CLEVELAND – It would have been a tough one to lose for the Indians on Friday night. Matt LaPorta ensured that it didn’t happen.

With his team on the verge of heading to extra innings after squandering a lead it had held nearly the entire night, LaPorta blasted a walk-off solo home run to lead off the bottom of the ninth, lifting Cleveland to a 7-6 victory.

LaPorta hit the second pitch from Twins reliever Matt Guerrier, launching it over the wall in left-center field to touch off the celebration.

“It was a great feeling,” said LaPorta, who said he had never hit a walk-off homer on any level in his baseball career. “I think we did a good job of keeping our composure, then we came out and did what we had to do.”

The Indians scored three times in the first inning and held the advantage until the ninth, when Minnesota rallied for two runs to tie the game off closer Chris Perez.

Instead of buckling, the youth-laden Indians bounced back big time behind LaPorta.

“That was a young-team victory,” said Indians manager Manny Acta, whose club is 13-9 since the All-Star break. “We had a chance to put the game away and we didn’t. Then we come back and win the game. We got the win. That’s what counts.”

Minnesota’s rally deprived Indians starter Jeanmar Gomez of putting himself in select company.

Gomez was in line for the win after allowing just a run on four hits over 5 1/3 innings. He would have become just the third Cleveland pitcher since 1920 to record wins in each of his first three appearances on the big league level, joining Scott Lewis, who won his first four starts in 2008, and reliever Frank Funk (1960).

As it was, Gomez could take solace in another positive outing, while giving his team the chance to win.

“Gomez threw the ball OK,” Acta said. “He didn’t have his good slider but that movement on his fastball continues to help him. He gave us five innings without his good stuff.”

Facing a Twins team that is still in the division race – entering the night 1½ games behind first-place Chicago – and that had ace Francisco Liriano on the mound, Gomez remained in the comfort zone he has occupied since making his big league debut July 18.

“I just tried to do what I did before,” Gomez said. “I threw a lot of pitches in the first and second innings. I learned that I don’t have to try to be too fine.”

Gomez’s effort trumped that of his high-profile counterpart, Liriano, who was shaky early and lasted just 4 2/3 innings, allowing four runs on seven hits. He struck out six and walked six.

It was a surprising sight from Liriano, who entered the outing 3-0 with a 1.23 ERA in three starts against the Indians this year.

Perez allowed the game-tying runs on a two-run single from Alexi Casilla, but it looked like former Indian Jim Thome had tied the game two batters earlier on a drive to left-center that would have gone for a two-run homer.

It was originally ruled a double and stayed that way despite a review of instant replay that appeared to show the ball crossing the yellow border line for a homer.

“I thought it was gone,” Perez said.

So did Minnesota manager Ron Gardenhire, who was ejected after arguing the reviewed call.

“Go ask the (clubhouse) cook, he’ll tell you (it was a homer),” Gardenhire said. “And he’s from Cleveland.”

Perez put the caps on a forgetful night from Cleveland’s bullpen, which had been extremely stingy as of late.

With Gomez gone, a trio of relievers – Justin Germano, Joe Smith and Perez – allowed the Twins to get back in the mix by surrendering five runs over the last three innings.

Perez entered the game riding a 14 1/3-inning (15 games) scoreless streak – a season-high by a Cleveland pitcher. He had converted eight straight save opportunities.

“I’d rather get a save,” said Perez, who wound up with the win. “LaPorta picked me up there. I’ve been going good for a month and half. It’s no big deal. We got the win. That’s all that matters.”

The Indians drew 25,275 fans, boosted by the largest walk-up crowd of the season (5,692). It was the sixth largest walk-up crowd in Jacobs/Progressive Field history.

Contact Chris Assenheimer at 329-7136 or cassenheimer@chroniclet.com.

TONIGHT

• WHO: Cleveland vs. Minnesota
• TIME: 7:05
• WHERE: Progressive Field
• PITCHERS: Carmona (11-8, 3.78 ERA) vs. Pavano (13-7, 3.32)
• TV/RADIO: SportsTime Ohio; WEOL 930-AM, WTAM 1100-AM

CLEVELAND – Michael Brantley is back up and Jensen Lewis is back down. It’s been an ongoing theme for the Indians this season.

Lewis was optioned to Triple-A Columbus on Friday to clear room for Brantley on the 25-man roster – the fourth time the right-hander has been sent down this year after beginning the season in the big league bullpen.

Brantley was called up for his third stint with the Indians after opening the year as their starter in left field.

“I understand if he’s disappointed,” said manager Manny Acta of Lewis, who is 3-2 with a 3.68 ERA, 28 walks and 27 strikeouts in 25 appearances covering 25 2/3 innings. “Nobody likes to be in the minor leagues.”

Lewis, who finished the 2008 season as Cleveland’s closer, was the last pitcher in an overstocked bullpen that includes Rule V Draft acquisition Hector Ambriz and right-hander Justin Germano.

In order to send Ambriz down, the Indians would first have to offer him back to Arizona. Germano, who has made seven starts in the minors this season, provides Cleveland’s bullpen with a long reliever that Acta favors at this point.

The last time Brantley was sent down (July 27) it was out of necessity, with the Indians’ bullpen depleted and in need of an arm. It appears he will finish the season in Cleveland, with Acta saying Brantley was back to play center field on a daily basis.

Brantley’s .319 batting average at Columbus ranked second in the International League through Thursday, but he has struggled on the big league level, entering Friday with a .157 average (16-for-102), one home run and seven RBIs in 26 games for the Indians.

“It’s about making the adjustment up here,” Acta said. “We have the time and we have the opportunity to give to him. We feel like Michael is a guy that is going to hit up here.”

Wounded Wahoos

Carlos Santana underwent surgery on his left knee Friday and, though he is expected to be sidelined for four to six months, Acta said the catcher should be ready by spring training in 2011.

“Like all surgeries, it was successful,” Acta said. “For us, it was good news, because they didn’t find any damage inside the knee. They just had to repair the (lateral collateral) ligament.”

Mitch Talbot (mid-back strain) and Anthony Reyes (right elbow surgery) threw bullpen sessions at Progressive Field on Friday.

Talbot is expected to make a rehab start for Class A Mahoning Valley on Monday and could return to the rotation after the one appearance if it goes well.

Reyes’ rehab stint was interrupted by back stiffness in his last outing, but Acta said the right-hander is on the verge of beginning another one and is still an option to pitch for the Indians before the season is complete.

Lofton love

Kenny Lofton was in attendance Friday night on the eve of his induction into the Indians’ Hall of Fame prior to today’s game. Lofton, who spent three different stints in Cleveland (1992-96, 1998-01 and 2007), will be inducted along with former general manager Cy Slapnicka (1935-40).

Lofton, a veteran of 17 major league seasons, is the Indians’ franchise leader in stolen bases (452), while ranking third in runs (975) and 10th in hits (1,512). His playing career ended after his final season with the Indians in ‘07, the last time Cleveland qualified for the playoffs.

Fans in attendance will receive a Bobblehead of Lofton’s memorable catch (Aug. 4, 1996) over the Indians’ bullpen that stole a two-run homer from Baltimore’s B.J. Surhoff.

After his tenure as GM, Slapnicka spent 21 seasons as a scout for the Indians, signing Hall of Fame pitchers Bob Feller and Bob Lemon. He joins former owner Richard Jacobs and former owner/GM Bill Veeck in the Distinguished Hall of Fame wing.

Minor details

Infielder Matt McBride was named Eastern League player of the month for July. McBride, who was recently promoted to Columbus, hit .364 (32-for-88) for Double-A Akron over the span, with a league-leading 11 homers and 29 RBIs.

• Class A Lake County outfielder Delvi Cid entered Friday leading all the minor leagues with 56 stolen bases (13 caught stealing). Cid, a non-drafted free agent acquisition in 2006, has already shattered Lake County’s single-season record of 47.

Roundin’ third

Third base coach Steve Smith served the final game of a two-game suspension for his part in a bench-clearing incident in Boston on Tuesday. Acta filled in for Smith for the second straight night.

• The Indians signed 11th-round draft choice Hunter Jones, a shortstop out of Lakewood (Calif.) High School, and the son of former big leaguer Tracy Jones. Cleveland has signed 15 of its 50 draft picks, but none of its top five picks, including the fifth overall selection, LHP Drew Pomeranz.

Contact Chris Assenheimer at 329-7136 or cassenheimer@chroniclet.com.

BOSTON (AP) — Daisuke Matsuzaka and Adrian Beltre are doing their best to keep the Boston Red Sox in playoff contention.

Matsuzaka pitched eight solid innings and Beltre hit a grand slam to lead Boston to a 6-2 victory over the Cleveland Indians on Thursday night, earning a split of the four-game series.

“Every game from here on is a must win,” Matsuzaka said, “so I think the most important things about today is we got a ‘W.’”

Going into their game on July 4, the Red Sox were a half-game out of first place in the AL East. Now, after a rash of injuries, they trail the first-place New York Yankees by six games for the division lead and Tampa Bay by 5½ in the wild-card race.

Matsuzaka (8-3) allowed Shin-Soo Choo’s 14th homer of the season in the first but gave up just four more hits and never faced more than four batters in any inning. He is 5-1 in his last 10 starts and has allowed three earned runs or less in 10 of his last 12 outings.

“Matsuzaka had tremendous control and he was tough,” Indians manager Manny Acta said. “We aren’t claiming to be a hitting machine type of club, but he had a good arsenal.”

More photos below.

He struck out six, walked two and allowed five hits. After Jayson Nix led off the seventh with a single, Matsuzaka retired the last six batters he faced, finishing by getting Choo on a groundout.

“I knew that if I let anybody on base that would be the night for me, so I needed to get those (last) three outs,” Matsuzaka said.

Beltre is batting a team-high .336 with 20 homers and a club-leading 75 RBIs. He connected for his grand slam in the fourth off Josh Tomlin (1-1), who retired Boston’s first 10 batters.

“It was a fastball right in the middle,” Tomlin said. “I lost the first few hitters and got out of rhythm. The fourth inning killed me and I paid when I made a mistake.”

Jonathan Papelbon got his 26th save in 31 opportunities when he struck out Trevor Crowe with the bases loaded for the final out.

Matsuzaka “gave us a lot of pitches to hit and we just didn’t,” Crowe said. “He challenged us, but we just didn’t take advantage.”

Marco Scutaro singled with one out in the fourth for Boston. After David Ortiz flied out, Victor Martinez and J.D. Drew walked before Beltre hit a 1-0 pitch for his eighth grand slam and first since Sept. 21, 2006. It extended his hitting streak to 11 games during which he’s batting .356.

“He continues to just take ferocious swings without losing sight of what he’s doing,” Red Sox manager Terry Francona said.

The homer capped Beltre’s big series against Cleveland. He started it by driving in all of Boston’s runs in a 6-5 loss Monday night and finished 6 for 15 with four runs scored, three homers and nine RBIs.

Drew drove in Boston’s last two runs in the eighth with a single.

Cleveland scored on Luis Valbuena’s ninth-inning single off Hideki Okajima before Papelbon took over.

The Indians lost a chance for their first series win at Fenway Park since 2005, while the victory sent the Red Sox off a tough 10-game road trip on a high note. They open a four-game series against the Yankees on Friday night, then play three games each at Toronto and Texas.

Boston is trying to stay in contention without some of its best hitters. The latest to be sidelined is first baseman Kevin Youkilis, who is scheduled to undergo season-ending surgery on his right thumb on Friday in Cleveland. Second baseman Dustin Pedroia missed his 34th game Thursday with a fractured left foot and still can’t run without pain.

Matsuzaka was coming off one of his poorer outings of his strong season when he left last Saturday’s game in the seventh with Detroit leading 4-0. But Boston rallied for a 5-4 win.

Tomlin started the game the way he pitched in his first two major league starts. He allowed one earned run in seven-plus innings and got the win in his debut, a 3-1 win over the Yankees, then got a no-decision in a 2-1 win at Toronto in which he gave up one earned run in 5 1-3 innings.

Tomlin settled down after Beltre’s homer, giving up two more hits before leaving after the seventh.

“He’s human,” Acta said. “Here and there he will lose his command, but after the grand slam he still went about his business and kept his composure.”

Tonight

• Who: Cleveland vs. Minnesota
• Time: 7:05
• Where: Progressive Field
• Pitchers: Gomez (2-0, 1.50 ERA) vs. Liriano (10-7, 3.18)
• TV/radio: SportsTime Ohio; WEOL 930-AM, WTAM 1100-AM

Notes

• Ortiz’s 13-game hitting streak ended when he went 0 for 3.
• Choo’s homer extended Cleveland’s streak to 58 games with an extra-base hit, the longest current stretch in the majors.
• Before the game, the Indians acquired C Juan Apodaca and IF Argenis Reyes, who have been at Boston’s Triple-A team in Pawtucket, for cash.
• Matsuzaka is 4-0 with a 0.93 ERA in his last four starts against Cleveland.

LORAIN — Police arrested two people and are looking for a third following a fight Tuesday night at the Lake Motel, 3917 West Erie Ave.

Joseph Aldridge, 29, and Rodney White, 27, both of Lorain were both arrested. According to the report, officers are still looking for a dark-skinned black male 5-feet-10 and 195 pounds. He was last seen wearing gray pants and no shirt.

According to a Lorain police report, officers were called to the motel about 10:20 p.m. Callers reported multiple people were fighting and one of them had a gun.

Officers arrived to find the subjects who were fighting had fled the scene, a police report said.

Officers noticed a group of people standing in a driveway at 3910 West Erie and approached them only to have one man, later identified as Aldridge, flee.

Officers chasing him noticed an “unknown black item” in his right hand and demanded he stop, at which point he “squared off” with officers. Officers apprehended him after Tasering him. He was taken to Community Regional Medical Center to have the Taser darts removed, the police report said. Officers wound up recovering a bag containing a “green leafy matter” weighing 5.3 grams from Aldrige.

In the meantime, White was “verbally assaulting” officers, the report said.

Once officers had the situation under control, they met up with original complainant, a 28-year-old woman, who told them she walked from across the street to purchase a cigarette at the Lake Motel.

As she walked through the parking lot, she told officers a black male made sexual advances toward her, eventually pulling on her arm and telling her to go to his room.

She said she fled back to her apartment, and her fiance and another male returned to the motel to confront the man who had approached her.

She said the man then punched her fiance, then walked to his vehicle and pulled out a gun.

Motel manager Vinu Patel told officers that the woman and three males arrived at the motel carrying baseball bats and began beating on the door of several rooms. Witnesses said they didn’t see a weapon other than the bats and fists flying.