No matter what you say about the Cleveland Indians, make sure the word 'resilient' is one of them. After squandering a great start to the weekend in Baltimore, then seeing their All-Star centerfielder head back to the disabled list, the Indians once again proved they can bounce back from just about anything, even against one of Major League Baseball's hottest teams, beating the Minnesota Twins 5-2 in the first of four games from Target Field in Minnesota.
The Twins, once an incredible 16.5 games out of first place, entered today just 5 games behind the Indians and Detroit Tigers in the American League Central. The two teams seemed to be headed in different directions, and with Huff on the hill for the first time this season it appeared as though the Twins' march towards first place would take another step forward.
Not so fast!
Huff was masterful, and the Indians offense took advantage of an error to score four runs in the third inning to get the win. Huff allowed just five hits while striking out five for the Indians as he controlled the Twins light-hitting lineup on a day where temperatures reached the upper-90s in Minneapolis.
Lonnie Chisenhall got the third inning started when he reached base on an error by Twins 2B Alexi Casilla. Chisenhall advanced to second base on the play and scored when Ezequiel Carrera singled. A Michael Brantley single set the stage for Asdrubal Cabrera's 17th home run of the season, a line drive shot to right field, giving the Indians a 4-0 lead.
David Huff did the rest, needing just 88 pitches to mow down the Twins. Austin Kearns made the score 5-0 with a home run in the ninth inning.
The Twins got their runs when Michael Cuddyer hit his 14th home run - a line-drive to left field off Chad Durbin in the bottom of the ninth. Durbin, whose ERA is now 6.75, could not retire a batter forcing the Indians to use Vinnie Pestano to get the save.
The two teams play again tonight with Fausto Carmona returning from the disabled list to face Twins rookie Scott Diamond, making his major league debut