MINNEAPOLIS -- The Minnesota Twins have faced a lot of good starting pitchers this year, including plenty their own division. Detroit boasts a rotation of Max Scherzer, David Price, and Justin Verlander. White Sox lefty Chris Sale is putting together an impressive season in Chicago. James Shields has been solid for Kansas City.
But Cleveland's Corey Kluber may be having one of the best seasons by an AL Central pitcher -- as the Twins found out first-hand Sunday.
Kluber was brilliant for the Indians in the series finale at Target Field. He fanned 14 Twins batters in eight innings and allowed just two hits as he improved to 17-9 on the season. It was the third time Minnesota had faced Kluber this year -- all since Aug. 21 -- and the Twins have yet to score more than three runs against him.
"He was really good," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said of Kluber. "We didn't really have a lot for that guy."
Minnesota did jump on Kluber with two outs in the second inning to take a 1-0 lead when left fielder Chris Herrmann doubled to the gap in left-center field, scoring catcher Josmil Pinto from first base. The Twins' lead was short-lived, though, as Cleveland scored a pair of runs off starter Anthony Swarzak in the top of the third.
After he was handed a one-run cushion, Kluber went on cruise control. When the Indians scored three more runs in the fifth, it was more than enough for the Cleveland right-hander.
The Twins helped Kluber tie a career-high with 14 strikeouts, just one of several feats accomplished by the Indians starter Sunday. It was the second straight game in which Kluber had 14 strikeouts as he became the first pitcher since Randy Johnson in 2004 to have back-to-back 14-strikeout games.
Minnesota's lineup fanned twice in each of the first six innings, a testament to how sharp Kluber's pitches were on Sunday. In their first two games against Kluber, the Twins struck out eight times on Aug. 21 and seven times on Sept. 11. They nearly matched that total Sunday at Target Field.
"He commands all three of his pitches that he throws," said Twins second baseman Brian Dozier, who was a strikeout victim of Kluber's in the third and fifth innings. "He's got electric stuff, a high-strikeout guy that if you get a pitch to hit over the plate, you really can't miss it against that guy."
There were only a few times where the Twins did take advantage of pitches Kluber left in the zone, and Herrmann had a pair of doubles. His first scored the game's first run, while his second led to Minnesota's second run of the game after Danny Santana doubled to right off Kluber in the bottom of the fifth.
By that point, though, Kluber and the Indians had a 5-2 lead, and Cleveland added two more against reliever Aaron Thompson in the sixth inning. Minnesota finally had an inning without a strikeout against Kluber in the seventh, but the Twins' offense didn't manage a hit in the inning.
Just for good measure, Kluber picked up one more strikeout in the top of the eighth when he fanned Twins designated hitter Joe Mauer for the third time Sunday. By day's end, Kluber had 15 strikeout victims, bringing his season total to 259.
On a day when Minnesota used Swarzak in a spot start, the Indians turned to their ace. He delivered as the Twins lost the three-game series with Sunday's defeat. Cleveland kept its slim wild card hopes alive thanks to Kluber's 14-strikeout day.
"They hang in there. They've got enough veterans over there," Gardenhire said of the Indians. "They have good hitters and they do a lot of really good things. . . . That's a good baseball team. I think they're built for a nice little run, especially with that pitching staff."
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