MINNEAPOLIS — Seventh inning, tie game, runners on first and second and one out. Joe Mauer stepping to the plate.

The Minnesota Twins pray for situations like that and their opponents like the Cleveland Indians dread them. Then the three-time AL batting champion and reigning MVP bunted.

He did what?

That’s right, he laid a bunt down, but it sputtered in the dirt in front of home plate and Mauer was thrown out at first base. Jason Kubel followed with a groundout and the Indians escaped with the game tied.

Travis Hafner doubled home the go-ahead run in the eighth inning and the streaking Indians won their sixth in a row with a 4-3 victory over the Twins on Tuesday night.

“I don’t ever tell a hitter what to do,” Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. “He tried to drag bunt. Ask Joe about that.”

Well, Joe?

Mauer put forth a reasoned argument, saying that facing hard-throwing lefty Rafael Perez, who likes to throw cutters away, coupled with Indians third baseman Jhonny Peralta playing way back invited the move.

“It’s just giving me a base hit,” Mauer said. “It got off the end of the bat a little bit and I didn’t get it out there far enough. Didn’t execute.”

More photos below.

As the No. 3 hitter, who just signed an eight-year, $184 million extension, Mauer is getting paid to drive in runs, not move the runners up for Kubel. But Mauer has been struggling at the plate this season by his lofty standards, hitting .297 with just four homers and 41 RBIs.

“I’m not feeling the greatest at the plate right now, so that factors in,” Mauer said. “But that situation, to get two guys in scoring position with Kubel up with one out, I’ll take my chances, for sure.”

So will the Indians.

With runners on second and third, Kubel grounded out weakly to first base to end the inning, and the Tribe pounced in the top of the eighth.

Jose Mijares (1-1) walked leadoff hitter Carlos Santana and Hafner followed with a drive to the gap in right-center field to give the Indians the lead. Perez (3-0) picked up the win in relief of a sharp Justin Masterson and Chris Perez picked up his ninth save in 12 tries.

“He’s so talented, he can do everything hitting,” Indians manager Manny Acta said. “It worked out for us because it didn’t go far enough. It would have been a very good play if it rolls on the third-base line and all of a sudden they have the bases loaded with Kubel up, whose had some success against Rafi Perez before.”

Even though it didn’t, Mauer said he had no regrets about it.

“If you factor in all the things, it sounds like a pretty good idea, I think,” Mauer said. “I’m sure a lot of people don’t recognize that or don’t realize that. There’s a lot of things that go into it and I thought that was the best way at the time.”

Masterson allowed three runs on seven hits in 6 1-3 innings and Shelley Duncan added a bases-loaded double in the sixth for the young Indians, who are 6-0 since the All-Star break.

Kevin Slowey gave up three runs and six hits in 5 2-3 innings for the Twins. He struck out seven and walked one. It was an improvement from his recent starts, but not enough against a suddenly effective Masterson.

“He was nasty,” Gardenhire said.

Like the rest of these young Indians, the All-Star break appears to have done him quite a bit of good. Masterson gave up 11 earned runs and 19 hits in 10 1-3 innings over his previous two starts before the break.

“It seems like it’s somebody different every game, like everybody is contributing, and we’ve tightened up our defense, too,” Hafner said. “We’re just playing good all-around baseball.”

Notes

• Twins closer Jon Rauch was available on Tuesday night, but Gardenhire wanted to give him a day off after he took a ball off his ankle on Monday night.
• Acta said 2B Jason Donald has earned the right to play every day and INF Jayson Nix will be used in a utility role the rest of the way. “We feel that Donald is part of the future here,” Acta said.
• The Indians activated SS Asdrubal Cabrera from the 60-day disabled list. He went 0 for 5 with a strikeout.

Today

• Who: Cleveland at Minnesota
• Time: 1:10 p.m.
• Where: Target Field, Minneapolis
• Pitchers: Westbrook (6-5, 4.67 ERA) vs. Liriano (7-7, 3.76)
• TV/radio: No TV; WEOL 930-AM, WTAM 1100-AM

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – Seventh inning, tie game, runners on first and second and one out. Joe Mauer stepping to the plate.

The Minnesota Twins pray for situations like that and their opponents like the Cleveland Indians dread them. Then the three-time AL batting champion and reigning MVP bunted.

He did what?

That’s right, he laid a bunt down, but it sputtered in the dirt in front of home plate and Mauer was thrown out at first base. Jason Kubel followed with a groundout and the Indians escaped with the game tied.

Travis Hafner doubled home the go-ahead run in the eighth inning and the streaking Indians won their sixth in a row with a 4-3 victory over the Twins on Tuesday night.

“I don’t ever tell a hitter what to do,” Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. “He tried to drag bunt. Ask Joe about that.”

Well, Joe?

Mauer put forth a reasoned argument, saying that facing hard-throwing lefty Rafael Perez, who likes to throw cutters away, coupled with Indians third baseman Jhonny Peralta playing way back invited the move.

“It’s just giving me a base hit,” Mauer said. “It got off the end of the bat a little bit and I didn’t get it out there far enough. Didn’t execute.”

As the No. 3 hitter, who just signed an eight-year, $184 million extension, Mauer is getting paid to drive in runs, not move the runners up for Kubel. But Mauer has been struggling at the plate this season by his lofty standards, hitting .297 with just four homers and 41 RBIs.

“I’m not feeling the greatest at the plate right now, so that factors in,” Mauer said. “But that situation, to get two guys in scoring position with Kubel up with one out, I’ll take my chances, for sure.”

So will the Indians.

With runners on second and third, Kubel grounded out weakly to first base to end the inning, and the Tribe pounced in the top of the eighth.

Jose Mijares (1-1) walked leadoff hitter Carlos Santana and Hafner followed with a drive to the gap in right-center field to give the Indians the lead. Perez (3-0) picked up the win in relief of a sharp Justin Masterson and Chris Perez picked up his ninth save in 12 tries.

“He’s so talented, he can do everything hitting,” Indians manager Manny Acta said. “It worked out for us because it didn’t go far enough. It would have been a very good play if it rolls on the third base line and all of a sudden they have the bases loaded with Kubel up, who’s had some success against Rafi Perez before.”

Even though it didn’t, Mauer said he had no regrets about it.

“If you factor in all the things, it sounds like a pretty good idea, I think,” Mauer said. “I’m sure a lot of people don’t recognize that or don’t realize that. There’s a lot of things that go into it and I thought that was the best way at the time.”

Masterson allowed three runs on seven hits in 6 1/3 innings and Shelley Duncan added a bases-loaded double in the sixth for the young Indians, who are 6-0 since the All-Star break.

Kevin Slowey gave up three runs and six hits in 5 2/3 innings for the Twins. He struck out seven and walked one. It was an improvement from his recent starts, but not enough against a suddenly effective Masterson.

“He was nasty,” Gardenhire said.

Like the rest of these young Indians, the All-Star break appears to have done him quite a bit of good. Masterson gave up 11 earned runs and 19 hits in 10 1/3 innings over his previous two starts before the break.

“It seems like it’s somebody different every game, like everybody is contributing, and we’ve tightened up our defense, too,” Hafner said. “We’re just playing good all-around baseball.”

NOTES: Twins closer Jon Rauch was available on Tuesday night, but Gardenhire wanted to give him a day off after he took a ball off his ankle on Monday night. … Acta said 2B Jason Donald has earned the right to play every day and INF Jayson Nix will be used in a utility role the rest of the way. “We feel that Donald is part of the future here,” Acta said. … The Indians activated SS Asdrubal Cabrera from the 60-day disabled list. He went 0-for-5 with a strikeout.

MINNEAPOLIS — Trevor Crowe drove in two runs and had a career-high four hits, and the Cleveland Indians collected a season­high 20 hits in their fifth straight win, 10-4 over the Minnesota Twins on Monday night.

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Crowe and Jason Donald, two of the young­sters thrust into action in this rebuilding, injury-marred season for Cleveland, each drove in two runs to help the Indians start the second half 5-0 for the first time in history.

Scott Baker (7-9) surrendered 10 hits in 4 2/3 innings, increasing Minnesota’s con­cern about the rotation. After winning three out of four games from the first­place Chicago White Sox to cut the divi­sion lead to 1½ games over the weekend, the Twins fell flat.

They lost to Aaron Laffey (2-3) and an Indi­ans team which began the day 12½ games back in the AL Central despite an inspired four-game sweep of the Detroit Tigers out of the break.

Though their relievers never had a lead, the Twins bullpen was pretty bad, too. The 20 hits were a season high, punctuated by the five-run seven-hit fifth inning against Baker and a pair of relievers.

The Twins started a stretch of 13 straight games against losing teams, but pitching like this won’t beat anyone in the majors.

Jensen Lewis gave up Jim Thome’s tower of a home run, his 11th in 159 at-bats this season, and Orlando Hudson’s RBI double in the sixth — the first runs allowed by the Cleveland bullpen since the break after 13 1 / 3 scoreless innings. That was the only hiccup for the Indians, however.

Baker took the mound for the first time in 11 days because of elbow tendinitis, and manager Ron Gardenhire warned that the right-hander could go on the disabled list if his arm didn’t loosen up. Baker never looked comfortable, walking three and striking out only one while being noticeably disap­pointed with the way a few of his pitches went out of his hand.

He had help from a couple of double plays, plus a running, sliding catch by center fielder Denard Span to end the third and prevent a run. But Crowe’s RBI double got the Indians started in the second, and his RBI single chased Baker in the fifth.

Alex Burnett and Ron Mahay each entered in that inning, sharing responsibility for the next three run-scoring singles the Indians used to stretch their lead to 7-1.

The inning started ominously with a twisting fly ball to the wall in left field that Delmon Young dropped, ruled a double for Carlos Santana.

Baker’s ERA since June is well over 6, but he’s not the only concern. Nick Blackburn and Kevin Slowey share the same dubious distinction, and with Brian Duensing ready to move from the bullpen to the rotation a shuffle could be coming.

Laffey, who has walked 28 batters in 50 2/3 innings this season, had his own problems finding the plate and failed to finish six innings for the fourth time in five starts.

Still, with third and fourth hitters Joe Mauer and Michael Cuddyer going a combined 0-for-7 with runners on base for the game, the Twins couldn’t muster much of a spark the day after their four-run rally beat the White Sox in the ninth inning.

The only run against Laffey was unearned, when Jason Kubel slid home on a passed ball in the fourth. The inning started in strange, stifling fashion for the Twins, when Kubel tagged up at second base with none out. Young’s drive nearly cleared the left-field wall, hitting the padding, bouncing up and back to Crowe.

There was no catch, only a long single for Young after a replay review by the umpires confirmed the hit was not a homer.

CLEVELAND – Talk about a cruel fate.

Jeanmar Gomez was promoted from Triple-A Columbus to make a spot start Sunday in the series finale with Detroit.

Pitching brilliantly in his major league debut, the 22-year-old right-hander helped the Indians to a sweep-clinching 7-2 victory over the Central Division-contending Tigers.

His reward? A trip back to the minors.

“It’s too bad, but he’s going back,” Cleveland manager Manny Acta said. “He knew it. It was a great experience for him.

“You couldn’t have scripted it any better. This kid was lights out, especially for the first time in the big leagues. He just came in and threw strikes and had very good command of both sides of the plate.”

Gomez outpitched Vermilion native Andy Oliver, allowing a pair of unearned runs on five hits, while striking out four over seven innings, as the Indians completed their first four-game sweep of the Tigers in Cleveland since 1991.

It was a surprising sight on a number of fronts for Gomez, who has been inconsistent for the Clippers this season, owning a 6-8 record and 5.70 ERA in 18 starts.

“Everything was good from the first inning on,” said Gomez of his arsenal of pitches, which included two-seam (sinker) and four-seam fastballs, a change-up and slider.

Gomez allowed no runs and just three hits through the first five innings, while his offense built a 5-0 lead on Oliver. Gomez surrendered two unearned runs in the sixth, then came back to retire the side in order in the seventh, his final inning.

All that, and he’s still going down.

Gomez knew he was being promoted for a spot start and nothing else, no matter how well he pitched. He was prepared when Acta approached him before the game, holding his plane ticket out of Cleveland as he spoke to the manager.

“It’s OK,” said Gomez, whose family watched the game on television from his grandmother’s house in his hometown of Caracas, Venezuela. “I will just keep working down (in Columbus).”

“He was fine with it,” Acta said. “He relished the opportunity.”

Oliver couldn’t have relished his first appearance in front of a hometown crowd at a park where he grew up watching the Indians play.

The 22-year-old left-hander allowed three runs in the opening inning and was gone before the fifth, surrendering five runs on four hits and five walks over 32/3 innings.

The Indians scored their three runs in the first via the rarest of occurrences, an inside-the-park home run from possibly the slowest position player on the club – Jhonny Peralta.

Peralta connected on an Oliver pitch and sent it deep to center field, where Ryan Raburn had a bead on the drive before crashing through Cleveland’s bullpen door as the ball ricocheted back toward the infield.

“It seemed like that’s the way things went this whole road trip,” Raburn said.

Peralta, who was in the lineup for the first time in four games following a bout with the flu, motored around third and scored easily on a high relay throw to the plate.

“When I saw that he jumped into the wall, I tried to run really fast,” Peralta said. “It was really hard because I’m sick.”

It was Cleveland’s sixth inside-the-park homer at Progressive Field and the first since Grady Sizemore’s against Baltimore in April of 2007. According to Peralta, it was his first inside-the-park homer on any level, including little league.

Up 5-2, the Indians scored a run apiece in the seventh and eighth innings to put the game away. An RBI triple from Matt LaPorta scored the run in the seventh, while a two-out single from Jayson Nix drove in Cleveland’s final run.

It was the Indians’ second four-game sweep of the season after they accomplished the feat for the first time during a visit from Toronto on June 28-30,

July 1. It was also their first four-game home sweep over the Tigers since 1991. Detroit, who was outscored 21-8 in the series, has lost five straight and dropped to 16-29 on the road and 16-21 in the AL Central.

Tigers manager Jim Leyland shouldered the blame.

“Shame on us,” Leyland said. “This club appeared like it wasn’t ready to play this weekend and that’s the manager’s responsibility. That’s not the players. I’m shocked, really.

“This is not rocket scientist stuff. We didn’t play very well. They (Indians) played outstanding.”

As disappointed as Leyland was, that’s how proud Acta was of his young team.

“Overall, it was a great series,” Acta said. “I thought this was even better than the Blue Jays series because the games were closer and we pitched better.

“It was pretty impressive by our kids, the fact that we swept a team that has been on top of our division and a team that is probably going to be battling for the top spot the rest of the year. Our kids deserve a lot of credit.”

None more than Gomez.

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

TONIGHT

• WHO: Cleveland at Minnesota
• TIME: 8:10
• WHERE: Target Field, Minneapolis
• PITCHERS: Laffey (1-3, 5.12 ERA) vs. Baker (7-8, 4.87)
• TV/RADIO: SportsTime Ohio; WEOL 930-AM, WTAM 1100-AM