Powered by 14 hits, the Cleveland Indians abruptly halted the Minnesota Twins' brief three-game win streak on Friday with a thorough 7-1 win.
Indians starter Derek Lowe tossed 6.2 strong innings and yielded just one run to pick up his seventh victory of the season. The 7-3 Lowe, who now sports a 3.06 ERA, bounced back in a big way from a May 26 start against the White Sox where he gave up eight earned runs and was knocked out of the game after just 2.1 innings.
Offensively, Cleveland saw another big performance from rising star second baseman Jason Kipnis. Likely headed to the All-Star game next month, Kipnis hit a grand slam off Minnesota starter Carl Pavano in the fourth inning to break the game wide open. The blast signified Kipnis' ninth home run of the year and increased his RBI total to 34.
With first place in the AL Central still well within reach, the Indians will send Josh Tomlin to the hill for game two to face Minnesota's P.J. Walters. Stay with SB Nation Cleveland's StoryStream for full coverage throughout the series.
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