Player of the Game
Jason Kipnis took his second in award in a row, this time with a 3-4 effort with a home run and a triple. Kipnis also knocked in two and scored twice, leading the Indians to victory yet again.
Feathers Up
Prior to today's game the Indians had scored 46 runs in their past 5 games after scoring just 12 in the five games before that. The biggest change over that time has been the success of the hitters at the very top and the very bottom of the order with Jason Kipnis, Asdrubal Cabrera, Ryan Raburn and Drew Stubbs especially amping up production. The Tribe kept it going today with six more runs to add on to the tally.
The Indians hit two home runs on 3-1 counts in the first inning with both Jason Kipnis and Nick Swisher going deep. The last was the Indians 39 home run of the season (in 27 games) moving the Tribe into first place in the AL in team home runs. The second place Yankees have played 29 games.
In the fourth inning, Scott Kazmir struck out the side with just 11 pitches, only two more than the minimum. While he wasn't quite as efficient in his other innings, he did strike out 7 in the game, giving up just five hits and a walk. Kazmir ended up earning the win as well, his first since 2010.
Feathers Down
Vinnie Pestano is day to day with a sore elbow, offering an explanation for the use of the bullpen in last night's game. It also bumped back the bullpen today, pushing Bryan Shaw into the 7th inning role and Joe Smith into the 8th.
Chris Perez had another save opportunity stolen from him today. This time, Ezequiel Carrera knocked in Drew Stubbs in the 8th inning to give the Indians a four run lead, keeping Perez at three saves on the year.
Final Score: Cleveland Indians 7 – Minnesota Twins 3
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