MINNEAPOLIS -- Last month at Tampa Bay, Minnesota Twins right-hander Ervin Santana had a season-saving bullpen session with pitching coach Neil Allen.

He has been lights out ever since.

Santana was back at it Tuesday night, allowing just one run over seven-plus innings as the Twins beat the Cleveland Indians 3-1 at Target Field.

Whatever it was that haunted Santana in the six outings prior to that session at Tropicana Field, the veteran has it figured out now.

Santana (6-4) scattered five hits and a walk while striking out seven for his fourth win in his past five starts. He lasted at least seven innings in all five starts over that span, accumulating a 1.86 ERA in 29 innings with 39 strikeouts and eight walks.

"Everybody was on top of me telling me what we needed to fix," Santana said. "We worked on it and worked on, and now we've had good results."

The victory moved Minnesota 2 1/2 games ahead of the Indians in the American League wild-card standings. With the Houston's loss to the Los Angeles Angels, Minnesota moved within two games of the Astros for the second wild-card spot.

The top third of the Twins' order did a bulk of the damage, accounting for five of the team's eight hits, two of the three runs and all three RBIs. Center fielder Aaron Hicks and second baseman Brian Dozier had two hits and an RBI double apiece.

Minnesota closer Glen Perkins, still recovering from back soreness that cost him nearly three weeks earlier this month, entered in a big spot with two on and no outs in the eighth inning. After a sacrifice bunt moved the runners to second and third with one out, Perkins got Indians shortstop Francisco Lindor to fly out to shallow right and left fielder Michael Martinez to ground out to second, preserving the lead.

"We were in a little bit of peril there, two guys on, two-run lead," Twins manager Paul Molitor said. "Ideally, you don't want to bring him in with baserunners. He tells me the back is a thing of the past. He deepens our bullpen. We have options."

Fill-in closer Kevin Jepsen worked the ninth for his eighth save with the Twins and 13th of the season overall.

The Twins took advantage of a two-out walk to the No. 9 batter in the third inning, getting a triple from Hicks and then back-to-back doubles by Dozier and first baseman Joe Mauer to take a 3-0 lead against Cleveland starter Danny Salazar.

"I did think I had (Escobar) struck out, but the umpire didn't agree," Salazar said. "That got me thinking too much and out of my rhythm.

"These are really important games, and (umpires) can't be missing calls like that."

On Hicks' triple to the left-center-field gap, Indians left fielder Michael Brantley appeared to make a sensational diving catch. However, after he hit the ground, the ball bounced out of his glove, allowing Hicks to cruise into third.

"You run around the bases thinking you have a hit, and then all of the sudden, you see a guy come out of nowhere and you think he has a chance to catch it," Hicks said.

Brantley stayed in the game briefly, hit in the top of the fourth inning but was replaced by Martinez in the bottom of the inning because of a shoulder injury.

For Mauer, the double extended his streak of reaching base safely to 41 consecutive games, the second-longest streak in Twins history, one behind Bob Allison's 1961 mark.

Salazar left after six innings, having allowed three runs on five hits and three walks while striking out four.

"I thought he was up more than he wanted to be and got away with some pitches early just on stuff," Cleveland manager Terry Francona said. "He didn't have his good changeup to fall back on."

The Indians got a run back in the fifth inning. Catcher Yan Gomes hit a leadoff double, advanced to third on a fielder's choice and scored on an infield single by third baseman Jose Ramirez.

NOTES: The Indians entered play Tuesday looking to get above .500 for the first time since April 9. Since that time, Cleveland has reached .500 six times but never gotten over it. ... The Twins recalled OF Max Kepler from Double-A Chattanooga. Kepler hit .322 with 32 doubles, 13 triples and nine homers for the Lookouts and was the Southern League's MVP this season. ... The Indians and Twins play the second game of their three-game series at Target Field on Wednesday, with Cleveland RHP Corey Kluber (8-14, 3.44 ERA) opposing RHP Phil Hughes (10-9, 4.58 ERA).