Young, Ramos have 4 hits each as Twins beat Tribe
CLEVELAND -- Delmon Young and rookie Wilson Ramos had four hits each, Minnesota pounded out 20 as a team and the Twins got another strong start from Francisco Liriano in their 8-3 win over the Cleveland Indians on Sunday.
Ramos became the first Twins player with four hits in his major league debut since Kirby Puckett on May 8, 1984. Young homered and tied a career high with his four hits.
Liriano (4-0) struck out nine over seven innings after early jitters led to his scoreless streak ending at 23 innings. The left-hander allowed three runs and eight hits, walking three.
Liriano, who went 12-3 as a rookie in 2006, missed all of '07 after Tommy John surgery. He was 11-17 with a 5.12 ERA the past two years, but has a 1.50 ERA this season.
The Twins' Jim Thome broke a 2-2 tie with a 425-foot line drive over the centerfield wall with two outs off David Huff (1-4) in the fifth inning. The 39-year-old slugger, who hit his first 334 homers for Cleveland, tied Rafael Palmiero for 11th on the career list with 569.
Young followed with a drive into the left-field seats for a 4-2 lead, and the first-place Twins went on to take two of three in the series. Cleveland has gone 1-2 in four successive series since winning three straight from the Chicago White Sox on April 16-18.
Orlando Hudson had a two-run homer in the first for the Twins, but right-fielder Shin-Soo Choo saved another run when he threw out Justin Morneau trying to score from second.
Cleveland tied it in the bottom half when Liriano walked two, made an error and committed a balk. It began with Asdrubal Cabrera's single off Lirano's leg, and he went all the way to third when the pitcher threw wildly. Cabrera eventually scored on a groundout. Later in the inning, Liriano balked home a run before getting Mark Grudzielanek to hit into a double play.
Liriano got out of a jam in the fifth when Matt LaPorta grounded into a double play.
A good relay throw from Hudson at second base kept Cleveland from tying it in the fifth. With runners on first and third and two outs, Austin Kearns doubled to right to make it 4-3. Sizemore tried to score from first, but Hudson took the throw from right-fielder Michael Cuddyer and pegged a one-hop strike to Ramos at the plate.
Nick Punto had a two-run single in the seventh and the Twins added two runs in the ninth.
NOTES: Twins C Joe Mauer missed his second game with a bruised left heel. Manager Ron Gardenire said he'll give the reigning AL MVP as much time as necessary to heal. ... The Twins placed RHP Pat Neshek on the DL with inflammation in his right middle finger and called up Ramos from Triple-A Rochester. ... Cabrera is 7 of 12 (.583) in his career off Liriano. ... Cleveland closer Kerry Wood is expected to go on a rehab assignment Monday at Double-A Akron. The right-hander has been out since mid-March with a strained muscle in his upper right back. ... Kearns is 14 for 34 with 11 RBIs over his last eight games.