Indians Sweep Double Header, Pull Closer in Standings

Sep 11, 2014; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Indians starting pitcher Corey Kluber (28) delivers in the first inning against the Minnesota Twins at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

Kluber and House Pitch a Pair of Gems

The Indians needed to make a statement on Wednesday after dropping their previous two games to the Angels and Twins, respectively. Another stumble and they may very well have begun making plans for the offseason. That was not the case, though, as the Indians swept their double header on Wednesday and pulled themselves even closer in the standings.

Sep 11, 2014; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Indians starting pitcher Corey Kluber (28) delivers in the first inning against the Minnesota Twins at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

Behind Corey Kluber in game one and T.J. House in the game two, the Tribe beat the Twins in both games by a combined score of 10-2. In doing so, they have put themselves in a nice position to make a run with just less than 20 games left to go in the 2014 season.

The first game featured an offensive explosion that saw the Indians jump out to a 7-1 lead after three innings. A two run homer from Caros Santana and a two run double that was nearly a grand slam by Yan Gomes highlighted the scoring. Kluber lasted 8.2 innings and allowed two runs on eight hits while striking out seven.

In game two, House was the star of the show. After feeble beginnings to his career with the Indians, he has come a long way in a relatively short amount of time. For the second straight outing, House lasted seven innings. He also did not allow a run to cross the plate, surrendered only four hits, and struck out eight batters. Meanwhile, the Indians scored their runs on a fourth inning solo homer and then RBI single from Carlos Santana.

With the victories, the Indians pulled themselves within four games of the Royals in the AL Central and 3.5 games of the Mariners in the Wild Card. With a three game series set to begin this weekend against the Tigers, the Indians have a serious opportunity to gain ground in both races. Of course, if things do not go well, they may be facing a premature end of their season.