09-01-2016, 04:03 AM
CLEVELAND -- Eduardo Escobar usually shows off his power during pregame batting practice. On Monday night, he did some flexing in the 10th inning. Escobar homered on Cleveland closer John Axfords second pitch of the 10th, giving the Minnesota Twins a 1-0 win over the slumping Indians. Escobar, who entered as a pinch-hitter in the seventh, connected on a 1-0 pitch from Axford (0-3), driving it over the wall in right for his first homer since June 20 and fourth of his career in 344 at-bats. "He can swing it, weve all seen that," said Twins manager Ron Gardenhire. "You watch him in batting practice, he hits them as far as anybody. Its a big moment. Its cool. You see the big smile on his face and everyone else." It was the second straight gut-wrenching loss for Axford, who gave up a three-run homer in the ninth to Chicagos Dayan Viciedo on Sunday as the White Sox rallied for a 4-3 win. In that game, Cleveland catcher George Kottaras homered twice, becoming the first player in franchise history to homer in his first two plate appearances, and Corey Kluber struck out 13. "Bad pitch," Axford said of his fastball to Escobar that caught too much of the plate. "Its unbelievable. Its a shame that my performances have kind of taken precedence over a great hitting performance by George and outstanding pitching performances by Kluber and Zach." Caleb Thielbar (2-0) pitched a perfect ninth and Glen Perkins struck out two in the 10th for his eighth save. Escobar came in for Pedro Floriman and grounded out with two runners on in the seventh. He more than atoned with his game-winning shot into the seats. "Its a great feeling to be able to come up with a big swing in that spot," he said. "Im really happy for the team more than anything else." The Indians, who only got two runners to second base, had been the only team in the majors not to play in an extra-inning game. Cleveland has dropped eight of 10, and scoring is a huge issue. The Indians have scored three runs or less in 19 of their 32 games. "Were fairly inconsistent right now," manager Terry Francona said. "Even in hitters counts, were not getting real good swings. I think when its team wide, everyone is trying to do much. Its a good quality but weve got to fight through it together and keep the line moving and were not doing that." Both teams got strong efforts from their starting pitchers. Minnesotas Kyle Gibson allowed only two hits in seven scoreless innings, and Clevelands Zach McAllister gave up five hits while blanking the Twins over 6 2-3 shutout innings. The Twins played without first baseman Joe Mauer, who is day-to-day with lower back spasms. Gibson has been blessed with an abundance of runs all season. The Twins came in averaging 7.14 runs in his first five starts, but they couldnt push one across against McAllister, who was pitching on regular rest after going on three days last week in Los Angeles. Gibson and second baseman Brian Dozier combined on a sparkling defensive play in the fourth. Michael Brantley hit a grounder toward right that Dozier stopped with a dive before spinning in one motion and throwing toward first. With first baseman Chris Colabello out of position, Gibson alertly covered and snagged Doziers throw on one hop before sliding into the bag ahead of Brantley. "The only thing that could have made that play more funny than it was, was if Colabello had gotten hit right in the butt," Gardenhire said. "He had no clue where the ball was going. That was a great, athletic play by Dozier. Ive never seen a pitcher go sliding into first base like that to catch a throw." NOTES: Indians OF Michael Bourn missed his second straight game with a tight right hamstring, the same one he had surgically repaired in October. Bourn could be headed to the disabled list for the second time this season if it doesnt respond. ... Cleveland placed DH Jason Giambi on the DL with a strained calf muscle. The 43-year-old is 0-for-10 this season. ... Twins rookie SS Danny Santana made his major league debut as a pinch-runner in the seventh and nearly got picked off second. Indians manager Terry Francona challenged the safe call but it was upheld. Santana got his first big-league hit in the ninth. ... Indians RHP Josh Tomlin will make his first start Tuesday since July 27, 2012, three weeks before undergoing Tommy John surgery. ... Twins RHP Samuel Deduno will start Tuesday after seven relief appearances. He had shoulder surgery in September. NEW YORK -- The Knicks went coast to coast to let Carmelo Anthony know they want him to stay in New York. Team officials travelled to Los Angeles on Thursday night to meet with the free agent, a person with knowledge of the plans said. Team President Phil Jackson and general manager Steve Mills were expected to be part of the meeting but not Madison Square Garden chairman James Dolan, the person told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because details of the meeting were to remain private. The meeting was first reported by ESPN. Anthony was in Los Angeles to meet with the Lakers, who are among the teams hoping to convince the All-Star forward to leave New York. Anthony already visited Chicago, Houston and Dallas this week. The Knicks can offer him the largest contract, nearly $130 million over five years, though Jackson has said he hopes Anthony will take less than a maximum deal.dddddddddddd Other teams can offer Anthony slightly less than $100 million in a four-year deal, according to NBA rules. Contracts cant be signed until July 10, so Anthony is under no rush to make a decision. But the Knicks apparently wanted to make sure they got to make a final pitch after his free agency tour. Jackson, Mills and new coach Derek Fisher had already met with Anthony last month in Los Angeles, where he informed them he would be terminating the final year of his contract and becoming a free agent. He has never said he wants to leave the Knicks, who acquired him from Denver in a February 2011 trade. But the 30-year-old forward also said his priority is contending for championships, and the Knicks were just 37-45 last season, the first time in Anthonys 11-year career that he missed the playoffs. ' ' ' Cheap NFL Jerseys China Wholesale Cheap Jerseys Cheap Jerseys From China Cheap Jerseys Free Shipping Cheap Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys supply authentic cheap Jerseys nba jerseys nfl jerseys wholesale jerseys NFL,NHL,NBA,MLB,soccer,NCAA jerseys Wholesale