CLEVELAND (AP) -- Corey Kluber came within two outs of his second straight complete game as the Cleveland Indians defeated the Minnesota Twins 8-2 Thursday in the first game of a doubleheader.
Kluber (15-9) allowed two runs and struck out seven in 8 1-3 innings in becoming the Indians' first 15-game winner since Cliff Lee went 22-3 in 2008.
Kluber dominated the Twins after allowing a first-inning run, retiring 18 of 19 before giving up two singles in the eighth. The right-hander worked out of trouble, but was pulled after allowing an RBI single to Trevor Plouffe in the ninth, the third hit of the inning.
Yan Gomes drove in three runs with a solo homer in the second and a two-run double in the third. Carlos Santana belted a two-run homer in the first and Cleveland broke the game open with a four-run third.
The Indians (75-69) trail first-place Kansas City by five games in the AL Central and are four games behind Detroit in the crowded race for the second wild-card spot.
Kyle Gibson (11-11) lasted only three innings, allowing seven runs and seven hits, including two homers.
Kluber didn't walk a batter for the second straight outing. He broke his three-game losing streak with a five-hitter in a complete game win over the White Sox on Saturday.
Minnesota started quickly. Danny Santana led off the game with a double into the right field corner and scored on Kennys Vargas' two-out single.
Kluber retired the next 10 hitters, a stretch that was broken when Oswaldo Arcia led off the fifth with a single. Kluber regained control by getting Kurt Suzuki to bounce into a double play that began a stretch when he retired eight in a row.
Kluber retired the final two hitters of the eighth with two on. Brian Dozier led off the ninth with a single. After a fielder's choice, singles by Vargas and Plouffe ended the day for Kluber, who threw 110 pitches.
Kyle Crockett retired the final two hitters.
Santana's 26th home run of the season landed in the second deck in right field and put the Indians up for good.
Gomes homered into the left field bleachers, his 18th of the season, to lead off the second. Cleveland finished Gibson off in the third. Gomes' two-run double was sandwiched between Michael Brantley's RBI single and Lonnie Chisenhall's sacrifice fly.
Brantley added another RBI single in the sixth.
