Tanner Bibee, Kyle Manzardo play hero as Guardians stop losing skid

Every once in a while, a team gets stuck in a rut, with the only way out being a win that comes in dramatic fashion. The Cleveland Guardians had lost three straight games heading into Tuesday's contest, and they needed a win in the worst way, and two of their key players delivered.

Tanner Bibee drew the start for the Guardians on the mound, and once the game finally got underway after a lengthy rain delay, he came through with a dominant performance. Bibee would go toe-to-toe with Minnesota starter Chris Paddack, allowing just one run on five hits in 7 innings, striking out five Twins along the way. The only blemish on Bibee's final line was a solo home run given up to Ty France in the top of the 5th inning. Besides that, it was a banner day for Bibee.

Thanks to the effort from Bibee, the Guardians were able to keep pace with Minnesota, not allowing the Twins to overtake Cleveland on the scoreboard. The pitching efforts of Bibee (and others) put the Guardians in a position where they could claim victory over their division rival should the opportunity present itself, and it would, in the bottom of the 9th.

Leading off the bottom half of the final regulation inning, Kyle Manzardo stepped into the batter's box ready to face Minnesota's Louis Varland. It was a 90 MPH hanging middle-middle changeup on the third pitch of the at-bat that Manzardo would connect with and promptly send it over the right field fence, walking off the Twins for a 2-1 victory.

It is dramatic wins like this one that can jumpstart a team and propel them to a lengthy winning streak or at the very least, an extended period of success. Either or would be a welcome development for the Guardians, as they were outplayed by both Minnesota and the Boston Red Sox in their three previous games. Getting a close win like this one should help right the ship and get the Guardians back on track for what should be a successful season.