(Sports Network) – Jose Morales singled, doubled and knocked in three runs to back seven solid innings from Nick Blackburn, as the American League Central champion Minnesota Twins completed a three-game sweep of the Cleveland Indians with a 5-1 win at Target Field.
Matt Tolbert and Ben Revere each added an RBI single for Minnesota, which clinched the title for a second straight year and for the sixth time in nine seasons with Tuesday’s 6-4 win, coupled with Oakland’s victory over the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday. The Twins improved to 17-4 in their last 21 games.
Blackburn (10-10) yielded one run on five hits, struck out two and walked a pair.
Shelley Duncan accounted for the lone run with an RBI single for the Indians, who have dropped four straight.
Carlos Carrasco (1-1) suffered the loss after giving up three runs on six hits and three walks while fanning four over six frames. The young right-hander picked up his first big league victory on Friday at Kansas City.
Duncan’s two-out single up the middle in the first scored Drew Sutton, who reached on a walk, to give the Indians an early lead.
With the bases loaded for the Indians and one out in the second, Blackburn got Sutton to ground into an inning-ending double play to keep it a 1-0 game.
Minnesota finally put up three against Carrasco in the sixth. Alexi Casilla led off with a base hit, stole second and scored on a two-out double by Morales. Tolbert followed with an RBI two-bagger before Revere singled to center to chase in another.
Morales’ two-out two-run single in the seventh upped the Twins’ lead to 5-1.
Brian Fuentes and Matt Guerrier each threw a scoreless inning to finish out the victory.
Game Notes
Twins catcher Joe Mauer sat out his third straight game due to a left knee injury…The Twins improved to 12-6 against the AL Central-rival Indians this season and have won seven of the previous eight matchups between the clubs.