Indians' Salazar mows down Twins

Cleveland, OH (SportsNetwork.com) - Danny Salazar retired the final 21 hitters he faced after giving up a leadoff home run as the Indians salvaged their three-game series against the Twins with an 8-2 victory.

Salazar (4-1) made one mistake the entire game, a 95 mph fastball that Brian Dozier caught up with and tomahawked over the wall in left to start the game.

He was literally unhittable over seven otherwise perfect innings and struck out 11 to up his season total to 48 punchouts over just 33 innings.

"I just want to help the team win," Salazar said. "I just wanted to hold them down."

Jason Kipnis and Carlos Santana combined for five hits, five RBI and three runs scored, David Murphy recorded four hits, and Lonnie Chisenhall added a three-run homer to help snap Cleveland's three-game skid.

Trevor May (2-3) was roughed up for six runs on nine hits and three walks. He was pulled following Cleveland's five-run fourth inning, and the Twins showed no life offensively to fall for just the second time in 11 games.

The Indians countered Dozier's leadoff homer in their half of the first with a double from Kipnis and RBI single from Santana.

They scored five runs with two outs in the fourth, the first coming when Eddie Rosario dropped Kipnis' deep drive to right. The ball fell out of Rosario's glove after he chased it down to the warning track, and Kipnis was awarded an RBI triple. Santana plated Kipnis with a base hit through the shift, and after Michael Brantley worked a walk, Chisenhall went deep to right for a 6-1 lead.

"The art of pitching is avoiding those five straight hit situations, and I put myself right into one," May said. "It's frustrating."

Kipnis and Santana both drove in runs in the fifth off Ryan Pressly, and Joe Mauer accounted for the last run of the day with an RBI single in the ninth.

Game Notes

Brantley extended his hitting streak to 10 games ... Dozier has hit eight career leadoff homers ... The Indians were 3-16 when their opponent scored first.