Indians get most out of bullpen in tight contest

MINNEAPOLIS — The Indians were asking a lot from the bullpen Saturday night, and that was before their game against the Twins dragged into extras.

With the back of its rotation loosening at the seams, Cleveland employed a bullpen-day approach at Target Field. There were positives throughout the evening, beginning with a promising performance from rookie Mike Clevinger, but it was not enough for the Indians to avoid a 2-1, 12-inning loss to the Twins with their 10th pitcher of the night on the mound.

“Everybody did great,” Indians manager Terry Francona said. “You get into 11 or 12 innings on the road, when you give up a hit, you go home. But, we had a chance, even though we weren’t scoring. We’ve won some of those games and we will in the future.”

The Indians have used this patchwork plan the past two games in which the rotation’s fifth spot has come up. At the moment, Cleveland has the benefit of a six-game cushion atop the American League Central, combined with an army of pitchers now with rosters expanded. That has helped curb some of the risk involved in adopting the all-hands-on-deck method lately.

The best-laid plans do not, however, account for unpredictable elements.

On Friday night, Indians starter Danny Salazar exited after only four innings due to right forearm tightness, and he is scheduled to fly back to Cleveland for …

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