Game 4: More Minnesota power
Needing one more victory to wrap it up, the Twins called on young Randy Dobnak (9-1, 3.38) for the game 4 start. In a combination role of spot starter and longman, the 24-year-old had been sensational during the simulation, working 128 innings.
The Indians, having burned through Clevinger, Civale, Bieber, and Plesac through the first three games, were forced to fall back on their fifth starter, veteran Carlos Carrasco (10-8, 4.39). Carrasco had been brilliant at times, notably in a Sept. 27 1-0 two-hit shutout of the Toronto Blue Jays. He was, however, 0-1 in three starts against the Twins, having lost 7-3 on Aug. 4.
For six innings, Dobnak and Carrasco battled on even terms. Eddie Rosario gave Minnesota an early boost with a first inning home run, but Carrasco steadied and allowed just two hits from the second until the sixth.
Dobnak was even better, surrendering only a second inning single to Carlos Santana and setting down 13 of the first 14 batters he faced. Finally, in the bottom of the sixth, the Indians scratched across a run without benefit of a base hit when Lindor walked, stole second, and came home on Mercado’s fly ball.
But Indians manager Terry Francona lifted Carrasco in favor of his bullpen to start the seventh, and his faith in that pen proved to be Cleveland’s undoing. Arraez greeted Hunter Wood with a ringing double to the wall in center, and Polanco sent the next pitch over that same center field wall for a two-run home run. One batter later, Donaldson took Wood deep again, this time to left.
Suddenly the Twins led 4-1.
And they weren’t through. James Hoyt replaced Wood in the eighth, but Polanco and Donaldson touched him for ninth inning home runs that padded the team’s total by three more runs. That made it easy for Tyler Duffey, working the final two innings, to close out the series.
It was a series in which the Twins had out-homered Cleveland 14-6, 11 of those 14 coming from that fateful ninth inning of the second game onward. Of Minnesota’s 33 hits during the series, 22 had been for extra bases. Indians hitters simply could not keep up. They produced 28 base hits, but only 10 went for extra bases.
Minnesota 100 000 303 – 7 13 0
Cleveland 000 001 000 –1 3 0
W: Dobnak. L: Wood.