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Early Tribe surge sends Twins to seventh straight loss

Sep 17, 2011 - 9:41 PM Minneapolis, MN (Sports Network) - Carlos Santana's two-run homer highlighted a six-run second inning, propelling the Cleveland Indians to a 10-4 rout of the Minnesota Twins in the second of a three-game set at Target Field.

Jeanmar Gomez (4-2) pitched into the seventh and got the win, but limped off the field with an apparent right leg injury when he jumped off the mound to try and snag a high chopper. He tossed 6 2/3 innings, allowing two runs on seven hits while walking two and striking out three.

"We were able to score enough runs early in the game to get Jeanmar Gomez an early lead. He took advantage of it," Indians manager Manny Acta said. "He came out of the game and he's ok. He landed awkward on his knee, he was going after the ball and sprained it a little bit."

Asdrubal Cabrera added four hits with an RBI and two runs scored for the Tribe, while Jason Kipnis went 3-for-5 with three runs scored and two driven in.

Twins starter Anthony Swarzak (3-7) hit the showers early. He lasted just 1 2/3 innings, surrendering seven runs on seven hits while walking one. Swarzak hasn't won a game since August 3, and has lost each of his last four decisions.

The Twins have dropped seven in a row, while the Indians have won two straight after losing the previous three.

Cleveland jumped on top in the first inning on a single by Travis Hafner that plated Kipnis and Cabrera, the latter of whom made a nifty slide at home to avoid the tag from Twins catcher Rene Rivera.

In the big second, the Indians sent 10 batters to the plate and recorded just five hits, although four went for extra bases. Ezequiel Carrera started it with a one-out triple and scored on Trevor Crowe's single. After Kosuke Fukudome walked, Kipnis chased both runners home with a triple into the right- center field gap and Santana added a towering two-run homer to deep right field for a 7-0 edge. Hafner walked with two outs and Matt LaPorta doubled him home to cap the uprising.

Michael Cuddyer put Minnesota on the board with a RBI single in the third, while Chris Parmelee got an RBI base hit in the fifth. Parmelee hit the first home run of his career in the eighth with a two-run shot to right to cut the deficit to 8-4.

"By now we're just trying to get through the years as healthy as can be, and just come back with our heads held high for next year," Twins center fielder Ben Revere said.

Cleveland tacked on two more runs in the ninth on RBI singles by Cabrera and Lonnie Chisenhall.

Francisco Liriano made his return for Minnesota in the fourth. He worked two shutout innings, surrendering two hits while striking out three. Liriano had been on the disabled since August 25 with a shoulder injury. He threw 26 pitches, 18 for strikes.

Game Notes

The Twins have lost 44 games at Target Field this season, their most home losses since 2000 when they dropped 45 contests at the Metrodome. Their franchise record for home losses is 50 in 1999...Kipnis finished a home run shy of the cycle...Santana matched a club record with 25 home runs by a switch-hitter, tying the mark set by Victor Martinez in 2007.