Santana hit what turned out to be the decisive three-run blast to left in the third. Francisco Lindor crushed a two-run homer in the seventh to break the game open, and Jose Ramirez launched a solo shot in the eighth to round out the Cleveland infield slugfest.
Clevinger rejoined the rotation on Thursday due to an injury to Danny Salazar, and the rookie hurler tossed 4 1/3 innings of two-run ball. He was the only Tribe starter to complete four innings in the four-game set with the Twins after Salazar, Carlos Carrasco and Trevor Bauer allowed a total of 21 earned runs over 8 1/3 innings through the first three games.
Twins second baseman Brian Dozier homered in a losing effort. Per Statcast™, his solo shot to left-center went 420 feet and left the bat at 104 mph. Before that, Dozier extended his hitting streak to 13 consecutive games with a single in the third.
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Miller time: Tribe reliever Andrew Miller was the second name called from the Tribe bullpen. The left-hander entered in the sixth frame and froze Byron Buxton to notch the final out in the inning. It was the first time since April 18, 2014, that Miller entered the game as early as the sixth inning. Miller returned to the mound in the seventh and sat down the top of the Twins' lineup in order with a pair of punchouts.
Dozier stays hot: Dozier connected on a solo homer in the fifth, giving him five blasts over his past five games, including a homer in three of the four games against the Indians. Dozier leads the Majors with 13 home runs dating back to June 25, and Twins right fielder Max Kepler is right behind him with 12.
WHAT'S NEXT
Twins: Right-hander Ervin Santana (4-9, 3.66 ERA) is set to start for the Twins when they travel to Tropicana Field to face the Rays on Friday at 6:10 p.m. CT. Santana has been one of the hottest pitchers in baseball over the past month, posting a 1.90 ERA in six July starts.
Indians: Right-hander Josh Tomlin (11-3, 3.43 ERA) will take the mound as the Indians open a three-game weekend set against the Yankees in New York on Friday at 7:05 p.m. ET. Tomlin pitched a gem in his last start, in which he allowed two runs on six hits in a win over Oakland. He is 3-2 with a 4.82 ERA in seven career appearances (six starts) against the Yanks. The series also marks the return of Miller to the Bronx for the first time since being dealt to Cleveland.
Shane Jackson is a reporter for MLB.com based in Cleveland and covered the Indians on Thursday.
Rhett Bollinger has covered the Twins for MLB.com since 2011. Read his blog, Bollinger Beat, follow him on Twitter @RhettBollinger and listen to his podcast.
This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
Indians take finale, overpower Twins with 4 HRs
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