Angel Martínez kept showing up at the right time, and the Guardians needed every bit of it.
Martínez homered, doubled and helped ignite the ninth-inning surge that carried Cleveland past the Minnesota Twins 5-2 on Friday night in Minneapolis. The win pushed the Guardians two games ahead of Toronto in the chase for the AL’s third wild-card spot.
His biggest swing came in the seventh, when he launched a two-run homer for a 2-1 Cleveland lead. That was his 15th homer of the season. Minnesota answered quickly, though, with Kalen Culpepper’s RBI single in the bottom of the inning to tie it again.
Cleveland finally broke through for good in the ninth against Yoendrys Gómez (2-3). Martínez opened the rally with a one-out double that moved Travis Bazzana to third, and Bazzana scored on Gómez’s wild pitch. Brayan Rocchio then added insurance with a double that drove in two more runs.
Hunter Gaddis (4-3) handled 1 1/3 scoreless innings, and Cade Smith finished it off in the ninth for his 36th save.
The game also featured a sharp outing from Minnesota starter Taj Bradley, who allowed one hit and four walks while striking out six over six scoreless innings. Cleveland’s Parker Messick matched him for much of the night, giving up three hits and one run with two walks and five strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings.
Bradley kept working around trouble early, walking the leadoff hitter in each of the first three innings and then allowing Bazzana’s leadoff single in the fourth. Still, Cleveland never got a runner past second base while he was on the mound.
Minnesota’s offense did most of its early damage in the second inning. Kody Clemens singled, Royce Lewis followed with a double, and that back-to-back combination produced the game’s first run. After that, the Twins had just two hits through the first five innings against Messick.
For the middle game of the series on Saturday, the Guardians have not announced a starter, though left-hander Joey Cantillo (9-9, 4.00 ERA) is expected to handle the bulk of the innings. The Twins will start left-hander Connor Prielipp (4-7, 5.25).
In Other News...
Twins Have A Real Pre-Lockout Decision On Two Key Young Pieces
With the possibility of a lockout looming once the current Collective Bargaining Agreement expires on Dec. 1, the Twins have a timely front-office question sitting right in front of them. Any new labor rules could reshape how payroll flexibility works across the league, and Minnesota is among the clubs that may have to think carefully about how it allocates money if a salary floor eventually comes into play.
That is why the period before the freeze could matter so much for a team trying to balance present and future value. The Twins have two young pieces worth watching closely in Taj Bradley and Kaelen Culpepper, and the decision on whether to pursue long-term deals now is about more than just roster planning. It is also about locking in talent before the market, and the rules around it, potentially shift under their feet. [Read more 🡒]
Twins Are Suddenly Watching Kaelen Culpepper For One Injury Concern
Kaelen Culpeppers latest stop with the Twins took an uneasy turn when he was hit by a 95.3 mph fastball and left the game early with a right shoulder contusion. Manager Derek Shelton said the club is treating the injury on a day-to-day basis, which at least keeps the immediate outlook from sounding overly alarming, and there is no concern for a fracture.
Still, the next few days matter because the Twins are keeping an eye on whether the soreness settles down as expected. Culpepper is slated to miss the following game while being checked daily, and the bigger question now is whether the discomfort is limited to the bruise or points to something more involving the nerves. [Read more 🡒]
Emmanuel Rodriguez Just Gave The Twins A Different Look
Emmanuel Rodriguez could not have asked for a louder introduction. In his first major-league at-bat, the young outfielder turned on a pitch and homered as part of a four-run third inning, giving the Twins the jolt they needed in a 4-3 win over the Guardians. It was the kind of debut moment that changes the feel of a night, especially with Rodriguezs family in the ballpark to see it unfold.
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 🡒]