Will Brennan clubbed a three-run walk-off homer in the ninth, and the Cleveland Guardians swept a three-game series against the visiting Minnesota Twins with a 5-2 victory on Sunday.
After Cleveland’s Emmanuel Clase (3-1) failed to hold a 2-1 lead in the top of the ninth, Brennan picked him up when his drive bounced off the top of the right-field wall and into the seats with two on and two outs against Jhoan Duran (0-2). It was the sixth win in seven games for the American League Central-leading Guardians.
Trailing 2-1 in the ninth, Minnesota was down to its last out when Clase hit Ryan Jeffers with a pitch. Byron Buxton ran for Jeffers and safely reached second on Willi Castro’s grounder after Cleveland shortstop Brayan Rocchio didn’t get to second in time for the force.
However, it appeared the Guardians would still get out of the inning with the win, but Clase dropped a flip from Josh Naylor on Alex Kirilloff’s grounder while covering first base. With Buxton in between third and home plate, Naylor mistakenly threw behind the runner, allowing the tying run to score.
Andres Gimenez’s two-run, first-inning homer off Minnesota’s Chris Paddack seemed to be all Cleveland needed to win. While Guardians starter Tanner Bibee allowed Jose Miranda’s third-inning solo homer, three other hits and a walk while striking out eight in seven innings, Paddack proved even tougher.
After allowing two hits in the first inning, Paddack gave up just one more hit with no walks and six strikeouts to last eight innings. Paddack retired 24 of the final 25 Guardians he faced but got little run support from the Twins, who have been outscored 33-9 during their season-high six-game losing streak.
Cleveland’s Tyler Freeman led off the bottom of the first with an infield single, then Gimenez followed with his no-doubt drive just to the right of center field for his third homer of the year.
Minnesota got within a run in the third when Miranda cleared the 19-foot-high wall in the left, his third home run of the season as well.
Cleveland is 5-0 versus Minnesota this season.
–Field Level Media