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Martinez helps Indians jolt Twins

Sep 17, 2008 - 4:43 AM By Todd Krepop PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

CLEVELAND (Ticker) -- Joe Nathan picked a bad time to allow the first walk-off home run of his career.

Victor Martinez belted a game-ending, three-run home run as the Cleveland Indians defeated the Minnesota Twins, 12-9, in 11 innings on Tuesday night.

Martinez and the Indians dealt the Twins' playoff hopes a crushing blow. Minnesota needed a win to keep pace in the American League Central with the Chicago White Sox, who recorded a 6-2 triumph over the New York Yankees. The Twins (82-69) now trail the White Sox (84-66) by 2 1/2 games with 10 games remaining in the season.

"We're in a bit of a hole now," Minnesota manager Ron Gardenhire said. "This was a very tough loss. It's a tough one to swallow, but that is the way things have been going for us."

It won't get any easier for the Twins on Wednesday as they send Scott Baker to the mound on three days of rest to face 22-game-winner Cliff Lee.

"It's a tough loss because Chicago won as well," Nathan said. "We have to come back tomorrow and see what we can do against Cliff Lee."

Franklin Gutierrez started the winning rally with a leadoff single off Nathan (0-2) and went to second on a sacrifice bunt by Ben Francisco. Jhonny Peralta drew a walk and Martinez followed by blasting Nathan's 1-1 pitch over the wall in center field.

It was the first walk-off home run of Martinez's career and second walk-off hit this season.

"It feels great," said Martinez, who punctuated his home run-trot with a slide into home. "I felt like a little kid."

As Martinez rounded the bases, Nathan walked slowly back to the dugout with the rest of his dejected teammates.

"It was one bad pitch," said Nathan, who had never allowed a walk-off home run in 427 previous games. "(Martinez) is looking for a pitch to drive in that situation and I left it up. I made a bad pitch to the wrong guy."

Tom Mastny (2-2) allowed one hit and struck out two in the 11th inning to pick up the win.

Grady Sizemore's solo home run off of Eddie Guardado in the eighth tied the game at 9-9 after the Indians wasted a seven-run lead. It was the first home run for Sizemore, who was 0-for-8 lifetime against Guardado, since August 25.

"That's the way things are going for us," Guardado said. "The last thing you want to do is hang a slider to a big league hitter and (Sizemore) did what big league hitters do."

"You see a lot of teams blow leads and it crushes them," Cleveland manager Eric Wedge said. "We didn't do that. The guys never gave in."

Minnesota had cut the Indians' 8-1 lead to just one run by the sixth before forging ahead in the eighth.

Denard Span and Joe Mauer each drew a walk off of Rafael Betancourt to start the rally. Justin Morneau, mired in an 0-for-15 slump, blasted an RBI double off the left field wall to tie the game.

Delmon Young followed an intentional walk to pinch hitter Jason Kubel with a deep fly ball to right to give the Twins a 9-8 lead.

"We played terrible early, but we didn't quit," Gardenhire said. "We kept battling and getting after it. We just couldn't stop them from putting the ball in the seats."

Minnesota scored four runs in the fifth to cut the Indians lead to 8-5 and a two-run single by Carlos Gomez in the sixth trimmed the deficit to one.

Ryan Garko homered and drove in four runs and Asdrubal Cabrera also homered and drove in two runs as the Indians knocked Francisco Liriano out of the game early.

Cleveland rocked Liriano for eight runs - four earned - and six hits in 2 2/3 innings. It was the shortest outing for Liriano since being recalled from Class AAA Rochester on August 3.