Torii Hunter hit a game-tying, two-run single and Jacque Jones drove in the go-ahead run off Bob Wickman in the eighth inning as the Minnesota Twins beat Cleveland 4-3 in the nightcap of a rare three-team doubleheader.
With six games remaining, the Indians may need to win them all to get the AL wild card.
"We're running out of games," said Indians manager Charlie Manuel. "We're kind of at the point now where we can't lose."
In the day game, Dave Burba got his 16th win in Cleveland's 9-2 victory over the Chicago White Sox.
It was only the second three-team doubleheader in the majors since 1900 and first since Sept. 13, 1951, when the St. Louis Cardinals played host to the New York Giants and Boston Braves at Sportsman's Park.
The Indians had complained about having to play the doubleheader -- their third in six days -- when the AL announced that a Sept. 10 rainout with Chicago would have to be made up.
Cleveland was worried its worn-out pitching staff might not hold up, and relievers Paul Shuey (4-2) and Wickman couldn't close out the sweep.
Manny Ramirez homered for the Indians, who missed a chance to gain any ground on the Oakland Athletics in the wild-card race.
"This burns pretty bad right now," said Shuey, who before giving up three runs in 1 2/3 innings, had been unscored upon in his previous eight appearances.
"Hopefully, we can come back tomorrow."
Shuey allowed the Twins to load the bases with two outs in the eighth.
Wickman got ahead 0-2 on Hunter, who fouled off two pitches before lining a breaking ball into left-centre to tie it 3-3.
"I fell behind and just tried to battle," Hunter said. "It was a slider away and I just stayed with it."
Jones followed with a bloop RBI single to left, helping the last-place Twins improve to 7-3 against the Indians this season.
"It seems like we can't score enough runs on them," Manuel said. "They've kind of had our number this year."
Travis Miller (2-3) pitched two scoreless innings of relief and LaTroy Hawkins got three outs for his 13th save in 13 tries.
The Indians put a runner on third with two outs in the ninth, but third baseman Corey Koskie of Anola, Man., made a diving stop to rob Omar Vizquel of a game-tying hit.
"I don't know if the game was won or lost on one play," Koskie said. "In that situation I was looking for him to hit it my way and he did."
Indians second game starter Steve Woodard allowed one run and four hits in 5 1/3 innings.
Ramirez hit a two-run homer, his 34th, in the first off Matt Kinney to put the Indians up 2-0.
Despite missing 44 games, Ramirez has 116 RBIs in 415 at-bats.
David Segui's sacrifice fly in the third gave the Indians a 3-0 lead.
In the opener, Burba (16-6) allowed seven hits in seven innings, and Roberto Alomar and Ramirez had two RBIs each for the Indians.
