The Cleveland Indians scored six runs in the first inning and survived a ninth-inning scare to defeat the Minnesota Twins, 8-7, Saturday night in the second of a three-game series at Progressive Field.
Twins starter P.J. Walters gave up six runs in the 1st inning that saw him walk four batters and hit one while throwing 46 pitches in just 2/3 innings.
Anthony Swarzak, Ryan Pressley and Caleb Thielbar all pitched admirably in relief, but the deficit proved too much for the Twins to overcome.
Michael Bourn drove in three runs while Jason Kipnis went 3-for-4 with two RBI and was a home run shy of the cycle for Cleveland. Drew Stubbs also drove in two runs for the Indians, who have won four straight and eight of their last 10 games, according to SportsNetwork.
The Twins had plenty of power. Joe Mauer had a two-run home run in the first inning, while Chris Parmelee had two solo homers among his three hits. Oswaldo Arcia homered and Trevor Plouffe had an RBI for the Twins.
Cleveland takes a 2-0 lead in the series, which concludes Sunday with a nooner.
