30 August 2023
Cleveland isn’t quite dead yet. Staring down a seven-game deficit to first-place Minnesota in the American League Central race, the Guardians rallied to keep their slim postseason hopes alive.
Cleveland leaves Minnesota with a 2-1 series win and a five-game deficit in the Central. The teams play three more games this season, Sept. 4-6 at Progressive Field.
Trailing 2-1 in the ninth, the Guardians tied the score on a wild pitch from Twins closer Jhoan Duran, then got a three-run homer from Kole Calhoun in the 10th to beat first-place Minnesota 5-2 in front of an announced crowd of 20,169 at Target Field.
It was a wild finish to what had been a pitchers duel between staff aces Sonny Gray and Tanner Bibee.
Gray pitched seven scoreless innings, allowing only three hits and a walk while striking out five, and Jorge Polanco’s two-run double off Bibee gave the Twins a 2-0 lead that held until the eighth, when Gabriel Arias hit a leadoff double off Griffin Jax and scored on Steven Kwan’s single off lefty Caleb Thielbar.
Duran, handed a 2-1 lead in the ninth and looking for his 24th save, instead walked Andres Gimenez with one out and allowed a single to Will Brennan. Gimenez moved to third on Arias’ groundout and scored on a wild pitch that sailed behind pinch hitter Bo Naylor.
Cleveland right-hander Trevor Stephan struck out the side in the ninth to send the game to extras.
Gray threw 80 pitches and matched his season-high innings pitched.
Gray and Bibee matched one another through four innings, Bibee striking out six Twins and Gray facing just one batter more than the minimum. But in the Twins’ half of the fifth, Matt Wallner drew a leadoff walk and Donovan Solano hit a one-out single to left to put runners at first and second.
A wild pitch from Bibee advanced both runners, and Edouard Julien walked to load the bases for Polanco. The second baseman fell behind Bibee, 1-2, before swinging at a high fastball and lofting it into center field to score Wallner and Solano for a 2-0 lead.
Gray added scoreless innings in the sixth and seventh, throwing a total of 80 pitches, before being relieved by Jax, who was immediately greeted by a double into center by Arias. Jax recovered to strike out Eric Haase — claimed off waivers last week from Detroit — and get Myles Straw on a grounder to short.
But Arias advanced to third on Straw’s grounder, and Twins manager Rocco Baldelli called on lefty Caleb Thielbar to pitch to left-handed-hitting Steven Kwan. The Guardians’ designated hitter poked a single to left to score Arias and make it 2-1.
Thielbar walked Jose Ramirez to put runners on first and second, then retired Kole Calhoun on a fielder’s choice grounder to short to save the Twins’ lead.
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