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Postgame: Sano's error, Dozier's hesitation help Indians' offense

A split-second change of mind allowed Cleveland to score the go-ahead run in the fourth inning Friday night.

July 16, 2016 at 4:33AM

Some extras from Fireworks Night to open the second half:

The Indians' took their first lead of the game thanks to a couple of Twins mistakes: A Miguel Sano error and Brian Dozier's split-second hesitation.

After Ervin Santana walked Francisco Lindor to open the fourth inning, Mike Napoli hit a chopper to third base that Sano grabbed and threw wide of first base, his fifth error in seven games. Jose Ramirez drove home Lindor with a single, and Napoli moved to third.

Dozier thought he was ready for what happened next.

"Anytime there's not a very speedy runner at third, [in a] close ballgame like that, I always cheat in about a step," Dozier said. "And if the ball's hit right at me, I always have the split decision to make."

Lonnie Chisenhall hit the ball right at him, and Dozier's decision was … go home! No, turn two!

It was only a moment, but it mattered. Dozier threw to Eduardo Nunez at second base, but Nunez bounced the relay to first, and Joe Mauer couldn't scoop it up. Chisenhall may have been safe anyway.

"Right when it was hit, I was going to go home. But [then I] decided to turn two," Dozier said. "We've got to turn that double play."

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Manager Paul Molitor wasn't bothered much by the play.

"Not sure if we still had him if [Mauer] made the scoop. But there was a little hesitation there," he said. "I'm willing to concede a run there. With Napoli at third base and the ball hit so sharply, it gave Brian pause to consider cutting down the run. But in the fourth inning, I'm going to take the two outs and try to minimize the damage, but I understand his thinking. The hesitation made the play harder to complete, though."

Fortunately for the Twins, Yan Gomes followed by hitting a soft liner toward right field, which Joe Mauer dove to his right to snag. He hopped up and stepped on first base for the inning-ending double play.

XXX

Ervin Santana hadn't pitched since July 6, and he believes that had something to do with his so-so night: Four runs, three of them earned, over 5 1/3 innings.

"It was tough. I had a lot of positive feelings," Santana said. "It's tough when you have [so many] days off. You don't have the same feeling for every pitch."

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Santana insists he doesn't think about trade rumors, even though the Twins are expected to field several offers from contenders over the next two weeks.

XXX

Brian Dozier saw 11 pitches from Carlos Carrasco on Friday night. Only one, he believes, was a fastball — the one he crushed more than 400 feet for his 15th home run.

"He left that one middle-in," Dozier said. "Only one I saw."

Carrasco's specialty is the changeup, a pitch he throws harder than most pitchers. He sets up hitters with changeups, then tries to put them away with fastballs, a strategy that impressed Dozier.

"He obviously throws it very hard, and throws it a lot. Not many are for strikes," Dozier said. "They look like strikes, but a couple he kept throwing to me cut, some bottom out, some sink and run pretty good. Looking at it on film, [catcher Yan] Gomes sets up in the middle and whatever way it goes, it goes."

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about the writer

about the writer

Phil Miller

Reporter

Phil Miller has covered the Twins for the Minnesota Star Tribune since 2013. Previously, he covered the University of Minnesota football team, and from 2007-09, he covered the Twins for the Pioneer Press.

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