Starting pitcher Cliff Lee makes his Major League debut, allowing just one run on two hits in five and one-third innings, but he earns the tough-luck loss as the Indians are shut out by the Minnesota Twins, 5-0.

Lee put the first two batters that he faced on base with a walk and a single, but a strike-em-out, throw-em-out double play helped him escape the inning. He then retired eight straight and 13 of 14.

In the sixth, a one-out single, aided by Lee’s balk and a stolen base, came around to score on a sacrifice fly from Matt LeCroy against David Riske. The reliever allowed two more runs in the seventh on a Denny Hocking single and Jerrod Riggan later gave up two on a sacrifice fly and a wild pitch.

The Indians managed just three hits combined off of starter Kyle Lohse, reliever Johan Santana, and closer Eddie Guardado. Coco Crisp and Jim Thome each had singles off of Lohse, while Ellis Burks doubled off of Guardado. Brandon Phillips reached on a walk against Santana.

The third place Indians dropped their second straight to fall to 20.5 games behind the first place Twins.

Also on this date in Tribe history:

1901 – The Cleveland Blues are on the wrong side of history as they are victims of the most lopsided defeat in the brief history of the American League, 21-0, to the Detroit Tigers, in just seven and a half innings. That record stood alone until 1939 and was later replaced by the Indians in a more positive light, when they defeated the New York Yankees, 22-0, at Yankee Stadium in 2004.

1936 – After four and one-third innings of no-hit ball, Cleveland’s Johnny Allen departs the game with a back injury. The Indians win the game and Allen will be credited with the victory, his 20th of the season. It will be the final outing of his season and the only 20-win season of his 13-year career.

1957 – Cleveland completes a triple play in the ninth inning of a tie game with the Baltimore Orioles. With runners on first and second and nobody out, pitcher Bud Daley gets a ground ball to short off of the bat of pitcher George Zuverink that the Indians turned three on. Baltimore would eventually get the win, 5-4, in 16 innings.

1962 – Sam McDowell strikes out seven over six scoreless innings, but leaves in the seventh after he breaks two ribs while pitching.

1974 – Gaylord Perry earns win number 20 of the season in a complete game, five-hit shutout over the Baltimore Orioles, 1-0. He will lose three of his final four starts to finish 21-13. He will be the last Indians pitcher in the 20th century to win 20 games in a season.

2013 – Nick Swisher homers from each side of the plate and the Indians’ 7-1 win over the Chicago White Sox pulls them within a half-game of Texas and Tampa for an American League Wild Card spot.

2017 – The 22-game winning streak of the Cleveland Indians comes to an end in a tough 4-3 loss against the Kansas City Royals. Solo runs in the fourth, fifth, and sixth innings help the Royals overcome an early 3-1 deficit. The Indians’ streak began on August 24 and included six series sweeps. They outscored the opposition 142-37 in the 22 games.