Morneau leads Twins over Tribe

4/30/2010

CLEVELAND — Justin Morneau made an instant impact in his return to the Minnesota Twins' lineup, launching a two-run homer in a 9-3 win over the Cleveland Indians on Friday night.

Morneau had missed two games with a stiff back. The Twins said it was unrelated to the stress fracture that kept him out of the final 20 games last season and the playoffs.

After Joe Mauer singled with two outs in the first, Morneau hit a 444-foot homer over the center-field wall against Fausto Carmona (3-1).

Kevin Slowey (3-2), moved up in Minnesota's rotation, pitched five innings for the win. He filled in for Nick Blackburn, who was placed on the family medical emergency list to deal with a personal matter.