CLEVELAND: Offensive slumps within a baseball season can be infuriating for teams. Breaking out of them, even for a day, can be like a breath of fresh air.
The Indians got plenty of the latter on Mother’s Day, finding their missing offensive firepower and throttling the Minnesota Twins 8-3 at Progressive Field.
Manager Terry Francona decided to shake up the lineup prior to Sunday’s game, sliding Jason Kipnis into the leadoff spot and slotting Carlos Santana fifth. That move paid immediate dividends, and in turn made Francona’s move look pretty smart.
“Good players can do that,” Francona said afterward.
Kipnis led off the first inning with a solo home run to center field, his first home run of the season, and the Indians kept pouring it on against Twins starter Hector Santiago (4-2).
Daniel Robertson, promoted to the majors on Sunday morning in place of the injured Brandon Guyer, put the Indians on top 2-0 with an RBI single to center field in his first at-bat with the Indians. Lonnie Chisenhall followed with a two-run home run, his third of the year, to make it 4-0.
In the third, both regulars who were moved in the lineup went deep. Santana led off the inning with a line-drive home run to left field. Later, Kipnis added a three-run home run to right field, giving him three hits, including his single in the second inning, and four RBI in his first three innings as the leadoff hitter this season.
The Indians (19-17) totaled six hits and one run in the first two games of the series against the Twins (19-15) before racking up eight runs in the first three innings on Sunday.
“It was nice. We know what kind of offense we’re capable of having,” Kipnis said. “That being said, it’s about going out and executing and guys hitting with runners in scoring position and putting pressure on the defense. That’s stuff we haven’t been doing lately. We know we can put up crooked numbers with the best of them when things are going well.”
Kipnis was hitting just .155 before Sunday’s four-hit, two-home run breakout. Getting him going had been one of the missing pieces to their offensive puzzle.
“I kept saying that it’s a matter of time, and it is, because he’s too good, it was just nice to see,” Francona said. “It kind of set the tone early. … We just did a lot of things today that we haven’t been doing. It made for a fun day. We needed a day like that.”
Trevor Bauer (3-4) cruised while holding that lead, allowing three runs on seven hits and striking out seven in six innings pitched. He also walked none, making it the most efficient outing of his season.
“I thought he pitched really well,” Francona said. “I thought he pitched better than he did. He had no walks and seven strikeouts. A lot more strikes than balls today. I thought he was really good.”
Ryan Lewis can be reached at rlewis@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the Indians blog at www.ohio.com/indians. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/RyanLewisABJ.