CLEVELAND - The Minnesota Twins are running out of runway, and Tuesday night did them no favors.
A fourth straight loss since getting back to .500 left the Twins staring at a 5-2 defeat against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field, a game that once again exposed how thin the margin has become. Minnesota’s pitching gave it a chance longer than it had in the previous three games, but the offense never found enough traction, and the club dropped to 49-53 while being outscored 34-9 since Saturday.
With the Aug. 3 trade deadline less than two weeks away, the timing could hardly be worse.
“We’re not in a do-or-die situation right now, but we also are not naive to the fact these next two weeks are important for trying to send a message to the front office about the group we have,” Twins catcher Ryan Jeffers said.
That message, at the moment, is not a loud one. Minnesota has been knocked around on the road by a pair of strong teams, and the stretch is giving general manager Jeremy Zoll and executive chairman Tom Pohlad plenty to think about. If the Twins had hoped to play themselves into position to add, the last few days have pushed them in the opposite direction.
Jeffers, who hit a first-inning solo homer for his second since returning from a broken hamate bone, is one name that could draw interest if Minnesota decides to move pieces. Outfielder Trevor Larnach is also drawing attention, especially because of how well he’s handled right-handed pitching. And if clubs are looking for rotation help, two-time All-Star Joe Ryan would be a major target.
For now, though, the Twins have to dig themselves out of the hole they created.
Josh Bell doubled and scored, and his bat helped briefly steady Minnesota, but the Twins never sustained enough offense against Cleveland. Bell said the group still believes it can turn things back around.
“I still think we’re in a good position,” said designated hitter Josh Bell, who doubled and scored Tuesday. “I still think vibes are really high in the clubhouse.
Obviously, the last four or five games haven’t gone the way that we’ve wanted them to, but we’re still in the hunt. We still have a lot of unfinished business out there.
It’s still really early. Just keeping vibes high, rinse, repeat, come back (Wednesday) ready to play.”
The game itself was decided by a handful of missed chances and a few Cleveland breaks. After Jeffers gave Minnesota its first lead since Friday, Steven Kwan answered in the second with a double that brought in a run on a bad location from Kendry Rojas. Brayan Rocchio followed with a single off Mike Paredes to score Kwan and put the Guardians ahead.
Minnesota tied it in the fourth when Bell doubled, moved up on a wild pitch and came home after Cleveland All-Star Parker Messick misplayed a Royce Lewis grounder for an error that allowed the run to score.
That was about as much room as the Twins found all night.
In the sixth, Kahlil Watson opened with a pinch-hit double off Paredes, who then hit Travis Bazzana with a pitch. Gabriel Arias singled to load the bases, and Austin Hedges lifted a sacrifice fly to left-center to give Cleveland the lead again.
The Twins came close to escaping with only that damage. Taylor Rogers entered and nearly worked out of the inning after a double steal and a missed swipe tag by Lewis at second.
Byron Buxton then caught Petey Halpin’s fly ball in center and fired home, where Jeffers appeared to tag Bazzana for what looked like an inning-ending double play. Replay overturned it, though, and Cleveland’s lead stretched to 4-2.
“Jeffers made a good throw. We didn’t get it,” Twins manager Derek Shelton said.
“We had the play at the plate, looked like he swiped over the mitt and tagged him on the head. And then we didn’t execute pitches with two strikes.
I think that was the difference in the game. … It’s frustrating.
For three of the days we didn’t pitch very well. (Tuesday) we didn’t pitch very well.
We did not put people away, and that’s what we have to do to win games.”
The Twins still have two more chances in Cleveland, with Bailey Ober and Taj Bradley lined up to start the remaining games. After that, they return home to face the Athletics and Royals, two teams the Twins will be hoping can help them get back on track.
Right now, the club is trying to lean on the same thing that helped it climb out of an eight-games-under-.500 hole only 5 1/2 weeks ago: the group in the room.
Lewis’ return from a minor-league demotion helped spark a 17-9 stretch that cooled trade chatter and gave Minnesota a different look. The Twins had started to resemble a team that could add at the deadline instead of one that might have to sell. That picture has blurred again over the last four games.
Still, Jeffers said the clubhouse isn’t unraveling.
“We’re going to have each other’s backs no matter what,” Jeffers said. “The culture of that locker room has been talked about non-stop this year.
(Bell), in his 10-year speech, said it’s one of the tightest locker rooms he’s ever been in. I think that goes a long way when you’re in streaks like this.
You fight for each other, you play for each other, and, at the end of the day, as long as you’ve got each other’s backs and you’re playing hard, that’s all you can ask for.”
Tuesday also brought a personal milestone for Bell, who reached 10 years of big-league service time, joining Buxton and Rogers as Twins players honored for that achievement this season. The team brought in Bell’s family for the occasion, and teammates presented gifts, including a Rolex from Pohlad.
“It was great, something I won’t forget,” Bell said. “Remembering stories, there’s countless of them in the minor leagues, grinding, not knowing if I’m going to make it.
It’s cool looking back at those now. I’ve got some memories under the belt and some accomplishments, some accolades, and hopefully more to come.”
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