The Indians used a season-high 20 hits to trounce the Twins on Monday night for their fifth straight victory. It matched their longest winning streak of the season.
View full sizeThe Indians' Travis Hafner returns to the dugout Monday after scoring on a double by Trevor Crowe during the second inning in Minneapolis. Updated: 1:19 a.m.
MINNEAPOLIS -- The Indians haven't had a winning record since the third game of the season when they were 2-1. Put them in their own back yard and it's a different story.
The Tribe's back yard is the American League Central Division. It's the division they used to rule many years ago and they still feel comfortable there.
On a humid Monday night, the Indians won their fifth straight game since the All-Star break with a 10-4 pounding of the Twins at Target Field. All five of the victories have been against division foes to make them 19-17 in the Central.
This is the first time in club history the Indians have been 5-0 following the All-Star break. The five-game winning streak equals their longest of the season.
"Our offense picked us up tonight," said manager Manny Acta. "We swung the bat very well, especially with two out. That was the key.
"At the other end of it, I think we got a way with a lot. Aaron Laffey's control wasn't sharp and either was our bullpen. We walked way too many guys. I've seen the Twins enough to know we got a way with a lot tonight.":
Left-hander Aaron Laffey (2-3, 4.62 ERA) barely touched 87 mph as he threw below hitting speed for the second straight start. He allowed one unearned run on five hits in five innings to improve to 5-2 lifetime against the Twins.
The Indians won this with a season-high 20 hits, including four by Trevor Crowe and three by Jayson Nix. Their big inning was the fifth.
View full sizeTrevor Crowe, left, was 4-for-5 on Monday, while Jayson Nix, right, was 3-for-6.They scored five runs to take a 7-1 lead and knock Scott Baker out of the game. After Carlos Santana doubled and Shelley Duncan singled, Jhonny Peralta started the scoring with a line-drive sacrifice fly to left. Crowe, Jason Donald, Michael Brantley and Nix followed with two-out RBI singles.
Crowe ended Baker's night with his third straight hit of the game. Crowe doubled home the Tribe's first run in the second and reached on a bunt hit in the fourth. Crowe singled in the ninth for his career-high fourth hit.
"All I'm trying to do every single at-bat is get on base," said Crowe. "To do it four times tonight feels awesome."
Baker (7-9, 5.15) was making his first start in 11 days. He had a cortisone shot in his right elbow after his previous start on July 8. He allowed six runs on 10 hits in 4 innings.
"They're a good team," said Crowe. "We've got to score runs to beat them. What happened in the fifth inning happens to teams when they're playing well. We had a lot of guys have good at-ats with two out."
The Indians took a 2-0 lead in the second. After Travis Hafner singled and Peralta walked, Crowe doubled to left center to make it 1-0 with one out. Donald brought home Peralta with a grounder to short for a 2-0 lead.
Laffey, making his third start since being recalled from Class AAA Columbus on June 25, allowed his only run in the fourth. Jason Kubel scored from third on a passed ball by Santana to make it 2-1.
Kubel opened the inning with a double past first. Delmon Young followed with a long single off the left-field wall that Crowe almost caught. The play was reviewed to see if it was a home run, but it wasn't even close to leaving the park.
With runners on first and second, Laffey struck out Jim Thome on an 81 mph fastball for the first out. He walked Danny Valencia to load the bases. After Santana's passed ball, J.J. Hardy grounded to first. Matt LaPorta, playing shallow, froze the runner at third before stepping on first for the second out.
Denard Span tried a surprise bunt, but Santana pounced on it and threw him out to end the inning.
Laffey said his lack of velocity is because of a tired arm. He opened the year in the bullpen, but was sent down on May 30 to convert to the rotation. It has taken a toll on his arm.
"I'm going through the dead arm period that most guys go through the first couple of weeks of spring training," said Laffey.
As for the 81 mph fastball to Thome, Laffey said, "That doesn't happen very often. He probably thought it was a change up. I keep telling everybody that sometimes it feels like a pitch that has a parachute attatched to it."
Laffey says it's worked to his advantage at times.
"It's probably thrown guys time off," he said. "They're used to seeing me throw a little harder than that. I've tried to ramp it up a little bit, but it's just not there right now."
Acta took an eight-man bullpen into the game as Jess Todd joined the team from Columbus before the game. It was a good move.
After Laffey did his five and fly, Acta needed four relievers to go the final four innings.
Jensen Lewis started the sixth and immediately gave up a 444-foot homer to Thome. He hit the ball over the bleachers in right field for his 11th homer of the season and the 575th of his career.
Orlando Hudson added an RBI double to make it 7-3 and send Lewis to the bench. Tony Sipp relieved to face Joe Mauer. The Twins All-Star catcher was 4-for-6 lifetime against Sipp, but Sipp threw a called third strike past Mauer to end the sixth.
Sipp worked his way through the seventh, ending it by retiring Thome on a chopper in front of the plate with two on. Frank Herrmann started the eighth by giving up consecutive singles, but ended it by getting Mauer to hit into a double play.
Todd pitched the ninth.
The Indians, meanwhile, made it 8-3 in the eighth on consecutive doubles by Duncan and Santana. Duncan replaced Austin Kearns in right field. Kearns left the game with a sore right knee.
They added two more runs in the ninth on four hits. Nix had an RBI single and Santana a sacrifice fly.
"I banged up the knee diving for a ball in the second game of the doubleheader on Saturday," said Kearns. "Usually as I go along in the day, I feel better. But this kept bugging me. So I figured I better get out of the game before something happens."
Kearns said he's day to day.
The Indians five-game winning streak has come against Detroit and the Twins.
"What's impressive about the streak is knowing what's ahead of us," said Acta. "The schedule is a tough one. Right after we play the Twins, we go play Tampa Bay, the Yankees, Red Sox and Toronto.
"We have a tough schedule ahead of us and we've done well winning the first five games."
To reach this Plain Dealer Reporter: phoynes@plaind.com, 216-999-5158