Runs Aplenty After Lineup Shakeup As Indians Pound Twins 8-3; Three Takeaways From the Win

The Indians gave Tribe moms something to cheer about Sunday with a solid 8-3 win over the first-place Minnesota Twins in the finale of a three-game set at

The Indians gave Tribe moms something to cheer about Sunday with a solid 8-3 win over the first-place Minnesota Twins in the finale of a three-game set at Progressive Field on Mother's Day.

The 23,099 fans enjoyed a little power display as the Indians matched a season-high with four homers, two from Jason Kipnis who was installed to the top of the lineup, as he led off the game with a homer off Twins losing pitcher Hector Santiago.

The win puts the Indians back within a game of the Twins for the lead in the division at 19-17, dropping Minnesota to 19-15 on the year.

The Rays are coming in for three games to wrap up the homestand starting on Monday, but for now let's enjoy the five-run win with our three takeaways from Sunday's victory.

1. Lineup Changes Pay Off

After watching his team score 27 runs over the first 11 games in the month of May (2.4 runs per game), Tribe manager Terry Francona had seen enough, and tinkered with the lineup with a huge payoff.

Francona moved second basemen Jason Kipnis to the top of the order, and he had a huge day with two homers, nearly a third, and four hits total in five at-bats with four runs batted in.

The other move was putting Carlos Santana to the five hole, and he also responded with a homer, his 4th of the year, to put the Tribe up at the time 5-0 in the third inning.

Right now as anemic as the offense has been, the Indians have nothing to lose by playing around with the order, and Sunday it paid off with Kip and Carlos both having big days with big blasts at the plate.

2. Hammering Hector

The Indians have always had great success against Twins Sunday starter Hector Santiago, winning seven of their last 10 starts against him.

Mother's Day was no different, as they knocked Santiago around for five runs on seven hits in just 2.2 innings before he left the game.

Consider that Santiago in May in two starts (12.2 innings), had allowed five earned runs on seven hits with eight walks and eight strikeouts, the Indians teed off in a big way against him.

Sunday the bats for the Tribe had no mercy on Santiago, as Jason Kipnis, Lonnie Chisenahll and Carlos Santana all took the Twins starter deep to build the lead.

Santiago had given up three homers in 42.1 innings entering Sunday before the Indians got a hold of him. He was just what the doctor ordered to get the Tribe bats going on Sunday in the final game of the three-game set.

3. Bauer Finally Showing Some Power

After allowing 11 earned runs in 10 innings in his last two starts, Sunday we got the 'good' Trevor Bauer, as he went six innings and one batter, allowing three runs on seven hits with no walks and seven strikeouts.

Bauer in his now three home starts in 2017 has allowed 13 earned runs in 17 innings, striking out 21 batters. On the road it's been a totally different story, allowing 17 earned runs in 22 innings, striking out 23 batters in four starts.

It was good to see him get a lead and then even more so keep it and unlike Danny Salazar last Wednesday in Toronto, as Bauer was able to make the runs hold up.

Bauer will be back on the mound on Friday when the Indians open a weekend series at Houston against the Astros. The Tribe starter allowed four runs in six innings the last time he faced Houston back on April 26th in an Indians 7-6 win.