CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The aim is for Josh Tomlin to keep the baseball in the ballpark, instead of soaring toward the outfield seats.
As Terry Francona noted on Friday afternoon, if Tomlin is going to serve up a home run or two, the hope is that they are solo shots, rather than back-breaking three-run blasts.
Tomlin passed all tests on Friday night. He limited the Twins to one solo homer, as Miguel Sano belted his ninth pitch of the evening beyond the right-field fence. And, as fate would have it, that proved to be enough backing for Minnesota's pitching staff.