Indians, Twins close brief series at Target Field

Lowe has allowed more than two earned runs in just two of his seven starts
this season, giving him a 5-1 mark and 2.47 earned run average. This comes
after he went 9-17 with a 5.05 ERA in 34 starts last season with Atlanta.

The 38-year-old beat his former Boston team on Thursday, pitching six innings
of two-run ball while working around nine hits and a walk.

Lowe is 1-4 with five saves and a 5.97 ERA in 21 career games against the
Twins, including seven starts.

The Twins hope Jason Marquis can avoid a third straight loss this afternoon
when the right-hander looks to rebound from a short outing last time out.

Marquis lasted a season-low four innings on Thursday versus the Blue Jays,
as he was charged with six runs — five earned — on seven hits and three
walks. That came one start after he walked six in a 7-0 defeat in Seattle.

He is 2-2 with a 6.26 ERA in five starts on the year.

“I’m just trying to find my arm slot more than anything,” the 33-year-old
righty told Minnesota’s website. “I’m getting on the side of the ball and so
it’s more run than depth than I’d like Obviously, the results have shown
that.”

Marquis has made 272 starts in his career, but only one has been against the
Indians. Hew as drilled for seven runs on nine hits and three homers over six
innings in a loss, which came back on June 26, 2006 with St. Louis.

Cleveland picked up a 5-4 win last night, with Shin Soo-Choo knocking in the
game-winning run in the top of the ninth inning.

With Matt Capps on the mound, Casey Kotchman started the rally with a one-out
single. After Aaron Cunningham popped out, Kotchman advanced to second on a
wild pitch by Capps, and Choo ripped a 3-2 two-seam fastball into right field
to bring home pinch-runner Lou Marson.

“That last pitch just ran back over the plate,” remarked Capps. “I made a nice
pitch two pitches before that kind of froze him and I was trying to throw that
same pitch.”

Chris Perez worked a 1-2-3 bottom of the inning to nail down his 12th save of
the season.

Kotchman crushed a two-run homer, while Carlos Santana and Travis Hafner each
added a run batted in for the Indians, who had lost five of six.

Jeanmar Gomez went seven strong innings in the start for Cleveland, giving up
one unearned run on three hits and three walks while fanning two in the no-
decision.

“Gomez did a very good job, he threw a lot of strikes and had good life on his
fastball,” Indians manager Manny Acta said. “He threw a lot of ground outs and
did a very good job. I feel bad he didn’t get the win, but I’m glad we were
able to pull it out.”

Ryan Doumit clubbed a two-run home run and Josh Willingham added an RBI double
for the Twins, who have dropped seven of their last 10.

The Indians have won nine of their past 10 against the Twins.