What: Indians vs. Red Sox.

When: 7:05 p.m.

Where: Progressive Field.

TV/radio: SportsTime Ohio; WTAM AM/1100.

Pitchers: LHP Cliff Lee (1-3, 5.25) vs. RHP Tim Wakefield (2-1, 2.45).

Weather: Sunny, 77 degrees.

Tony Sipp's major-league debut occurred April 22. He pitched one scoreless inning against Kansas City at Progressive Field.

Sipp's real welcome-to-the-show moment, though, came Sunday afternoon at Progressive Field.

He entered a tar pit and exited without a speck on him.

Sipp struck out Justin Morneau and Jason Kubel with the bases loaded in the seventh inning to effectively save the Indians' 4-2 victory over the Twins.

The Tribe avoided a three-game sweep, which would have been Minnesota's first in Cleveland since June 14-16, 1991.

Left-hander Aaron Laffey, making his third start since being recalled from Class AAA Columbus, gave up two runs on five hits in 6 1/3 innings.

Laffey got the call when left-hander Scott Lewis injured his forearm and has taken full advantage. He is 2-0 with a 2.41 ERA in 18 2/3 innings.

quot;He's been very consistent and given us a great chance to win each game,quot; Indians manager Eric Wedge said.

Laffey carried a three-hit shutout and four-run lead into the seventh. He retired Michael Cuddyer on a pop to second before Delmon Young and Jose Morales singled. After Nick Punto walked, Wedge signaled for Jensen Lewis. Laffey's sinker had begun to flatten.

Lewis, who has been spotty, gave up a two-run single to pinch-hitter Denard Span and walked Brendan Harris. With left-handed batters Morneau and Kubel looming, Wedge opted for the left-handed Sipp.

quot;I was about as comfortable as you can get given the circumstances,quot; Sipp said. quot;I knew what was at stake. I knew it was a lot different than the Kansas City game.quot;

Against the Royals, Sipp finished off a 2-0 loss. And the Royals featured no one of Morneau's caliber. Morneau won the AL MVP in 2006 and had pounded Tribe pitching at Progressive Field recently.

quot;I tried to treat it exactly as it was: I'd never seen him and he'd never seen me,quot; Sipp said. quot;At the same time, I knew a little more about him than he did about me. I'm sure he wasn't worried about Tony Sipp.quot;

Sipp got ahead, 0-2. After a ball, the mighty Morneau swung through a 94 mph pitch slightly above the belt.

Morneau, whose 39 RBI in 47 games at Progressive Field are his most at any opposition venue, might have been surprised that the inexperienced Sipp challenged him.

quot;Facing a guy like that, you don't want to get into a count where he's looking for a fastball,quot; Sipp said. quot;He's dangerous enough as it is. If he was going to beat me, he was going to have to do it early.quot;

The powerful Kubel does not have MVP credentials but stepped into the box in a groove. Sipp fell behind, 2-1, before Kubel swung and missed at a fastball. After a foul, catcher Victor Martinez expertly called for a slider. Kubel committed too early and failed to hold up as the pitch darted out of the zone.

quot;I actually was trying to throw it for a strike because I didn't want to go to a full count,quot; Sipp said. quot;Fortunately, it worked out.quot;

Sipp calmly walked toward the dugout as the crowd roared. No fist-pumping or shouting necessary.

quot;I had a job to do and I did it,quot; Sipp said. quot;I like being in pressure situations, but this was uncharted ground. I can't say I went out there expecting [two strikeouts] to happen.quot;

Wedge said: quot;Tony really, really picked us up. You can't be in much tougher of a situation late in a game, with those two hitters coming up.quot;

Rafael Betancourt worked a hitless eighth. The first two Twins reached against Kerry Wood in the ninth, but Wood induced a double-play grounder by Span and struck out Harris.

The Indians took a 1-0 lead in the first.

Grady Sizemore led off with a single against left-hander Glen Perkins. Asdrubal Cabrera walked.

The walk was the Tribe's first since the ninth inning Wednesday against Kansas City. Even with the failure to draw a walk for three games, the Indians entered Sunday ranked in the top five in the majors with 79.

Martinez, batting .405 as he stepped to the plate, grounded into a double play. But Shin-Soo Choo went with a pitch down and away and doubled into the left-field corner.

The Tribe scored three in the third for the 4-0 advantage.

Trevor Crowe led off with a single. He stole second and scored on a one-out single up the middle by Cabrera. Martinez singled through the hole at second, a hustling Cabrera diving headfirst into third.

Choo walked ahead of Ryan Garko, who did not try to do too much and dumped a single into left-center. Cabrera and Martinez scored.

Perkins (1-2, 2.48) struck out Peralta and Mark DeRosa to avoid further damage.

The Indians improved to 3-0 against left-handed starters.

To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: dmanoloff@plaind.com; 216-999-4664