Twins fall to D-Backs as Guardians increase gap in AL Central

The game ended on a liner by Ryan Jeffers that had an expected batting average of .940.

Jun 25, 2024; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Minnesota Twins shortstop Willi Castro fields a ground ball in the seventh inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports / Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Byron Buxton and Ryan Jeffers slugged homers for the Twins Tuesday night in Arizona, but the Diamondbacks left the ballpark with a 5-4 win in the opener of the three-game interleague series.

Meanwhile, Cleveland extended its win streak to seven with a 10-8 victory over the Orioles to improve to 51-26, good for the best winning percentage in the majors at .662. Not only that, but the surging Guardians have moved nine games ahead of second-place Minnesota. The nine-game gap is the largest between first- and second-place teams in any division in baseball.

Minnesota's fortunes Tuesday night weren't great. Outside of Buxton's three hits – he finished a triple shy of the cycle – the Twins managed just three other hits, including a three-run homer from Jeffers that tied the game 4-4 in the seventh inning.

In the bottom of the seventh, the D-Backs got what they needed with two outs against Twins reliever Jorge Alcala. First, a walk. Then, a single. Then, still with two outs, Ketel Marte reached on an infield single and the go-ahead run scored.

The Twins threatened with two outs in the ninth as Buxton scorched a double to left only to have Jeffers hit a rocket at 103 mph that was caught in left field to end the game. According to Statcast, Jeffers' liner had an expected batting average of .940, which means that about nine out of 10 times a ball gets hit that hard and at a similar launch angle, it lands for a hit.