The Guardians found a new way to lose one in Minnesota, and this one was ugly from the first inning to the last. A game that already felt out of control kept spiraling, and by the end it had turned into a full-blown bullpen-and-defense disaster.
Cleveland did get a burst of offense in the fourth, when Rocchio and Hoskins went back-to-back to push across three runs. For a moment, that looked like enough to settle things down.
It wasn’t. Cecconi couldn’t even make it out of the inning, and his final line told the story: 3.2 innings, 6 hits, 3 earned runs, 4 strikeouts and 1 walk.
He handed the lead right back after the Guardians had taken it.
Holderman was the first real bright spot. He came in during the fourth and cleaned up the mess, then worked a scoreless fifth on just six pitches.
Herrin followed with a quiet sixth before taking a comebacker off the elbow from Royce Lewis and leaving the game. Shawn Armstrong finished the inning.
The Guardians grabbed the lead again in the seventh. Chase DeLauter, who finished with 2 hits in 3 trips on base, drove in the go-ahead run. Rocchio followed with a surprise bunt that brought Kwan home and also got him to first after bad Twins defense.
Then the bullpen unraveling resumed. Armstrong returned and walked Keaschall and Kreidler, getting only one out between the free passes.
Sabrowski came in next and had a nightmare appearance: three walks, including two RBI walks, and no outs recorded. He threw 14 pitches, only 2 for strikes, and none of his other 8 pitches were close.
It was the kind of outing that can wreck a game in a hurry, and it did.
Hunter Gaddis inherited the chaos and got out of it, but not before creating another jam in the eighth with runners on second and third after two batters. Cade Smith then took over and handled that situation without allowing a run, working out of it cleanly.
The game was tied heading to the ninth, and Cleveland didn’t score. With the bullpen stretched thin, Matt Festa got the ball and nearly escaped, but the defense let him down.
Bazzana misplayed a rough hop in the rain and the dirt, and Hoskins failed to handle a play that should have been made. Alan Roden later walked it off for the Twins.
Here’s how the pitchers finished:
Cecconi: 3.2IP 6H 3ER 4K 1BB
Holderman: 1.1IP 0H 0ER 0K 0BB
Herrin: 0.2IP 0H 0ER 0K 0BB
Armstrong: 0.2IP 0H 2ER 0K 2BB
Sabrowski: 0.0IP 0H 0ER 0K 3BB
Gaddis: 0.2IP 2H 0ER 0K 0BB
Cade: 1.0IP 0H 0ER 2K 1BB
Festa: 0.2IP 3H 1ER 1K 1BB
The Guardians had a few players who came out of this with clean hands: Cade, DeLauter, Rocchio, Hedges and Holderman. Everyone else left Minnesota with plenty to think about after a game that kept finding new ways to go wrong.
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Acquired from the Rockies in 2023, Huff has expanded beyond catcher and given Cleveland a look at him at first base and third base as well. That versatility matters for a club that has been willing to move prospects quickly when the roster calls for it, and it leaves the Guardians with a decision to make on how soon they want to test him at the highest level. [Read more 🡒]