The Twins came into Tuesday night in Cleveland trying to shake off a rough stretch, but the first game of the series only added to the pile. Minnesota fell 5-2 to the Guardians, its fourth straight loss and its first game since the All-Star break to end in another flat finish.
It started with a quick jolt from the Twins offense. Ryan Jeffers jumped on a curveball from Parker Messick and sent it into the seats in left field for an early lead. For a moment, it looked like Minnesota might have something going.
That edge didn’t last long. Rookie left-hander Kendry Rojas was mostly steady through the first two innings, allowing just one baserunner, but Cleveland broke through in the third. Steven Kwan lined a one-out double, and that was enough to end Rojas’ night after 2 ⅓ innings.
Mike Paredes took over and immediately had to deal with traffic. Brayan Rocchio followed with an RBI single to put the Guardians ahead 2-1, though Paredes escaped the inning without further damage when Rhys Hoskins bounced into an inning-ending double play.
Minnesota answered in a messy, unusual way. Royce Lewis hit a squibber that Messick couldn’t handle, and then second baseman Travis Bazzana compounded the mistake by throwing away the chance to get the out. Both Messick and Bazzana were charged with errors on the play, and the Twins were back even.
Paredes then worked through a tense fifth, when Cleveland put runners on first and third with one out. He got a short fly ball from Chase DeLauter and then a pinch-hit flyout from Kyle Manzardo to keep the game tied.
The sixth inning is where things started slipping away for Minnesota. The first three Guardians reached against Paredes, and Austin Hedges lifted a high breaking ball into a sacrifice fly to make it 3-2.
Derek Shelton turned to Taylor Rogers in an attempt to stop the bleeding, but Cleveland kept pressing. On a shallow fly to center, Travis Bazzana broke for the plate, Byron Buxton’s throw was a little off line, and Ryan Jeffers’ dive back toward Bazzana came too late.
The call on the field was out, but replay overturned it. That made it 4-2.
Cleveland added one more in the seventh on a Bazzana check-swing flare that brought home Manzardo and pushed the lead to three.
From there, the Twins’ offense disappeared. Minnesota went down 1-2-3 in both of the final two innings, and even though Kahlil Watson made a strong play in the right-field corner to end it on a Luke Keaschall ball, the result was already settled.
Rojas finished with 2 ⅓ innings, one hit, two runs, two earned runs, two walks and two strikeouts on 47 pitches, 28 for strikes. Paredes was charged with most of the damage after Rojas left, and the Twins never recovered.
Jack Anderson also made his Twins debut, working 1 ⅓ innings and striking out one. The club is hoping he can help a bullpen that has already been through plenty this season.
Josh Bell also marked 10 years of service time, a milestone that stands out in any major-league career.
The Twins and Guardians will meet twice more in Cleveland. Bailey Ober, who is 7-3 with a 4.32 ERA, gets the ball next.
Slade Cecconi, 4-6 with a 4.55 ERA, will start for Cleveland. Ober has allowed three earned runs over his last 10 ⅓ innings, and his most recent outing came in the first game after the break against the Cubs, when he earned the win.
In Other News...
Twins May Be Creating A Keaschall Problem They Cant Hide
Luke Keaschalls move from second base into the outfield has become one of the more interesting side projects on the Twins roster. Since June, Minnesota has tried him in right field and then in center during Byron Buxtons injury absence, and now that Buxton is back, Keaschall has settled again on the right side while the club keeps working to turn his athleticism into something usable in the grass.
The challenge is that the Twins are asking him to learn on the fly in a spot where mistakes are hard to hide. They have been shading him deeper in center to make the job easier as he develops, but that also changes the look of the defense and puts a spotlight on every read and route. Buxton can play shallower because of his elite range, and Keaschall is still trying to find the balance between protecting against balls over his head and being in position to attack the ones in front of him. [Read more 🡒]
Twins Could Lose Two Key Regulars If This Slide Gets Worse
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Ryan Jeffers and Trevor Larnach are the names to watch if the slide continues. Jeffers is in the final year of his deal and has drawn attention from clubs looking for catching help, while Larnach remains under team control through 2027 and could become expendable if the Twins decide their outfield depth gives them room to deal from strength. [Read more 🡒]
Joe Ryan Just Became The Twins Trust Test
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The harder question is what kind of message that would send to a fan base that has already watched attendance sag at Target Field and has little appetite for another summer selloff. The Twins can talk themselves into several paths with Ryan, including holding him, moving him later, or cashing in now, but any deadline decision will land with more weight than a typical roster shuffle. [Read more 🡒]