The Indians dropped their finale at Progressive Field on Sunday, losing 6-4 to the Twins in 10 innings.

Tony Sipp allowed a pair of runs in the 10th.

CLEVELAND – The Indians’ youth movement again paid dividends Saturday in their day/night doubleheader with the Minnesota Twins.

In the opener, right-handed reliever Zach Putnam earned his first major league victory as the Tribe poured it on late for an 8-2 win.

The second game saw fellow rookie Nick Hagadone accomplish the same feat when Cleveland scored seven straight runs to steal a 7-6 victory. It was the biggest comeback of the year for the Indians, who have won eight straight over the Twins.

“It was a long, but productive day,” said Tribe manager Manny Acta, whose squad is 80-78. “It’s especially nice to see two kids getting their first wins on the major league level on the same day.

“Obviously we’re disappointed that we’re not going to the playoffs, but what’s gone on this season is definitely a step in the right direction.”

It also was a memorable day for left fielder Shelley Duncan, who knocked in three runs in each game and had both game-winning RBIs. The journeyman went 3-for-7 with one run, two doubles and a home run.

“Shelley continues to be a huge force offensively for us,” Acta said. “He’s made the most of the opportunities he’s been given this year, and he looks very confident out there every day.”

Tribe right-hander Mitch Talbot got rocked in his return from the minors, allowing six runs, nine hits and four walks in 5 1/3 innings in the second game. He exited with the Tribe trailing 6-0, but was taken off the hook when it scored seven runs over the next two innings.

“I felt a little out of whack tonight, not fluid is maybe the best way to put it,” said Talbot, whose final stats were a 2-6 record with a 6.64 ERA. “I definitely didn’t want it to happen, but unfortunately, it did.”

Cleveland’s bullpen followed with 3 2/3 scoreless innings as lefty Hagadone (1-0, 4.82 ERA) recorded three outs to pick up the win. All-Star closer Chris Perez locked down his 36th save.

“Again tonight, our bullpen was outstanding,” Acta said. “Hagadone threw the ball the best he has here so far, and Chris has been fantastic for us all season. I don’t know if anyone in baseball has more one-run saves than Chris, but he’s been nails in those situations.”

The Indians did suffer a pair of injuries as center fielder Trevor Crowe strained his right shoulder in Game 1, and shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera’s sore right elbow flared up in Game 2.

The day started on a good note for the Tribe as David Huff struck out a career-high seven and didn’t permit a walk in 5 2/3 strong innings. The lefty was aggressive and accurate with his fastball, throwing 67 strikes in a 101-pitch outing.

“From where I was at the beginning of the season to now, I’ve made some great strides,” said Huff, who finished the year with a career-low 4.09 ERA and 2-6 record. “(The Indians) have told me I’ll be fighting for a spot in the rotation next year, which is what I’ve been doing for three years. I look forward to it.”

Putnam (1-1, 6.35 ERA) replaced Huff with two outs in the sixth and tossed
1 1/3 scoreless innings. He earned the victory when the Tribe broke a 2-2 tie by torching Minnesota reliever Francisco Liriano (9-10, 5.09 ERA) for five runs.

“I feel awesome, and I’m glad I was able to contribute to the team getting a win,” said Putnam, who was Cleveland’s fifth-round draft pick in 2008. “This is such a great situation to be in because we’ve got a lot of good guys in this clubhouse. I’m just trying to pitch in.”

Contact Brian Dulik at brisports@hotmail.com.

TODAY

• WHO: Cleveland vs. Minnesota
• TIME: 1:05
• WHERE: Progressive Field
• PITCHERS: Carmona (7-15, 5.23 ERA) vs. Hendriks (0-2, 6.23)
• TV/RADIO:  SportsTime Ohio; WEOL 930-AM, WTAM 1100-AM

CLEVELAND – Jim Thome is discovering he means even more to Cleveland than he realized.

Stunned by the Indians’ pregame announcement of a plan to erect a statue at Progessive Field to honor their greatest slugger, Thome gave Cleveland fans one more memory.

So did Carlos Santana, whose pinch-hit homer leading off the bottom of the ninth beat the Minnesota Twins 6-5 Friday night.

“Just a magical night,” Thome said. “I didn’t know about the statue. That’s surreal – as good as it gets. I’m speechless on that one.”

Once again, the 41-year-old rendered Cleveland fans breathless, going 3-for-4 with three RBIs, including a two-run homer, the 604th of his career. It extended his team record to 337.

“It takes a special player to do that on an emotional night when he is honored,” manager Manny Acta said. “We wanted to win it badly for him.”

Santana, batting for Lou Marson, drove the first pitch from Matt Capps (4-7) over the wall in right-center for his 27th homer, giving Cleveland its 17th home win in its final at-bat.

“Thome called it,” Acta said. “He was standing right next to me and called it. Amazing.”

Santana couldn’t recall ever getting a pinch-hit homer and was delighted to deliver for Thome.

“This is special for me, too, because we won for such a great player,” said Santana, who was 5 years old when Thome hit his first homer for Cleveland in 1991. “Seeing him hit his was even better.”

Ron Gardenhire, who managed Thome in Minnesota the past two years until the Twins sent him back to Cleveland on Aug. 25, was a bit in awe.

“I have total respect for Mr. Thome,” Gardenhire said. “The numbers are amazing, but that personality he has hasn’t changed since the first time I met him until now. He’s always been the friendliest, nicest guy in the world from the opposing side to having him on your team.”

Chris Perez (4-7) pitched one perfect inning as Cleveland pulled out a dramatic win for Thome, who said he will wait until the offseason to decide if he wants to return for a 22nd season in 2012.

Fans sat through a steady rain to salute Thome before the game, then gave a rousing ovation his first time up. The cheers increased as he lined a run-scoring double into the left-field corner, a two-out hit that got Cleveland within 2-1.

Matt LaPorta, who had three hits for Cleveland, tied it at 2 with an RBI double in the second.

Chris Parmelee’s two-run single in the first off Indians starter Justin Masterson gave the Twins a 2-0 lead.

Parmelee opened the Twins’ third with his third homer. Minnesota made it 4-2 later in the inning with an unearned run on a throwing error by second baseman Jason Kipnis.

Thome’s towering 425-foot shot to straightaway center tied it at 4 in the bottom half.

“I watched it go up and wanted to sort of get a snapshot of it in my mind,” Indians reliever Chad Durbin said. “It’s something I can remember my entire life.

“It started coming towards the bullpen and the guys were scrambling because they wanted to be the one to catch it. But it went a little to our right and past us. What a moment!”

LaPorta’s RBI single in the sixth put Cleveland ahead 5-4, but Rene Tosoni’s RBI double off Rafael Perez tied it again in the seventh.

The Twins, headed for their first last-place finish since 2000, have won just two of their last 18 games. They blew a chance to break it open in the fifth when Masterson walked two and hit a batter to load the bases. Joe Benson hit a one-hopper to Masterson, who turned it into a home-to-first double play before walking Drew Butera to reload the bases.

Reliever Frank Herrmann got Ben Revere to foul out, ending the threat.

Masterson tied a career-high with six walks and hit two in 4 2/3 innings, giving up three earned runs and five hits. Acta said the right-hander, who has worked 216 innings, will be shut down for the year.

“He’s had a tremendous season, never hit a rough spot of more than one game,” Acta said. “He has nothing to prove.”

Twins starter Carl Pavano yielded five runs and 10 hits in 6 1/3 innings, including a check-swing infield single by Thome.

“I gave up almost every kind of hit to him,” Pavano said. “He already had a double and he almost hit one of out freaking Ohio. It certainly was Thome’s night, wasn’t it?”

Notable

The start, set back 15 minutes to 7:20 for the pregame salute to Thome, was delayed another 27 minutes by rain.

• Benson made a nice leaping catch at wall to rob Kipnis of extra bases.

• Twins RF Michael Cuddyer left in the seventh with a tight right groin.

• It was Cleveland’s 34th comeback win this year.

• Minnesota has six games left and is four losses from its first 100-loss season since 1982.

• Kelly Shoppach had Cleveland’s last walkoff pinch-hit homer, June 26, 2007, against Oakland.

• Santana’s second walkoff of the year, followed his grand slam April 29 to beat Detroit.

TODAY

• WHO: Cleveland vs. Minnesota
• TIME: 1:05 and 7:05
• WHERE: Progressive Field
• PITCHERS:
Game 1: Huff (2-6, 4.20 ERA) vs. Duensing (9-14, 5.29)
Game 2: Talbot (2-6, 6.33 ERA) vs. Diamond (1-5, 4.81)
• TV/RADIO:  Game 1: SportsTime Ohio; WTAM 1100-AM
Game 2: SportsTime Ohio, Ch. 3; WTAM 1100-AM

CLEVELAND – All the memories, some fresh and some forgotten, have been chasing Jim Thome around this season – maybe his final season.

And as it nears the end, Thome knows his career may be ending, too.

“You can’t play forever,” he said.

On Friday night, Thome experienced another emotional moment in a season overflowing with them as the Cleveland Indians, the team that will always mean more to him than any other, honored the gentlemanly slugger before opening a three-game series with Minnesota.

Then he went out and earned another curtain call, hitting his 604th career homer, a towering two-run shot to straightaway center, in the direction where he will soon be immortalized.

During a touching pregame tribute, the Indians unveiled plans to erect a bronze statue of Thome, the team’s career home run leader, beyond the wall in center. The pose is classic Thome, pointing his bat toward the pitcher. Thome was surprised and moved by the gesture.

After joining his teammates in the stands at Progressive Field for the Indians’ 2011 team photo, Thome sat in the third base dugout and reminisced on his baseball journey, the one of the skinny third baseman with the sweet swing who became one of the greatest power hitters in major league history.

“I could have never imagined it,” said Thome, one of eight players to hit more than 600 home runs. “How could you?”

The 41-year-old Thome could be down to the final days of a Hall of Fame worthy career that began as a 19-year-old in 1989, when the Indians drafted the Peoria, Ill., native in the first round. Thome hasn’t decided if he’ll retire and insists he’s not leaning toward a return or giving up the game to be with his family.

He’s being patient and practical. Thome’s been around baseball long enough to know there’s a limited market for designated hitters with balky backs who might not be able to play every day. Whether it’s in a month or another year, Thome knows he’s down to just a few more cuts.

Starting next week, he’s got a lot to consider.

“You’ve got to get phone calls to play, that’s No. 1,” he said. “And then, we’ll see. I don’t want to give an answer right now because once I get home, I’ll reflect back on how this year went and look and see. I feel very fortunate that I was able to stay healthy – pretty much. I was hurt a little bit here and there, but for the most part, it’s been a very special year.”

It began with him in Minnesota needing 11 homers to join baseball’s ultra-exclusive 600-homer club, a group of eight he joined Aug. 15 in Detroit. Ten days later, the Twins traded him to the Indians, who hoped his addition could help a young team turn an unexpected season into a special one.

That didn’t happen. The Indians faded from contention and will end 2011 ahead of expectations but well back of Detroit in the AL Central.

However, the chance to come back helped Thome not only circle his career but bring closure to one of its roughest patches.

His decision to leave Cleveland as a free agent and sign with Philadelphia after the 2002 season changed his relationship with many Indians fans. They booed him as a visitor, and as hard as he tried to block out the negative noise, he couldn’t change the perception that he had betrayed the team he helped get to two World Series.

Thome didn’t know if he would ever be forgiven.

It took one at-bat for Cleveland to show him the hurt was gone.

As he came to the plate Aug. 26 against Kansas City, Thome was greeted with a rousing standing ovation, a touching moment he ranked among his fondest.

“It’s something I’ll never forget,” he told the crowd during Friday’s pregame festivities.

Coming “home” gave Thome the chance to make amends, correct an error.

“We all make mistakes and sometimes you say things and you really don’t realize what you’re saying at that moment,” he said. “You can always apologize and say you’re sorry, and hope you get that opportunity to do that. I don’t regret anything because I was able to be a part of some great organizations when I left. But to be able to come back and be a part of it is very special.”

Thome said his return to Cleveland gave him a chance to reflect on his first 12 seasons with the Indians, who won six division titles and two pennants with him in the heart of their batting order. Of all the moments, Thome said the one that may rank above them all was catching the third out in the ninth inning as Cleveland clinched the AL Central title in 1995 – the Indians’ first crown in 41 years.

Thome has relished the chance to mentor the Indians’ young players. It’s a role he has embraced, and a chance to give back the way Hall of Famer Eddie Murray did in taking Thome under his wing as a teammate years earlier.

Even Cleveland’s veterans have been in awe.

“When I was coming up, he was the guy that I looked up to and I tried to pattern my game after him,” designated hitter Travis Hafner said. “I wanted to be a hitter first. A patient hitter, working the pitcher, like he did, and then if the home runs came along that was OK, too.”

During his second stint with Cleveland, Thome said simply walking into the clubhouse has sprung suppressed memories. He and former teammate and current coach Sandy Alomar recently talked about the 1997 playoff win over the Yankees. This week, Thome and Omar Vizquel shared some laughs and then got to trade lineup cards at home plate when the Indians hosted the White Sox.

There have been other flashbacks.

“So many great moments and times, it’s hard to remember them all,” he said. “But when they’re mentioned to you they kind of come back, which is cool.”

Thome feels his body can handle another season. He may stop anyway.

It may be time to go and retire, a word he’s not comfortable even saying.

“When do you know it’s time to say, ‘OK, that’s it?’” he said. “That is the most difficult part of any decision like that because you don’t want to throw the ‘R’ word out there. I’ve mentioned it a couple times, but not in the sense that I’m doing it. That word is very fragile. We’ll see.”