UPDATED: Matt LaPorta homers to lead off the ninth inning as the Indians defeat the Twins, 7-6.
View full sizeMoments after seeing a 6-4 lead disappear, the Indians are rescued by Matt LaPorta, left, after he hit a game-winning home run to beat the Twins on Friday at Progressive Field.Updated at 12:05 a.m.
CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Indians are a .427 club that contenders do not want to face.
The Tribe behaved like a division leader again Friday night, disposing of the Minnesota Twins, 7-6, at Progressive Field.
Matt LaPorta led off the ninth inning with a homer to left-center off Matt Guerrier, a graduate of Shaker Heights High and Kent State. The walk-off blast came on a 1-0 pitch.
"I've never done that before," LaPorta said.
It was, indeed, LaPorta's first walk-off homer in the majors. The previous Indian to do so was Luis Valbuena on Aug. 22, 2009, against Seattle.
Minnesota had tied it with two runs in the top of the inning against Tribe closer Chris Perez. Pinch-hitter Jim Thome cracked what he and the Twins thought was a two-run homer to left-center with none out. The umpires ruled double, took awhile to watch replays and kept the runners at second and third.
Twins manager Ron Gardenhire argued vehemently with first-base umpire Gerry Davis.
After Denard Span whiffed, Alexi Casilla made the controversy moot with a two-run single.
"I thought [Thome's hit] was gone with the naked eye," Perez said. "When the umpires came back out and said it was a double, I felt like I dodged a bullet. I don't feel like that now."
Perez blew his fourth save in 17 opportunities but was credited with the victory, his first in three decisions.
The Indians (47-63) are 13-9 since the All-Star break, all games coming against opponents with winning records at the time.
"That was a young-team victory," Indians manager Manny Acta said. "We had a chance to put it away early. At the end of the game, we allowed them to tie it. Then, like nothing happened, we win it."
View full sizeJason Donald gets upended by the Twins' Joe Mauer at second base, but not before getting the force-out.Minnesota (61-49) is chasing the White Sox in the AL Central. It has lost three of four to Cleveland since the break, including two of three at Target Field.
The season series is tied, 5-5.
Tribe right-hander Jeanmar Gomez gave up one run on four hits in 51/3 innings of his third major-league start. He owns a 1.56 ERA in 171/3 innings.
Gomez looks like anyone but the pitcher with an 8-8 record and 5.20 ERA in 20 starts for Class AAA Columbus in 2010.
According to the Indians' media relations department, Gomez would have become the franchise's third pitcher since 1920 to win his first three appearances. But the Twins rallied from a 5-1 deficit through six to force a no-decision.
Gomez periodically struggled with his command but found ways to contain a team that had gone 12-3 since July 21.
Not only are the Twins playing well, they had lefty Francisco Liriano on the mound. Liriano entered 3-0 with a 1.23 ERA in three starts against the Indians this season. He had given up three earned runs in 22 innings.
It did not take long for the earned-run total to double.
Michael Brantley, recalled hours earlier from Class AAA Columbus, led off the first with a single to center. Left-handed batters were 21-for-111 against Liriano.
Brantley moved to second on Asdrubal Cabrera's single to center and to third on Shin-Soo Choo's fielder's choice.
Designated hitter Shelley Duncan went with a pitch away and shot it into the right-field corner for a two-run double. Acta, subbing for suspended Steve Smith as third-base coach, aggressively pinwheeled Choo.
Liriano's scoreless-innings streak ended at 21.
LaPorta walked, prompting Twins pitching coach Rick Anderson to visit the mound. Jayson Nix singled to load the bases.
The Tribe extended the advantage in the second -- but could have had more.
Lou Marson led off with a walk. Brantley singled to center, Marson hustling to third. Brantley took second on the throw.
Cabrera delivered an RBI single to left, Brantley stopping at third.
Choo struck out swinging, then Cabrera scooted to second on a wild pitch. Liriano bowed his neck and struck out Duncan and LaPorta swinging.
Tribe hitters struggled with runners in scoring position most of the night.
Minnesota pulled within 4-1 in the third when Drew Butera scored on Joe Mauer's sacrifice fly to left. Crowe's throw had the potential for a double play until it struck Butera in the leg.
Liriano lasted 4 innings. He allowed four runs on seven hits, walked six and struck out six. He threw 109 pitches.
Gomez exited in the sixth with runners on first and second and one out. Justin Germano, promoted to Cleveland on July 30, got Michael Cuddyer to ground into a 6-4-3 double play.
In the Tribe half of the inning, Choo restored the four-run cushion with an RBI double. He drove in Brantley, who had led off with a walk.
Minnesota rallied for two unearned runs off Germano in the seventh. Not long after third baseman Nix's fielding error, Casilla hit a two-out, two-run double.
Jason Kubel homered in the eighth off Joe Smith to cut the Twins' deficit to 5-4.
Choo had an RBI double in the eighth.
The Indians have at least one extra-base hit in 59 straight games.
To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: dmanoloff@plaind.com, 216-999-4664