Sep 19 – The Cleveland Guardians appear to be ready for the playoffs.
Meanwhile, the Minnesota Twins haven’t looked like a playoff contender in a while.
With playoff hopes in the air, the host Guardians are expected to sweep the four-game series against the Twins on Thursday.
Josh Naylor hit a two-out home run and Bryan Rocchio’s RBI single in the 10th inning tied the game with a three-point score in Cleveland’s 5-4 win on Wednesday. The AL Central-leading Guardians (88-65) are 13-7 since Aug. 28 and have a major-league-leading 41 comeback wins.
“We never give up,” Cleveland coach Stephen Vogt said. “When you get behind or get ahead of a team … it gives you confidence that we can win big games.”
Naylor has been a stalwart in big games for Cleveland all season. The All-Star hit his 30th and 31st home runs on Wednesday and is batting .320 with three homers and 13 RBIs in his last 19 games.
Meanwhile, injuries and inconsistency in the Eagles’ rotation opened the door for scheduled starter Joey Cantillo (2-3, 4.99 ERA), who made his big-league debut in late July. In his first four starts, the left-hander went 0-3 with an 8.47 ERA. But since being recalled from the minors on Sept. 9, Cantillo has allowed one run, five hits and one walk while striking out 16 in 12 innings, and has earned two starts. He allowed three hits and struck out six in five scoreless innings in Cleveland’s 6-1 win over Tampa Bay.
“I just wanted to make sure my job was to keep us in the game,” Cantillo said.
On August 9, Cantillo pitched 5 2/3 innings at Minnesota, his third career start and only game against the Twins. Santana and Ryan Jeffers hit solo home runs, but he received no offensive support in the field in the Guardians’ 4–2 loss.
The Twins (80-72) are 3-9 against Cleveland in 2024. Minnesota is 10-19 since Aug. 18 while holding onto the final AL wild card spot.
Star Carlos Correa remains Minnesota’s bright spot. After missing nearly two months with a foot injury, Corella had three hits and batted .315 in all four of the Twins’ games through Wednesday.
Minnesota’s designated starter Simon Woods-Richardson (5-5, 4.08) is finishing his first full season in the majors after appearing the past two seasons. The right-hander ranks among MLB rookie leaders in starts (26) and innings (128).
However, Woods-Richardson has struggled with general fatigue, failing to complete more than 4 2/3 innings in his last four starts. During that span, he went 0-2 with a 6.89 ERA and struck out 11 batters. Woods-Richardson allowed three walks, five hits and three runs in three-plus innings in the Twins’ 11-1 loss to the Cincinnati Reds on Saturday.
“September is when I pitched (most recently), but knowing that, who cares?” Woods-Richardson said.
“Like I said, I have to go out there and fight and compete.”
Woods-Richardson is 0-1 with a 2.19 ERA in two career starts and lost to the Twins against the Guardians. Naylor and Cleveland All-Stars David Fry and Woods-Richardson combined to hit 4 of 9 from the field.
–Visual-level media
