, pitched 3 2/3 innings and was one pitch away from getting out of a bases-loaded jam in the eighth before Santana lined a shot into the left-field corner.Hitting 6 for 56 (.071) entering the game, the Twins finished with 15 hits, including 10 in 4 1/3 innings against starter Carlos Carrasco (0-1), who allowed six runs and struck out four.A two-run double by Buxton gave Minnesota a 3-0 lead in the fourth.One inning later, Cruz smashed a two-run drive off the second deck. Cruz has hit 37 homers in each of the past five seasons. He signed a $14.3 million, one-year deal with Minnesota in the offseason.Jonathan Schoop added an RBI double, Astudillo hit a sacrifice fly, and a throwing error by Santana gave the Twins an 8-0 cushion.TRAINERS ROOMTwins: Manager Rocco Baldelli had nothing new to report on the quartet of Twins placed on 10-day injured list before opening day: 3B Miguel Sano (right heel laceration), LHP Gabriel Moya (left shoulder tendinitis), RHP Matt Magill (right shoulder tendinitis) and RHP Addison Reed (left thumb sprain). He anticipates providing some sort of update in a couple days.UP NEXTIndians: RHP Mike Clevinger (13-8, 3.02 in 2018) will get the ball for Cleveland's home opener Monday against the White Sox. Chicago is to send Ivan Nova (9-9, 4.19 in 2018) to the hill.Twins: RHP Jose Berrios (1-0, 0.00) will make his second start of the season when Minnesota begins a seven-game trip Tuesday in Kansas City. Berrios tossed 7 2/3 scoreless innings and had 10 strikeouts in Thursday's season opener. RHP Brad Keller (1-0, 0.00) is scheduled for the Royals.---More MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/-Sports)
Pineda set for return as Twins host Indians Cleveland Indians right-hander Carlos Carrasco is proof a pitcher can return from Tommy John surgery in his 20s and emerge as an ace-caliber starter. The Minnesota Twins will hope Michael Pineda begins following Carrasco's path Sunday afternoon, when the two pitchers oppose one another as the Twins host the Indians in a finale of a three-game season-opening series.The Indians evened the series at a game apiece Saturday, when Greg Allen hit a tie-breaking sacrifice fly in the ninth inning of a 2-1 win.Carrasco (17-10, 3.38 ERA in 2018) will make his first start since signing a contract extension when he faces Pineda, who is pitching in a regular season game for the first time in almost 21 months.Pineda suffered a partially torn right ulnar ligament in his most recent big-league outing July 5, 2017, when he gave up five runs over three innings for the New York Yankees against the Toronto Blue Jays. He underwent Tommy John surgery 13 days later and signed a two-year $10 million deal with the Twins on Dec. 13, 2017.The Twins hoped Pineda could return to a big league mound late in the 2018 season, but he suffered a torn meniscus in his right knee while on a rehab assignment and never made it to Minnesota.Remarkably, last season marked the third full big league season missed by Pineda, who turned 30 in January. He was also sidelined for all of 2012 and 2013 -- his first two years with the Yankees -- following right labrum surgery.In four seasons with the Yankees, Pineda showed flashes of the form that made him an All-Star as a rookie with the Seattle Mariners. He had a 1.89 ERA in 13 starts in 2014 and struck out 514 batters over 509 innings with the Yankees, though he never found consistency on his way to going 31-31 with a 4.16 ERA in the Bronx.Pineda's stuff seems as good as ever -- he was clocked at 95 mph during the Grapefruit League season -- and rookie Twins manager Rocco Baldelli is confident the right-hander will pay dividends this season."Honestly, I think he looks good," Baldelli told reporters. "And I think he's going to be more than ready when we break." Carrasco is evidence that teams can be rewarded by being patient with pitchers coming back from Tommy John surgery. The right-hander underwent the procedure in September 2011 and didn't make it back to the majors until 2013, when he posted a 6.75 ERA in 15 games (seven starts).Carrasco was demoted to the bullpen after posting a 6.93 ERA in his first four starts in 2014, but he recorded a 2.30 ERA in 26 relief appearances before returning to the rotation and compiling a 1.30 ERA in his final 10 starts. Since the start of the 2015 season, Carrasco is 60-36 with a 3.40 ERA and 823 strikeouts in 722 innings over 119 games (117 starts).The Indians, who signed Carrasco to a four-year deal worth $22 million with a pair of options in April 2015, extended him again in December, when Cleveland picked up his 2020 option and inked him to two-year extension through 2022 worth $24 million with a $14 million option for 2023."I just want to finish my career with (the Indians)," said Carrasco, who turned 32 earlier this month. "This is something special for me and my family." Carrasco is 7-9 with a 3.73 ERA in 23 games (20 starts) against the Twins. Pineda won his lone career appearance and start against the Indians on Aug. 5, 2016, when he allowed four runs over six innings as the Yankees earned a 13-7 victory.--Field Level Media
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