Cleveland Knocks Twins out of First Place
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The nearly 40 day run in first place for the Minnesota Twins is over after a long, wet day at Target Field.
Lonnie Chisenhall hit two home runs for Cleveland in the second game after Jose Ramirez went deep twice in the opener, and the Indians took over first place in the AL Central by sweeping a doubleheader from the Minnesota Twins with 9-3 and 6-2 victories on Saturday.
Austin Jackson hit a solo shot in the nightcap against Twins starter Adalberto Mejia (1-3) in the fourth inning, before Chisenhall homered to put the Indians in front. Following a 75-minute rain delay, Chisenhall crushed a three-run drive against Tyler Duffey for his 10th home run of the season and a 5-1 lead in the fifth.
Francisco Lindor went deep in the eighth, too, giving the Indians six home runs for the day against a depleted Twins pitching staff that forced rookies into starting roles for the first three games of this pivotal midseason series.
The Twins now have a 14-23 home record this season.