Carlos Santana belted a two-run homer in the sixth inning and Zach Plesac recorded his first major league win as the host Cleveland Indians posted a 5-2 victory over the New York Yankees on Friday.

Tyler Naquin launched a solo homer and Jason Kipnis answered an 0-for-20 skid with an RBI single among his two hits and a sacrifice fly in the eighth inning for the Indians.

New York's Domingo German (9-2) was denied in his bid to become the majors' first 10-game winner. German, who allowed four runs on six hits in six innings, has surrendered 14 runs on 21 hits -- including seven homers -- over his last three starts (14 2/3 innings).

Aaron Hicks homered for the second time in as many days and Clint Frazier ripped an RBI double for the Yankees, who welcomed the return of Didi Gregorius following Tommy John surgery in October. Gregorius went 2-for-4, although he was thrown out at second base in the second inning while attempting to stretch a single into a double.

With the game tied at 2, Cleveland rookie Oscar Mercado collected his second hit of the night with a single to lead off the sixth inning. Santana followed by depositing a 1-0 changeup from German well over the wall in right field for his team-leading 12th homer of the season and seventh since May 18.

Santana's blast made a winner out of Plesac (1-1), who allowed two runs on six hits in seven innings. Nick Wittgren retired all three batters he faced in the eighth inning before Brad Hand struck out the side in the ninth for his 19th save in as many opportunities.

New York opened the scoring on Frazier's RBI double to center in the second before taking a 2-0 lead in the following inning. Hicks, who belted a three-run shot in Thursday's 6-2 victory over Toronto, sent a 1-0 changeup from Plesac just inside the right-field foul line for his fourth homer of the season.

Kipnis' RBI single in the fourth inning halved the deficit before Naquin forged a tie at 2 with two outs in the fifth inning after sending a first-pitch fastball from German over the wall in right field.

--Field Level Media