Cleveland Guardians take down Twins in five-game series

The Cleveland Guardians have been one of the most inconsistent teams in recent weeks. Whether it’s incredible wins or embarrassing blowout losses, the Guardians have been on the end of any possible outcome.

But when it’s counted the most, the Guardians survived an AL Central opponent in the Minnesota Twins, and they did it in an impressive way.

In Game 1, the Guardians won 4-3 in a nail-biting contest.

The pitching continued to have its ups and downs, as Triston McKenzie pitched for seven innings, giving up three earned runs while punching out eight.

Emmanuel Clase and Trevor Stephan both pitched an inning a piece while giving up just one hit through two innings.

The batting continued to have its moments, as shortstop Amed Rosario smashed in two RBIs on two hits, and outfielder Myles Straw had an RBI and a hit.

However, the play of the game came off of an error by the Twins.

Ernie Clement was at second base when a pitching error led to the ball ending up behind catcher Gary Sanchez.

Clement sprinted towards third base and rounded to home before sliding in for the score. A steal from second base to home ended up securing the deal for the Guardians.

In Game 2, star pitcher Shane Bieber dominated, allowing just one run through eight innings. 

Batting-wise, Rosario recorded four hits, third baseman José Ramírez smashed a home run, and rotational player Owen Miller had a two-run double.

The Guardians won that contest 5-1.

In Game 3, with the series being 2-0, the Guardians prepared for the second half of their doubleheader. 

Rosario continued his stifling play from the first half of the doubleheader, as he clobbered a three-run homer to put the Guardians up early. Later in the eighth inning, Cleveland’s bullpen struggled while up 5-0.

After a two-run home run, a two-run single, and a sacrifice fly, the game would be tied at five a piece.

Heading into extra innings, the next run would not be scored until the 13th inning by the Twins. However, the Guardians would answer right back, tying the game at six.

After five-and-a-half hours, the Guardians would secure the win in the 15th inning off of an error from Twins’ shortstop Jermaine Palacios.

The 7-6 win for the Guardians saw a total of 19 hits among both teams.

In Game 4, Cleveland would lose 3-0.

Maybe it was the hangover from the previous night’s game, which ended just before 1 a.m., but the Guardians fell flat on Sunday. Cody Morris allowed a solo home run and Enyel De Los Santos gave up a two-run single.

The Guardians also only recorded three hits, two from Myles Straw and one from shortstop Tyler Freeman.

In Game 5, the Guardians capped off their five-game series with a statement win.

Rosario, Josh Naylor, and Luke Maile all recorded a home run. Both Naylor and Rosario had three RBIs in the contest. The entire rotation for Cleveland recorded a hit as well.

Cal Quantrill pitched until the sixth and improved to 13-0 in 32 starts at Progressive Field. He struck out two while giving up three runs.

Pitcher Sam Hentges got seven outs to secure his first professional save.

The 11-4 win for the Guardians marks their 80th victory on the season. They now sit at 80-67, four games ahead of the Chicago White Sox.

They look to take on the White Sox in a three-game series starting Tuesday night. First pitch is set for 8:10 p.m. in Chicago.