Lindor opened the eighth with his 28th homer of the season off reliever Trevor Hildenberger to cut the lead to 3-1.
Michael Brantley followed with a single and went to third one out later on a single by Edwin Encarnacion. Leonys Martin, batting for Brandon Guyer, drove in Brantley with a sacrifice fly, but Hildenberger bounced back to strike out Yonder Alonso to end the threat.
The Indians had a chance to tie it in the ninth when Yan Gomes led off with an infield single. Rodney then struck out Kipnis and got Melky Cabrera to fly out before freezing Lindor with a 2-2 fastball on the inside corner for the game-ending strikeout.
--Field Level Media