Twins Dominate Guardians with 11-1 Victory in Cleveland

CLEVELAND (AP) — The Minnesota Twins showcased a strong performance on Monday night, defeating the Cleveland Guardians 11-1 at Progressive Field. Jonah Bride contributed three hits to the Twins’ 17-hit attack, while pitcher Bailey Ober allowed only one run over 7 2/3 innings, earning his third consecutive win.

This victory marked the first time the Twins had 10 players with hits since last June, with six players notching at least two hits. Ryan Jeffers highlighted the offensive effort with a two-run homer and three RBIs, while Edouard Julien also homered in the contest.

“The offense came out ready to go,” said Twins manager Rocco Baldelli. “The bats were fantastic. Every guy did something offensively. We made a good starting pitcher throw about 60 pitches in the first two innings, forcing them out of the game. They are doing their jobs very well right now.”

In addition to Jeffers, Ty France and Byron Buxton each had two hits and drove in two runs. Ober improved to 3-1 on the season, continuing his impressive streak.

The Guardians struggled defensively, giving up 24 runs in their last two games. Cleveland’s pitching staff faced further challenges as reliever Paul Sewald left the game in the fifth inning due to right shoulder inflammation. Starter Gavin Williams had a tough outing as well, allowing four runs and seven hits in just two innings.

“We need to figure it out. The last two games have been tough on us,” said Guardians center fielder Steven Kwan, who extended his hitting streak to 11 games.

The key moment of the game came when Julien hit a leadoff homer off Williams, marking his fourth career leadoff home run. This incident highlighted a troubling pattern for Cleveland, as it marked the second time during the homestand a Guardians starter allowed a first-pitch homer.

The Twins showed offensive prowess, hitting a season-high in hits and going 8 for 14 with runners in scoring position.

Looking ahead, Minnesota will send right-hander Chris Paddock (0-3, 6.45 ERA) to the mound for their next game, while the Guardians will counter with Tanner Bibee (2-2, 5.19 ERA).