MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Shelley Duncan homered to start a six-run seventh and added a two-run double in the inning as the Cleveland Indians rallied for a 6-5 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Sunday, completing a three-game sweep.

Trailing 3-0, the Indians scored five unearned runs in the seventh with help from an error on first baseman Chris Parmalee. Duncan led off with a homer and also doubled in a pair of runs later in the inning that saw Cleveland send 11 batters to the plate.

Minnesota’s Jason Repko left the game after being hit in the head by a pitch from Justin Masterson in the bottom of the sixth. Repko walked off of field with assistance and was taken to Hennepin County Medical Center for evaluation.

Luke Hughes scored three runs for the Twins, who lost their eighth straight and 24th in 29 games. Minnesota’s Brian Dinkelman had his first career four-hit game.

Masterson (12-10) pitched six innings, giving up three runs — one earned — on seven hits to secure the victory. Chris Perez pitched a scoreless ninth for his 34th save in 38 chances.

The win allowed the Indians to secure their first three-game sweep since mid-June.

Behind Carl Pavano, Minnesota was in control through six innings. That changed in the seventh.

After Duncan homered to lead off the inning, Cleveland’s Lonnie Chisenhall reached on what would be a costly error on Minnesota’s Chris Parmalee. After fielding the grounder, Parmalee’s throw to Pavano covering first was wide and Chisenhall was safe.

The Twins quickly got the next two outs, but Cleveland took advantage of the extra out and loaded the bases. Minnesota relievers Jose Mijares and Alex Burnett each walked in a run, allowing Cleveland to tie the game at 3.

Cleveland’s Jim Thome — who spent all of 2010 and much of 2011 with the Twins — gave Cleveland a 4-3 lead with a broken bat single that didn’t leave the infield.

Batting for the second time in the inning, Duncan hit a line drive that hit the left-field wall to drive in two runs and give Cleveland a 6-3 lead.

Pavano (8-13) was charged with the loss in a game in which he was sharp for six-plus innings. While Pavano gave up four runs, only one was earned.

The Twins, who started a lineup that featured only one opening-day starter, scored twice in the bottom of the eighth to cut Cleveland’s lead to 6-5. After hitting Matt Tolbert with a pitch to load the bases, Cleveland reliever Vinnie Pestano walked in two runs.

Hughes scored his third run of the game in the sixth to give Minnesota a 3-0 lead on Brian Dinkelman’s single.

In the second, Hughes scored on Joe Benson’s groundout. In the bottom of the fourth, he scored again, this time when Lou Marson threw ball into center field in an attempt to throw out Benson, who was stealing.

NOTES: Both teams have one-game makeups on Monday. David Huff (2-5) will pitch for Cleveland against Seattle in a makeup of a May 14 rainout. The Indians will then host the Chicago White Sox for four games in three days. Minnesota was scheduled to fly to New York on Sunday night for a one-game makeup against the Yankees before returning home to face the Mariners. Scott Diamond (1-4) will start for the Twins against the Yankees. … Because of the quick, one-game trip to New York, the Twins are leaving the rest of the starting rotation and several injured players in Minnesota. … The victory allowed Cleveland to even its record at 75-75 with 12 games remaining in the season. The Indians haven’t finished above .500 since 2007.

If the Twins’ season was a fight the corner would’ve thrown in the towel several rounds ago, as they’ve now lost 12 of the past 13 series, including seven in a row.

Since climbing to 50-56 on July 29 to convince the front office not to become sellers at the trading deadline the Twins have gone 9-31, which is the second-worst 40-game stretch in team history ahead of only the miserable 1982 season.

That year the Twins lost 100 games for the first and only time, going 60-102 while trading both Roy Smalley and Butch Wynegar to the Yankees and breaking in rookies Kent Hrbek, Frank Viola, Gary Gaetti, Tom Brunansky, Randy Bush, and Tim Laudner. In retrospect that mess was the start of a rebuilding process that led to a championship five years later and a second title four years after that, but it’s hard to imagine 2011 in similar context.

There are 16 games remaining and the Twins must go just 4-12 to avoid the second 100-loss season in team history, which sounds fairly simple except for the fact that they’re 4-12 in their last 16 games and also went 4-12 in the 16 games before that. They’ve already lost five more games than any other team in the Ron Gardenhire era and are a near-lock to finish with the fewest wins since the 1999 team went 63-97 under Tom Kelly.

I was born in 1983, so there’s a good chance this will be the worst Twins team of my lifetime. They’re now in last place, two games behind the Royals, and in a virtual tie with the Orioles for the AL’s worst record. They won’t be able to catch the Astros for baseball’s worst record, but the Twins’ run differential of -160 is within range of Houston at -163. Toss in the $115 million payroll with contender expectations and this might be the worst season in Twins history.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP)—The Minnesota Twins placed pitcher Nick Blackburn(notes) on the
15-day disabled list with a strained right forearm and recalled reliever Lester
Oliveros(notes) from Triple-A Rochester before Monday’s game against the Baltimore
Orioles.

Blackburn left his start on Sunday against the Yankees after 1 2-3 innings.
He had an MRI on Monday and will meet with a specialist on Tuesday.

Anthony Swarzak(notes) will take Blackburn’s spot in the rotation and start on
Friday when the Twins play Detroit.

Oliveros was one of two pitchers the Twins acquired in a trade that sent
Delmon Young(notes) to Detroit on Aug. 16. The right-hander made three appearances in
Rochester before getting recalled.

The Twins have used the disabled list 23 times this season and have fallen
to fourth in the AL Central after briefly getting back into contention at the
All-Star break.

Justin Morneau(notes) fouled a ball off his right foot on Saturday and hasn’t
played since. Morneau said he could pinch-hit on Monday if needed.

Tsuyoshi Nishioka(notes) continues to have pain in his lower-back/oblique area and
was not in the starting lineup.

Denard Span(notes) is spending a week away from the team to rest and recover from
migraine symptoms. Span missed 56 games with a concussion, then briefly returned
before having to go back on the DL Aug. 18.

Starting pitcher Scott Baker(notes) (right flexor strain) and second-baseman Alexi
Casilla(notes) (hamstring) will begin workouts on Tuesday.

Read More: twins baseball, minnesota twins baseball, yankees baseball, new york yankees baseball, yankees at twins, yankees vs twins, yankees twins score, yankees twins recap, Phil Hughes (P – NYY), Kevin Slowey (P – MIN), Russell Martin (C – NYY), A.J. Burnett (P – NYY), Francisco Liriano (P – MIN), Anthony Swarzak (P – MIN), Luke Hughes (3B – MIN), Trevor Plouffe (SS – MIN), Minnesota Twins, New York Yankees, New York Yankees at Minnesota Twins, Aug 19, 2011 7:10 PM CDT

To say that the New York Yankees have “owned” the Minnesota Twins during the Ron Gardenhire era would be a disservice to how dominant New York has been over that stretch. The Yankees have absolutely dominated the Twins since Gardenhire took over as manager, and Friday night was a microcosm of that dominance.

The Twins managed just two hits against Yankees pitching on Friday night at Target Field, getting thrashed by New York to the tune of 8-1. The loss dropped the Twins’ record against the Yankees since Gardenhire became the team’s manager to 19-62 (including the post-season), a staggering 43 games under .500.

Minnesota actually got off to an early lead against the Yankees, as Trevor Plouffe launched a solo home run in the bottom of the first off of Yankees’ starter Phil Hughes (4-4, 5.75 ERA) to give the Twins a 1-0 lead. However, the Twins would not get another hit until Luke Hughes’ single in the eighth inning.

In the meantime, the Yankees were busy pounding returning Twins’ starter Kevin Slowey (0-1, 6.20 ERA). Slowey, who had not pitched at all for the Twins since May 20, gave up six runs on nine hits in 5.2 innings of work on the evening. Included in that were two home runs given up to the Yankees’ ninth batter in the lineup, catcher Russell Martin, accounting for three of the six runs that Slowey allowed. Anthony Swarzak allowed two runs on four hits in three innings of relief.

The Twins will, once again, fight the (seemingly) unbeatable foe on Saturday night at Target Field, as they will take on the Yankees in the third of this four-game series, with first pitch from Target Field scheduled for 6:10 PM Central time. The Yankees will give the ball to right-hander A.J. Burnett (9-9, 4.61 ERA), while the Twins will counter with the always entertaining (seemingly in a different way each start) Francisco Liriano (8-9, 5.12 ERA).