Twins 3, Guardians 1: Patience Pays Off

[Sam Caulder]

Image courtesy of © Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

Box Score
SP: Taj Bradley - 7 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 5 K (109 pitches, 68 strikes (62% strikes))
Home Runs: None
Top 3 WPA: Taylor Rogers (0.31), Tommy Nance (0.31), Taj Bradley (0.20)
Win Probability Chart

The Twins entered Thursday afternoon's series finale against the Guardians looking to finagle a split after dropping the first two games of the four-game set. Behind another outstanding outing from Taj Bradley and some late-inning heroics, they did exactly that.

Minnesota was left off the scoreboard for the first seven innings against Gavin Williams, but rallied to tie the game in the eighth before breaking through to win it in the 12th. Jack Anderson then slammed the door, giving the Twins a 3-1 victory and an important boost in the standings before heading home.

TAJ BRADLEY CARVES UP GUARDIANS
Two weeks after both starters dominated when these teams first met, Taj Bradley and Gavin Williams put together another pitching duel. Bradley didn't have his sharpest command early, needing 21 pitches to work through the first inning after issuing a leadoff walk to Steven Kwan. However, he settled in quickly. The right-hander retired 18 of the next 20 hitters he faced, allowing just one hit over the next five innings while consistently overpowering Cleveland's lineup with a fastball that frequently touched triple digits.

His only mistake came in the fifth. Patrick Bailey got a 2-0 fastball over the heart of the plate and launched it over the wall in right field for his fifth home run of the season, giving Cleveland a 1-0 lead. That was all the Guardians could manage against Bradley. He finished his afternoon with seven innings of one-run baseball, striking out five while throwing 109 pitches. His final pitch was perhaps his best, reaching back for a 99-MPH fastball that Kyle Manzardo swung through to end the seventh. Bradley was tagged with a no-decision, but you can’t really ask for much more out of him than what the Twins got today.

GAVIN WILLIAMS DOMINATES... AGAIN
Unfortunately for Minnesota, Williams was every bit as dominant on the other side. The Cleveland right-hander carved through the Twins' lineup from the opening inning, striking out the side in the first before needing just seven pitches to breeze through the second.

In the fourth, he threw an immaculate inning, retiring Byron Buxton, Ryan Jeffers and Josh Bell on just nine pitches while recording three strikeouts. Across seven innings, the Twins managed just two hits and never advanced a runner past second base. Williams piled up 11 strikeouts, marking his third consecutive double-digit strikeout performance and his second against Minnesota in just over two weeks.

However, the Twins finally showed signs of life in the eighth, once they got into Cleveland's bullpen. Royce Lewis worked a leadoff walk against Hunter Gaddis. Luke Keaschall also reached, prompting Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt to call upon All-Star closer Cade Smith for a five-out save. Instead, Alan Roden spoiled those plans. He jumped on the first pitch he saw from Smith and lined it into left field, bringing Lewis home to tie the game at 1-1.

Minnesota threatened for even more after Brooks Lee beat out a fielder's choice and advanced into scoring position, but Smith struck out Buxton to keep the game tied heading into the bottom half of the inning.

TWINS BULLPEN KEEPS THEM ALIVE
After Bradley departed, Minnesota's bullpen came through with five scoreless innings to keep the game alive. Andrew Morris worked around a Kwan single in the eighth. Yoendrys Gómez worked around a pair of walks in the ninth, striking out Manzardo to force extra innings.

Tommy Nance followed with a scoreless 10th, stranding the automatic runner at third base. Taylor Rogers worked around an intentional walk in the 11th by striking out Chase DeLauter and retiring the next two hitters. Every reliever delivered exactly what the Twins needed, setting the stage for the offense to finally break through.

LARNACH DELIVERS THE BIG HIT
After both teams failed to score in the 10th and 11th innings, Minnesota finally broke through in the 12th. With Ryan Jeffers serving as the automatic runner, Josh Bell and Kody Clemens were retired to quickly put the inning in jeopardy.

Cleveland intentionally walked Royce Lewis to create a left-on-left matchup with Trevor Larnach. That decision backfired. Larnach lined a single into left field, scoring Jeffers and giving the Twins their first lead of the afternoon. Keaschall followed with another clutch hit, ripping a single through the left side to score Lewis and extend the lead to 3-1. That proved to be all the insurance Minnesota would need.

Jack Anderson took over for the bottom of the 12th and retired two of the first three hitters. Patrick Bailey drew a walk to keep Cleveland's hopes alive. Pinch-hitter Daniel Schneemann then lifted a fly ball to left field, where Larnach caught the final out to complete the 3-1 victory.

It wasn't the cleanest offensive performance by any means, but Minnesota's pitching staff carried the club all afternoon before the lineup finally came through in extras. The Twins finish the road trip at 51-53 after salvaging a split in Cleveland. Despite an ugly start to the series, they leave with some much-needed momentum heading into the weekend.

What’s Next? 
The Twins return to Target Field tomorrow to begin a weekend series against the Athletics. Zebby Matthews is the probable starter for the Twins, and he’s set to face off against left-hander Jacob Lopez. First pitch is set for 7:10 PM.

Postgame Interviews
Coming Soon!

Bullpen Availability Chart

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[Hawkeye Bean Counter]

Last I checked Gomez pitched yesterday LOL.  

Heck of a win by the Twins.   Bradley is becoming a stud.   The bullpen is holding their own - still needs some help Tom.  We will see what happens at the deadline.   

Do we buy, sell, a little bit of both?   

[SD happy]

Great win!!!! Cleveland was 0-17 with RISP. It feels like the Twins snatched this one away from Cleveland.

[Mortimerkenny21]

Heck of a win, way to fight it out boys!

[ashbury]

Season Saved1

[Parfigliano]

Winning streak!!!!

[jorgenswest]

Wow! Great game! Getting to watch games like this is why I am a baseball fan. I am here for the 162. 

[Permanent Twins Fan]

Great win. Cleveland being 0 for 17 with RISP pretty much says it all. Great job by the bullpen. Anderson has looked pretty good in his brief time so far. Good bounceback start by Taj

[thelanges5]

Anderson is the 12th pitcher with a save this season. Roden earning his keep? Larnach winning me over? This club keeps it interesting. 

[Cory Engelhardt]

Man this one was a fun one. Now do your job against the Royals and A's upcoming, and let's have some fun and add. :)

[Church of Kreidler]

Every time I thought that all hope was lost, they proved me wrong! And Taj was an absolute stud - in fact, every reliever that came in helped knock it out of the park! Er... Keep it in the park?

An excellent game that's going to give us a ton of momentum against the unhoused Athletics!!!

[Dman]

They desperately needed a split and they got it.  Finally got through the starter they couldn't touch to Cleveland's pen who eventually coughed up the lead.   They win the next two series and they are back to .500.  Job isn't done yet, but this win keeps them close.

[KirbyDome89]

Normally I can't stand the Manfred runner but today is the rare exception. That game probably never ends without a runner starting at 2B. Putrid offense from both sides. 

Also, am I losing my mind or was Arias absolutely dogging it to 1B that last inning? Brutal if that's the case...

[DataNerd]

MIN and CLE combined for 2.00 WPA for the pitchers (1.25 and 0.75).  Not a good day for clutch hitting, but eventually someone had to get one and it was us.

[JD-TWINS]

15 minutes ago, thelanges5 said:

Anderson is the 12th pitcher with a save this season. Roden earning his keep? Larnach winning me over? This club keeps it interesting. 

What’s Larnach have to do to get some respect?……..maybe he’ll leap a tall building in a single bound ….., Sands (maybe) & Prielipp are going to be back during this home stand, who gets demoted?

[Peter]

Bold courageous brave heroic huge win!!!💪💪💪  My nerves are shot!!! 😬😬😬Bullpen was fantastic!!! Taj is 💪💪💪 let’s hope twins get over and stay over .500 after homestand rest of season!!!

[USAFChief]

52 minutes ago, Hawkeye Bean Counter said:

 

Do we buy, sell, a little bit of both?   

Yes.

[Sjoski]

Incredible win....but with Boston figuring it out as a legit team.....Wild Card chances are only slimmer.  Twins probably need to catch Cleveland to reach the postseason. 

Twins are sellers.

 

[JD-TWINS]

4 minutes ago, Sjoski said:

Incredible win....but with Boston figuring it out as a legit team.....Wild Card chances are only slimmer.  Twins probably need to catch Cleveland to reach the postseason. 

Twins are sellers.

 

17 games left against American League West

21 games left in American League Central

3 with the Giants late September & 3 with Baltimore mid September.

So w/o any big subtractions & Prielipp/Sands coming back Team plays 44 games against teams no better than them on Paper.

5 tough 3 games series to navigate.

[Hawkeye Bean Counter]

We have Royals and A’s now to make up some ground. 

[TCanWins]

Awesome to see the bullpen stabilising as the season progresses. They are doing their job. Epic effort for the boys to stay the course and pull off the win after a pitchers duel. Hopefully it's a good confidence boost going into the next couple of series which we could sweep to get back in the race.

[Sjoski]

24 minutes ago, JD-TWINS said:

17 games left against American League West

21 games left in American League Central

3 with the Giants late September & 3 with Baltimore mid September.

So w/o any big subtractions & Prielipp/Sands coming back Team plays 44 games against teams no better than them on Paper.

5 tough 3 games series to navigate.

Twins have 9 games before the trade deadline. Between now and then is when they determine to buy or sell. 

Walls are closing in. They will sell.

[weitz41]

These guys are like that X girlfriend that dumped you then calls or texts every once in a while...There's a chance. Wait no way...AGAIN!. radio silence...You tease Twins...

Anyway, great win. Now to take care of bizness with two struggling clubs coming to Target field. Make Tom and Jeremy sweat the deadline!

[RpR]

[stringer bell]

30 minutes ago, Sjoski said:

Incredible win....but with Boston figuring it out as a legit team.....Wild Card chances are only slimmer.  Twins probably need to catch Cleveland to reach the postseason. 

Twins are sellers.

 

Yeah, the Twins will need to catch either Cleveland or Chicago and perhaps both. They have the head-to-head advantage over Cleveland. I expect that they will have to win a majority over the Pale Hose to catch them and four of six would give the Twins the H2H as well.

They have won at least three games against the Guards that they routinely managed to lose against Cleveland in past seasons.

I think the players are doing what they can to convince management and ownership to add instead of subtract. They have nine more gsmes to convince the powers that be. 

[Mike Sixel]

I'm still trading jeffers. Don't care if they win every game between now and the deadline. I get that isn't popular, but this is not a WS team.

I'd happily trade with TB again for a SP......Ryan and Bradley.....

[Sjoski]

36 minutes ago, Hawkeye Bean Counter said:

We have Royals and A’s now to make up some ground. 

Twins are 2-5 vs the "struggling" Royals this year. 0-0 vs A's.... who knows what will happen....that's why they play the games.  I hope for the best, not surprised by the worst....its baseball and it's the Twins.