Eight losses enough; Tribe wins

CLEVELAND (AP) — Cliff Lee stayed on pace to become Cleveland’s first 20-game winner in 34 years and the Indians ended an eight-game losing streak inside the AL Central with a 5-4 win over Minnesota Friday night.

The Twins lost their fifth straight and center fielder Carlos Gomez, who left the game with a back injury.

Lee (14-2), who went just 5-8 and was demoted to the minors last season, became baseball’s first 14-game winner and avenged one of his two losses this season. The Twins defeated the left-hander on July 6.

Spotted a four-run lead in the first inning against Livan Hernandez (10-7), Lee allowed six hits, struck out 10 in eight dominant innings without a walk and improved to 6-0 at home.

He retired the side in order five times, needing just seven pitches to do so in both the fourth and fifth.

The Indians haven’t had a 20-game winner since Hall of Famer Gaylord Perry went 21-13 in 1974.

The Twins didn’t do much against Lee, but climbed within 5-4 in the ninth against reliever Masa Kobayashi on Justin Morneau’s two-run homer.

Joe Mauer led off with a single and Morneau, who won the recent All-Star Home Run Derby, launched his 16th homer into the seats in right. Delmon Young doubled, forcing Indians manager Eric Wedge to bring in Rafael Perez.

Pinch-hitter Mike Redmond hit a liner that first baseman Ryan Garko grabbed with a diving back-hander. Perez got Brendan Harris on a comebacker and then retired Nick Punto on a sharp grounder that went through his legs and was grabbed by second baseman Asdrubal Cabrera, who threw to first to give Perez his second career save.

Cabrera entered in the eighth, replacing Jamey Carroll, who left with a strained left hamstring.

The Twins, who came in trailing the division-leading Chicago White Sox by 2 1/2 games, fell to 0-4 on their six-game trip to New York and Cleveland.