Cade Smith gave Minnesota a hard look this week, and the Twins still walked away with the better result.
The Guardians closer, who leads the AL in saves and is a 2026 All-Star, was perfect in an eighth-inning appearance Wednesday night. Then on Thursday afternoon, he finished the job by retiring the Twins in order for his 27th save.
But Minnesota had already done enough in the middle game of the series, turning a wild, back-and-forth game into a win when Alan Roden, making his season debut, ripped a ball off the high wall in Target Field’s right-center power alley. That walk-off ended the series and gave the Twins a surprisingly important regular-season victory over Cleveland.
The whole thing had the feel of something bigger than a July series. Derek Shelton and Stephen Vogt used 37 players on Wednesday, and both dug into their rosters like they were managing a play-in game. In the AL Central, that might not be much of a stretch.
Even without the calendar saying September, this set between Minnesota and Cleveland carried the weight of a winner-take-all battle. If Wednesday’s game had landed late in the season - or better yet, as game 162 - it would have fit right alongside the most memorable divisional fights with the Chicago White Sox and Detroit Tigers.
And there’s a good chance this isn’t the last time these teams give us that kind of night in 2026. The Tigers are still in the mix, but the Twins, Guardians and White Sox look headed for a second-half scramble for the AL Central and for any Wild Card opening left behind by a team sliding out of the race.
Minnesota had been riding the boost from a regular-season series win in New York over the 4th of July weekend, but the standings last Monday brought the bigger picture back into focus. The Twins were three games behind Cleveland in the division, and a sweep would have pulled them even and lifted both clubs to .500 at 47-47. At the top sat the White Sox, 47-45 with two games in hand.
Instead, the Twins settled for the series win. They’ll also be hoping Miami can keep pressure on Cleveland - the Marlins are 4-6 in their last 10 - while Minnesota tries to handle the Angels before the break.
With baseball heading into its annual pause, the Twins have three games left to get to the All-Star break fresh, even and still in the hunt, even if their grip on the race is a little looser than it could have been.
The bigger point is that Thursday’s loss didn’t dull the series. If anything, it sharpened it.
Baseball seasons are built on this kind of grind: the best teams lose, and they lose plenty. Most postseason clubs pile up around 70 defeats.
Minnesota has already taken far more painful losses than the one Gavin Williams helped hand them with his darting fastball.
That’s why this stretch matters. The Twins, Guardians and White Sox are set to play a combined 19 games against one another, which gives the second half a real chance to turn into a three-team fight for two playoff spots. If the Tigers keep climbing after winning eight of their last 10, the AL Central could wind up as the most competitive division in baseball and the most entertaining one, too.
Minnesota has already taken both series against Cleveland this year, and the two teams won’t wait long to see each other again. After the break, the Twins head to Progressive Field for four games in their second series following All-Star week. Byron Buxton may be back in center field for Minnesota, while Cleveland has not set a timetable for Jose Ramirez’s return.
Both clubs are also operating in the middle of what should be a busy trade market. If the White Sox can keep their division lead through July, they’ll likely see themselves as buyers. The Twins and Guardians have their own decisions to make, especially with major changes coming to baseball in 2027 and beyond.
The Guardians may feel a little more urgency once they get to Chicago a few days after the trade deadline, but the race figures to be decided later than that. September is where it gets settled, when each team plays a three-game series against the others in the final stretch of the regular season.
If this week was any clue, that finish should be a lot of fun to watch.
In Other News...
Twins Fans Have Waited Years To Hear This From Pohlad
For years, Twins fans have heard variations of the same message: stay competitive, keep the pipeline moving, trust the process. Tom Pohlad used a different tone this time. The chairman said the organization understands it has to raise its payroll investment if it wants to do more than hang around the race, and he framed the goal in much bigger terms than simply remaining relevant in September.
Pohlad also made clear that consistency is only the starting point, not the finish line, and that playoff progress will require bolder moves and real spending. He expressed confidence in general manager Jeremy Zoll, but the larger point was aimed at the fan base as much as the front office: support is earned by what the club does on the field and by how aggressively it shows a commitment to winning, not by promises alone. [Read more 🡒]
Twins May Have Just Answered Their Biggest Catcher Question
The Twins used the No. 3 overall pick in the 2026 MLB Draft on Georgia Tech catcher Vahn Lackey, giving the organization a high-end prospect at a position that has been a constant question mark in the system. It was a notable choice on its own, and it carried extra weight because Minnesota has not spent a first-round pick on a catcher since Joe Mauer, a reminder of how rarely the club has gone this route at the top of the draft.
Lackey arrives with the kind of profile that made him one of the most intriguing names on the board, with some evaluators seeing a possible five-tool catcher and other clubs surely weighing him as well. His college track record and scouting grades help explain why the Twins were willing to make the move, and why this pick feels like more than just another premium selection, even if the real test will come once he starts climbing the ladder in pro ball. [Read more 🡒]
Twins May Be Forced Off Their Draft Plan At No. 3
With the third overall pick in the 2026 MLB Draft, the Twins look positioned to land a premium talent, but the shape of that board could push them in a different direction than the one they might prefer. Minnesota has been linked to shortstops Grady Emerson and Roch Cholowsky, along with catcher Vahn Lackey, and the early read is that the club is leaning toward college players rather than Emerson, whose path would likely take more time.
Keith Laws latest read on the class only adds to the uncertainty, since the Twins may have to react to how the first two picks and the clubs ahead of them break. If Cholowsky is there, he could be the obvious fit, but Minnesota may not get that clean a choice, and the possibility of a pivot to another college bat or arm is very much alive as the draft order starts to sort itself out. [Read more 🡒]