Baker’s sharp pitching helps Twins rout Indians 10-1 to snap 3-game losing streak

Twins rout Indians 10-1, snap 3-game losing streak

CLEVELAND — Scott Baker pitched seven scoreless innings and was backed by home runs from Carlos Gomez and Jason Kubel, leading the Minnesota Twins to a 10-1 victory over the Cleveland Indians on Tuesday night.

Gomez had three hits and four RBIs, and Joe Mauer hit three of Minnesota’s season-high seven doubles as the Twins broke a three-game losing streak and moved 2½ games behind first-place Detroit in the AL Central. The Twins came in with 163 doubles, next-to-last in the AL.

Justin Morneau drove in two runs, giving him an AL-leading 88 RBIs. Orlando Cabrera, recently acquired from Oakland, extended his hitting streak to 14 games and hit his 400th career double.

Baker (9-7) picked up a Minnesota staff that yielded 35 runs and 52 hits in a three-game weekend sweep by the Los Angeles Angels. The right-hander allowed three hits and one walk, striking out four to improve to 5-1 in eight starts since June 25.

Baker is 2-0 with a 1.29 ERA in two starts this year against Cleveland, which threatened against him only once. Jhonny Peralta singled with two outs in the fourth and went to third on a double by Travis Hafner. Rookie Chris Gimenez then hit a drive to the warning track in center that Gomez caught with a leap in front of the wall.

Kubel put the Twins ahead 1-0 in the second against David Huff (5-6) with his 19th homer — only the second off a left-hander. Kubel is hitting .370 (10-for-27) with five homers this year against the Indians.

Gomez broke out of a 4-for-21 slide later in the inning with an RBI single to make it 2-0.

Denard Span drew a leadoff walk to set up a six-run fifth for an 8-0 lead, capped by Gomez’s three-run homer on the first pitch from reliever Jensen Lewis. Span scored on Cabrera’s milestone double. Mauer then doubled home Cabrera and scored on a single by Morneau.

The homer was the 10th allowed in 40 1-3 innings by Lewis.

Huff allowed 11 hits and seven runs over 4 2-3 innings. The rookie is 2-4 with a 7.94 ERA in seven starts since July 3.

Cleveland’s staff ERA rose to 5.20, worst in the AL, though the loss was just the fourth in 11 games for the Indians.

Consecutive doubles by Mauer and Morneau made it 9-0 in the sixth. Joe Crede added an RBI single in the ninth.

Hafner hit an RBI double in the ninth off reliever Bobby Keppel.

Notes: The Twins’ Cabrera also hit in 14 straight games June 17 to July 1. … Twins OF Michael Cuddyer (sore back) missed his third straight game, but took batting practice. Manager Ron Gardenhire thinks Cuddyer will return Wednesday when LHP Francisco Liriano, who missed his last start because of a sore forearm, is scheduled to pitch. … Twins RHP Kevin Slowey had surgery to remove a bone chip from his wrist. He is expected to be ready for spring training. … Indians RHP Jake Westbrook allowed four hits and two runs over two innings, striking out two in a rehab start at Double-A Akron. He had Tommy John surgery in June 2008. … RHP Bryan Price, one of three pitchers acquired by Cleveland from Boston for C Victor Martinez, allowed one unearned run over six innings at Class A Kinston in his first game since the trade on Friday.