CLEVELAND – Cleveland hit a home run for a franchise-record 20th consecutive game on a pleasant Monday night at Progressive Field.
The Twins hit one more than that, neither a record but enough to win 5-2 to start the four-game series.
Second baseman Jorge Polanco hit one of those two home runs, a third-inning solo shot giving the Twins a 3-0 lead on a 4-for-5 night that included three doubles. Center fielder Byron Buxton followed Sunday's breakthrough 2-for-5 day at Tampa Bay on his road back from injury, this time by hitting a fifth-inning solo homer after Cleveland had pulled within 3-2.
And the tag-team pitching pair of young Bailey Ober and savvy veteran Michael Pineda combined for seven innings to give the Twins bullpen a little relief.
Cleveland's only runs were from designated hitter Franmil Reyes' two-run, fourth-inning homer than extended his team's homer streak dating to August 15 — with 34 home runs total.
It was Pineda's first relief appearance in his major-league career and he turned it into three scoreless innings pitched in his first game back from a mild oblique strain.
"In my 10 years around the league, I never did it," said Pineda, who also earned the win. "I felt a little bit excited to do that."