The Twins had a game in reach until the ninth, and then Cleveland did what Cleveland has done to them again and again: took it away late.
Minnesota fell 5-2 on Friday night, with the final inning turning a tight, messy contest into another frustrating finish against the Guardians. The Twins had worked their way back into it, but Yoendrys Gómez couldn’t hold the line in the ninth, and Cleveland piled on three runs to break it open.
The night started with Parker Messick making life miserable for Twins hitters. The left-hander, a rookie whose season has already included an All-Star nod and a 2.53 ERA in 167 innings, had Minnesota guessing all evening.
He lived on command, and the Twins never really got comfortable. Three of his five strikeouts came on takes, with Minnesota not even offering at the pitches.
That was the problem in miniature: the Twins were chasing the game, and Messick kept them in it from the other side. Meanwhile, Taj Bradley spent much of his outing trying to survive his own control issues.
He walked the first batter in each of his first three innings and issued four free passes before recording his ninth out. For a while, it looked like the outing might spiral.
Instead, Bradley steadied himself. A Travis Bazzana single in the fourth was wiped away by a double play, and then Bradley settled in long enough to retire six straight hitters across the fifth and sixth. He finished with a flourish, punching out Jo Adell on a 99.7 MPH fastball.
The Twins briefly found some life after Bradley left. A.J. Minter came on and immediately gave Cleveland a jolt, as Bazzana singled and Angel Martínez followed with a two-run homer.
Minnesota answered in an odd little sequence that kept the game close. Austin Martin was hit by a pitch, Walker Jenkins laid down a bunt, and a strange obstruction call at second ended with Martin awarded second base.
Brayan Rocchio was the player ruled for the infraction, though the only real punishment was being seen and judged. Kaelen Culpepper then drove in Martin with a single anyway.
That made the later innings matter, and once again the ninth became the difference. It started poorly for Gómez, who sprayed the zone, handed out walks, and watched a wild pitch add to the damage. Cleveland then turned the few hittable pitches into doubles and pushed across three runs before Gómez could escape.
By then, Cade Smith had taken over for the Guardians, and the Twins never threatened to answer.
Minnesota and Cleveland meet again Saturday at 3:10 PM, with Connor Prielipp set to pitch against the cool and collected TBD.
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Emmanuel Rodriguez Just Gave The Twins A Different Look
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For Minnesota, the bigger takeaway was how the game kept opening new lanes for a club that has been looking for different ways to win. Rodriguez finished with a hit, a run, an RBI, a home run and an assist, while the bullpen did enough to protect the lead the offense had built. The debut was memorable on its own, but it also hinted at how quickly a new face can alter the look of a lineup when the Twins need one more spark. [Read more 🡒]