MINNEAPOLIS — Jorge Polanco drove in the game-ending run for the third time in four games, lining a bases-loaded single in the 11th inning to give the Minnesota Twins an 8-7 win over the Cleveland Indians.
The Twins survived after blowing a two-run lead in the ninth and nearly won it in the 10th. Danny Coulombe, Minnesota’s eighth pitcher, got the win. Justin Garza took the loss for Cleveland.
Polanco ended Monday’s game against Cleveland with an RBI double in the 10th. A day earlier, his walk-off sacrifice fly gave the Twins a win over Tampa Bay.
"When Polo got to bat, I said, ‘We won,’ already,” said Twins utility man Luis Arraez.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen this many late-inning, walk-off-type wins in this period of time,” manager Rocco Baldelli told MLB.com. “I mean, it’s pretty awesome. Those are normally some of the most memorable moments of your season. You have a handful of them every year, but what we’ve been doing lately has been pretty special and a hell of a lot of fun.”
Polanco is the first Twin to record walk-off RBIs in three straight team wins, and only the third in league history. MLB.com says Tony Peña did it for the Pirates in 1982, while George Scott had three straight walk-off game winners for Milwaukee in 1973.
The Twins had to overcome a second inning injury to starting pitcher Lewis Thorpe, and cobbled together the rest of the game using a total of eight pitchers. While the bullpen has been improved over the Twins recent stretch, Alex Colomé snapped his string of nine straight scoreless appearances by allowing two doubles and a game-tying wild pitch in the ninth inning to force the Twins back to the plate.
Tyler Duffey then dodged a bullet by stranding a pair of runners in scoring position in the 10th, and Nick Gordon preserved a tie in the top of the 11th with an inning-ending diving catch in center field.
