clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Morales, Blackburn Lead Twins' Sweep Of Indians

(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.

Photographs by Micah Taylor, clairity, and Fibonacci Blue used in background montage under Creative Commons. Thank you.