Guardians 13, Twins 4: Cleveland Crush Minnesota as Joe Ryan Endures Historically Rough Outing

[Matthew Taylor]

Image courtesy of © David Richard-Imagn Images

Box Score
SP: Joe Ryan 4 IP, 10 H, 8 ER, 3 K, 0 BB (78 pitches, 55 strikes)
HR: None, for the Twins
Bottom 3 WPA: Ryan -0.49, Clemens -0.05, Caratini -0.05
Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs):

The Twins entered Monday night knowing just how important the next four games could be. After dropping two of three to the Cubs over the weekend for their first series loss since June 24, Minnesota arrived in Cleveland needing to make up ground in both the American League Central and Wild Card races. The Twins opened the series four games behind the division lead and two games out of the final Wild Card spot, with the Guardians sitting directly in front of them in the postseason chase. It also happened to be a Joe Ryan day.

With Minnesota's back end of the rotation continuing to search for consistency, every start from the club's ace carries added importance. Games Ryan starts have increasingly felt like must-win opportunities, making Monday's opener an ideal chance for the Twins to regain momentum.

Instead, it became one of the ugliest losses of the season. Ryan turned in one of the worst outings of his career, lasting just four innings while allowing eight earned runs on 10 hits. Six of those hits left the ballpark, tying the major-league record for the most home runs allowed by a pitcher in a single game. The eight earned runs were also the most Ryan has surrendered since allowing 10 against the Padres in 2022.

Cleveland wasted no time putting Ryan on the defensive. Brayan Rocchio launched a two-run homer in the first inning before Rhys Hoskins followed immediately with a solo shot, giving the Guardians a quick 3-0 lead.

The Twins briefly answered in the second inning. Brooks Lee lined an RBI triple past a diving Chase Delauter before Alan Roden brought him home with a sacrifice fly, cutting the deficit to 3-2 and giving Minnesota a brief spark.

It didn't last. The Guardians immediately resumed their power display in the bottom of the second. Petey Halpin, who entered the night with just a .471 OPS, crushed a two-run homer before 2024 No. 1 overall pick Travis Bazzana added another long ball later in the inning. The home run barrage continued from there. Hoskins connected for his second homer of the night in the third inning, before Halpin also left the yard for a second time in the fourth, chasing Ryan from the game with Cleveland holding an 8-2 advantage.

Unfortunately for the Twins, the damage didn't stop when Ryan exited. Cleveland continued to pile on against Minnesota's low-leverage relievers, adding runs in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings while turning the opener into a complete rout. By the end of the night, the Guardians had collected 19 hits, including seven home runs and four doubles, overwhelming every pitcher the Twins sent to the mound.

Minnesota managed a pair of late runs after the outcome had long since been decided. Trevor Larnach delivered an RBI single in the seventh inning before Victor Caratini doubled home another run in the eighth, trimming the deficit to 13-4. Those late contributions did little more than make the final score slightly more respectable.

The 13-4 defeat was about as discouraging a way as possible to begin a pivotal four-game series. The Twins fell to 49-52 and now sit three games below .500, while dropping to 2.5 games behind the final American League Wild Card spot with three teams standing between them and a playoff position. With the trade deadline now just a couple of weeks away, every loss increases the pressure on Minnesota to prove it remains a legitimate postseason contender.

What's Next
The Twins will try to bounce back Tuesday evening, when the second game of the series begins at 5:40 p.m. Minnesota has yet to announce a starting pitcher, while Cleveland will hand the ball to impressive rookie Parker Messick as the Twins look to avoid falling even further behind in the playoff race.

Postgame Interviews:

 

Bullpen Usage Chart:

	THUR	FRI	SAT	SUN	MON	TOT
Nance	0	25	0	0	36	61
Gómez	0	22	0	0	0	22
Morris	0	14	0	0	0	14
Rogers	0	2	0	0	0	2
Rojas	0	0	18	0	0	18
Go	0	0	0	23	24	47
Adams	0	0	0	45	0	45
Funderburk	0	0	0	14	16	30
Alex Jackson	0	0	0	0	11	11
Paredes	0	0	40	0	0	40

 

 

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[tony&rodney]

Mama said there'ld be days like this.

[thelanges5]

Bullpen game tomorrow against a Lefty what could go wrong?

[thelanges5]

2 minutes ago, tony&rodney said:

Mama said there'ld be days like this.

Was hoping the last two clunkers in Chicago would make it so this wouldn’t happen in Cleveland.

[Vanimal46]

 

Pictured: 2nd half Joe Ryan saying hello 

[DJL44]

Do we even need to worry about a team trading for Joe Ryan? He looked terrible tonight.

[shimrod]

After the win against the Cubs I came on this forum and made a positive comment about the Twins defense. 

I take it back. The last three games have been as brutal as any stretch the last couple years.

[wesnewy]

Joe Ryan when we need him to start a season defining series 

[Parfigliano]

Glad I missed almost all of this one.

[mikelink45]

I am so glad I was too busy today.  I think I remember how we were excited to take off after the all star game - not sure this is the take-off I was anticipating.  

Team Rankings, "The Cleveland Guardians are averaging 3.92 runs per game during the 2026 Major League Baseball season. This mark ranks at the bottom of the league, with their home scoring average sitting at 3.88 runs per game and their away average at 3.96 runs per game."

Aren't we the most prolific scorers?  

And Funderburk, Nance, GO continued the masterful pitching - yikes. 

[1985Fan]

Wow, this was like the game vs. Braves a couple seasons ago where Joe gave up 4-5 homers. He then went on the IL directly after that game. It looked like he was losing velocity as the game went on. Hope he’s ok. 
After watching him in the AS game, I thought he was untouchable. They sure made him look human. 

[tony&rodney]

The baseball season is a slog. The Twins had a sweet victory on Friday night to reach .500 and promptly ran head on into a brick wall. Now they have to get up. The talent is a little thin. Shelton and crew have their work cut out to get the players back in a groove where the small details are completed from pitch to pitch and play by play. 

Baseball is difficult when a pitcher is able to throw multiple pitches wherever they wish, especially if there is elite velocity. Likewise the game is difficult if the pitcher keeps throwing their pitches right down the middle and the batters tee off. So it goes. 

The ability to come back has been a feature of this undermanned roster this season. Picked to win 72-73 games, the scrappy crew has managed to remain somewhat relevant or at least worth paying attention to. Now we get to see how the next 12 games go before the trade deadline.

[Saxophone Joe]

51 minutes ago, wesnewy said:

Joe Ryan when we need him to start a season defining series 

Lmao. If you know you know.

Tonight was honestly the most shockingly bad performance by a Twins starter I’ve ever seen, relative to the moment. 6 homers - all hit very hard - in 4 innings from your “all star” in a game you badly needed to win was insane! Joe seemed totally befuddled, too.

[TopGunn#22]

Things looked pretty good after the initial 5-2 win against the Cubs fresh out of the All Star break.  But not only have the Twins lost 3 in a row, they've been clobbered in each of those 3 games..  It won't get any easier when they go up against Cleveland's Parker Messick tomorrow.  

[Nshore]

The Twins are full of team players, so they're working hard together to make the buy/sell decision an easy one for management.  Not just losses, but no chance, embarrassing, blowout losses.

[jorgenswest]

22 minutes ago, 1985Fan said:

Wow, this was like the game vs. Braves a couple seasons ago where Joe gave up 4-5 homers. He then went on the IL directly after that game. It looked like he was losing velocity as the game went on. Hope he’s ok. 
After watching him in the AS game, I thought he was untouchable. They sure made him look human. 

You are correct on the velocity. He started in the 94s and ended in the 92s.

[IndyTwinsFan]

1 hour ago, Parfigliano said:

Glad I missed almost all of this one.

Likewise!

[Permanent Twins Fan]

We can't forget to look at the positives. How about Alex Jackson today! He dropped his ERA in half today from 27.00 to 13.50. The ironic thing is that the Guardians scored in every single inning except for the 9th when Jackson was pitching. In all seriousness, though, hopefully today was just one of those days for Joe Ryan and the Twins. Hopefully the Guardians used up all their offense tonight, and we can win some games in the rest of this series. 

[TheLeviathan]

I, for one, approve of this much needed reality check.

[mrguy]

at least they only used Fundy, Go, and Nance. Tomorrow, hopefully they'll only need Rojas and Paredes with one more guy to lock it down at the end

[h2oface]

I wish our guys would hit like that when balls are ”left in the middle of the plate.” We get mostly foul balls. 
 

One of the homers was hit on a pitch about a foot above the zone! Middle of the plate, though. 
 

Even if Ryan would have pitched 4 shutout innings, the pen would have lost the game 5-4. 

[ToddlerHarmon]

50 minutes ago, mrguy said:

at least they only used Fundy, Go, and Nance. Tomorrow, hopefully they'll only need Rojas and Paredes with one more guy to lock it down at the end

But look at that bullpen usage - our mop up guys are being overused!!1!

[USAFChief]

Season. Over.

 

-RIP BYTO

[h2oface]

Maybe Twins’ fans don’t deserve good pitchers. When they have one, so many just want to trade them for prospects anyway, and love to trash them as if it happens all the time after an anomaly performance. Sanchez and Skenes might not be good enough, either. 

[soyouresayingtheresachance]

This is why the Twins need to find an Ace. Ryan is a nice #2 guy, but he isn't the slump stopper that an Ace needs to be. Especially in the 2nd half of seasons. I'd still like to extend him because he is a solid pitcher. But this team needs to find an Ace. 

Taj is coming around but still has his hiccups. Zebby seems prone to hot and VERY cold streaks. Unfortunately he seems to be on the bad side of that equation right now. We need someone to step up and be THAT guy or we need to look outside the organization and get him here. Whatever happens, we cant be giving up 13 runs to one of the worst offensive teams in the league. 

I will add, a better defense would help some of these guys out immensely. 

[soyouresayingtheresachance]

This is why the Twins need to find an Ace. Ryan is a nice #2 guy, but he isn't the slump stopper that an Ace needs to be. Especially in the 2nd half of seasons. I'd still like to extend him because he is a solid pitcher. But this team needs to find an Ace. 

Taj is coming around but still has his hiccups. Zebby seems prone to hot and VERY cold streaks. Unfortunately he seems to be on the bad side of that equation right now. We need someone to step up and be THAT guy or we need to look outside the organization and get him here. Whatever happens, we cant be giving up 13 runs to one of the worst offensive teams in the league. 

I will add, a better defense would help some of these guys out immensely. 

[knothole61]

3 hours ago, tony&rodney said:

The baseball season is a slog. The Twins had a sweet victory on Friday night to reach .500 and promptly ran head on into a brick wall. Now they have to get up. The talent is a little thin. Shelton and crew have their work cut out to get the players back in a groove where the small details are completed from pitch to pitch and play by play. 

Baseball is difficult when a pitcher is able to throw multiple pitches wherever they wish, especially if there is elite velocity. Likewise the game is difficult if the pitcher keeps throwing their pitches right down the middle and the batters tee off. So it goes. 

The ability to come back has been a feature of this undermanned roster this season. Picked to win 72-73 games, the scrappy crew has managed to remain somewhat relevant or at least worth paying attention to. Now we get to see how the next 12 games go before the trade deadline.

Well put, T & R--the next 12 games are very important and none of those as important as the next three, I think. If the Guardians sweep us the resulting six-game losing streak will likely prompt management to begin another fire sale. Even taking one of four might not keep the Twins on life support. I think the boys must split in Cleveland and then come home and put a winning streak together. Any less and the 2026 party will be over and the Murray/McCarthy madness will begin in earnest..      

[knothole61]

The momentous nature of Ryan's frantic four innings tonight is steadily coming into focus for me. Since the infancy of baseball in America (let's say in 1876 when the National League had an original eight teams) I can find only one example of a pitcher giving up more that six home runs in a single outing...Charley Sweeney of the St. Louis Maroons gave up seven homers to the Detroit Wolverines on June 12, 1886. "An arm-weary and heavily drinking Sweeney gave up 21 hits and seven home runs in a 14-7 complete game loss." Furthermore, In July of 1884, Sweeney "openly drank whiskey during a game and walked off with a local woman." Later, in 1894 after his brief career had ended, "he shot and killed a man during a barroom brawl in San Francisco" and was sent to San Quentin Prison. 

It took Ryan, who likely was not intoxicated last night, only four innings to give up six!

In the modern era of baseball (after 1901 and the establishment of the American League) Ryan has become the twelfth pitcher to give up a record six home runs in a single game: that's twelve games out of some 183,000 in modern baseball. In the words of Casey Stengel, that's amazin', amazin', amazin'.      

[h2oface]

Personally, it was dumbfounding that he wasn't pulled after 3 innings. Shelton was asleep, I guess. 

[Peter]

Last 3 games have been horrible and ugly!!! As I’ve said before twins are in playoffs!!! With AL so tight for wild card every game is a must win! We were at .500 after beating cubs and now 3 under. Ryan sucked last night! He needs to ditch the experience and focus on winning instead-twins definitely need a split against Cleveland-today will be difficult with Rojas/peredes. I don’t want twins to be sellers!! This is bad rut we’re in now!!! We can get out of this and get over.500 and make wild card and division run!!! Boston/texas/seattle and Detroit are bound to regress!!!