CLEVELAND (AP) — Rookie Kyle Manzardo hit a two-run, go-ahead homer in the eighth inning and Emmanuel Clase recorded his 46th save as the Cleveland Guardians rallied to beat the Minnesota Twins 4-3 on Monday night to tighten their grip on the AL Central.
With Josh Naylor on second after a leadoff double, Manzardo connected on the first pitch from Griffin Jax (4-5), sending it deep into the right-field seats for his third homer to trigger an eruption of joy in Cleveland’s dugout.
Their 40th come-from-behind win moved the Guardians 7 1/2 games ahead of the defending division champion Twins. It also reduced Cleveland’s magic number for clinching a playoff berth to two.
Clase, who has built a strong argument for Cy Young consideration, worked the ninth for his 33rd consecutive save and No. 46 this season, tying him with José Mesa (1995) for the club’s single-season record.
Rookie Andrew Walters (1-0) picked up his first career win as Cleveland’s top-ranked bullpen bailed out starter Matthew Boyd, who didn’t get out of the third.
Minnesota’s Pablo López pitched into the seventh inning for the Twins, but Minnesota’s bullpen couldn’t protect the lead.
Byron Buxton hit a two-run single for the Twins.
Leading 3-0, López retired 10 straight and 13 of 14 before hitting Brayan Rocchio on the lower leg with two outs in the fifth. He would come around to score on Andrés Giménez’s broken-bat infield single.
The Guardians pulled within 3-2 in the seventh on rookie Angels Martinez’s RBI single, but missed an opportunity to do more damage as Jax struck out Giménez and got José Ramírez on a hard grounder to first.
The Twins took a 3-0 lead in the third and chased Boyd, who gave up a double to Carlos Correa and then hurt himself by loading the bases with a pair of two-out walks.
Correa scored on a passed ball and Buxton brought in Minnesota’s next two runs with a single that deflected off Boyd’s glove into center. As Guardians second baseman Giménez tried to reach it behind the bag, he collided with umpire Chad Fairchild, who was doing all he could to get out of the way.
Giménez needed a few minutes to gather himself but stayed in.
KWAN UPDATE
Guardians All-Star left fielder and leadoff hitter Steven Kwan missed his fourth straight game with lower back soreness.
Kwan ran in the outfield, caught fly balls and fielded caroms off the wall during a pregame workout.
Manager Stephen Vogt said the team should have a better handle on a timeframe for Kwan’s return Tuesday. Kwan is batting just .201 in the second half after leading MLB with a .352 average at the All-Star break.
NEW GUY
The Twins claimed left-hander Cole Irvin off waivers from Baltimore.
The 30-year-old went 6-5 with a 4.86 ERA in 25 games — 16 starts — for the Orioles. To make room for Irvin, right-hander Randy Dobnak was designated for assignment.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Guardians: Vogt said RHP Alex Cobb (middle finger blister) is scheduled to throw a bullpen in “the next couple days” and providing there no setbacks, he’s expected to be sent out for a minor league rehab start. Cobb has dealt with blisters throughout his career. The 36-year-old has only made three starts since Cleveland acquired him in a July trade from San Francisco.
UP NEXT
Guardians RHP Gavin Williams (3-9, 5.23 ERA) starts Tuesday’s game against Twins rookie RHP Zebby Matthews (1-3, 7.11).
