MINNEAPOLIS -- Despite trading Eduardo Escobar, Thomas Pressly, Zach Duke, Lance Lynn and James Dozier before Tuesday's non-waiver Trade Deadline, the Twins held onto right-hander Kyle Gibson, who they believe can be part of their success in the near future, remaining under team control through next season.
Gibson was mostly solid against the Indians, allowing three runs over six innings, but it wasn't enough in a 6-2 loss on Tuesday at Target Field. Gibson, who fell to 5-8 with a 3.47 ERA, attracted interest on the trade market, but the Twins ultimately decided not to deal Gibson or closer Fernando Rodney before the Deadline.
"When I signed here in 2009, we were coming off a pretty good decade there and I wanted to be a part of a playoff team, and I wanted to be a part of a playoff atmosphere," Gibson said. "I think that's what this front office is working toward, and I'd love to be a part of it. There's something about the Trade Deadline that kind of makes you think about this and that. I'm happy to be here, and I'm happy to be with this group of guys."
Gibson ran into trouble early, loading the bases with nobody out in the second, before getting Michael Brantley to ground into an run-scoring double play. Jose Ramirez, who homered twice on Monday, followed with an RBI double to give the Indians the lead. Ramirez bit the Twins again in the fifth with a two-out RBI single off Gibson to score Greg Allen, who reached on a single.
Gibson, though, got out of a jam and finished with a 1-2-3 sixth inning that included two strikeouts to give him six on the night. He threw 98 pitches, but the Twins were being cautious after his impressive eight-inning effort at Fenway Park.
"Coming off 120 [pitches], even with the possible extra day of rest, you keep the person's season, future, all those things in mind," Twins manager Paul Molitor said. "I know he wanted to go back out there, but I thought it was the right thing."

The offense, which is missing Escobar and Dozier for the rest of the season, was mostly quiet against Cleveland right-hander Trevor Bauer. Minnesota scored in the second on a sacrifice fly from Jake Cave to score Miguel Sano, who opened the inning with a hard-hit double into the left-center-field gap. The Twins didn't get a hit again until a sixth-inning home run from Logan Morrison, who could be a candidate to be placed on waivers in August and traded if he heats up.
"Bauer, he's got stuff," Molitor said. "I thought we battled, made him work. Pitches were somewhat of an issue for him as we got into the later innings. Morrison's home run gave us some life, but we couldn't hold them there at the end."

Reliever Matt Belisle gave up two Indians insurance runs in the seventh, loading the bases with two outs and allowing a two-run single to Edwin Encarnacion.
"Belisle had some misfortune with some balls that weren't squared up," Molitor said. "Just hit in the right spot."
MAY MAKES SEASON DEBUT
Right-handed reliever Trevor May, who was called up from Triple-A Rochester before the game, made his first Major League appearance since Sept. 11, 2016, as he underwent Tommy John surgery in March 2017. May showed good velocity, with his fastball hitting as high as 95.6 mph, and he had good control of his slider and curveball. But May gave up hits to Francisco Lindor and Ramirez, allowing a run on a groundout from Encarnacion.
"I got the feeling it was like a debut again because it had been a while, but it passed pretty quick," May said. "I was just making sure I was bearing down and hitting some spots. Making some pitches. You get their top of their lineup, which is good as anybody in the league, and those are the guys you want to face."

SOUND SMART
Over the last calendar year, Gibson has a 3.49 ERA with 191 strikeouts, 68 walks and 21 homers allowed in 198 1/3 innings (33 starts).
HE SAID IT
"I think that's three of the four teammates I've had my entire career have been traded away. That's tough. Barely got here in time to say, 'see you later,' to him. I saw that it happened and tried to jet over here as quick as I could. It's a tough day. Baseball's a business and the front office is doing their best to set this organization up for a couple years down the road, and make us as good as possible. I haven't broken the news to my daughter yet. She might be really disappointed. That will probably be the hardest conversation of the day." -- Gibson on losing Dozier, who was his teammate since his rookie season in '13
UP NEXT
Left-hander Adalberto Mejia, who is replacing Lance Lynn in the rotation after Lynn was traded to the Yankees on Monday, will get the start in the series finale on Wednesday at 12:10 p.m. CT. Mejia (1-0, 3.65 ERA) threw scoreless innings in relief on Sunday against the Red Sox, so he's expected to be held to a pitch-count limit. Right-hander Carlos Carrasco (12-5, 3.89 ERA) starts for Cleveland. The game can be seen exclusively on Facebook.