CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Indians crept to two games back of the Detroit Tigers after beating the American League Central leaders 10-3 last night to take the first two games of a three-game series at Progressive Field.
The Indians unleashed a hitting barrage on Detroit starter Rick Porcello, with rookie Jason Kipnis leading the charge. The recent call-up from the Clippers went 5 for 5 for a Tribe team that collected 18 hits, eight for extra bases.
“He’s been very, very good,” manager Manny Acta said of Kipnis. “We’ve liked him since spring training. He’s a gamer, he’s a dirt bag. We’ve found our own (Dustin) Pedroia or (Chase) Utley or a mix in between. Those are the type of guys we want around here.”
Kipnis cracked a two-run homer in the second inning. He had three RBI and scored four runs to become the first Cleveland rookie to get at least four hits and score four runs in a game since Coco Crisp in 2003.
The second baseman continues his impressive run since arriving in the majors in July. Since July 31, Kipnis has hit all six of his home runs and is batting .363.