Twins sweep doubleheader, move within 1.5 games of Guardians for division lead

Matt Wallner's three-run homer powered Minnesota to its second win of the day.

Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Louie Varland (37) delivers a pitch during the first inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Target Field in Minneapolis on Aug. 9, 2024. / Jordan Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

The Twins are within 1.5 games of the Cleveland Guardians for first place in the AL Central. 

Matt Wallner hit a go-ahead, three-run homer in the bottom of the fifth inning that powered the Twins to a 6-3 win over the Guardians Friday night in the second game of a doubleheader at Target Field in Minneapolis. That completed the sweep of the doubleheader for the Twins, who won Game 1, 4-2.

The Twins have been inching closer and closer, and could overtake Cleveland with a series sweep.

With two outs in the bottom of the fifth inning with a 3-0 count, Wallner took a sinker down the middle from Guardians starter Alex Cobb and sent it 390 feet into right field. It was the first homer by a Twins player on a 3-0 count this season. And Wallner also called his shot, telling Royce Lewis, "I got this."

"I said, 'I got this Royce.' So I mean, you take that for what it's worth. I don't know what I meant by that, but I just felt good about the at-bat," Wallner said. "... Royce's energy is contagious, and I feel like sometimes you just say dumb things around him and you believe it because it's Royce.

"And sometimes it just comes out to be true."

WINGARDIUM LEVIOSA pic.twitter.com/MkgCcrAVpf

— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) August 10, 2024

Louie Varland shut out the Guardians (67-49) through four innings, though Josh Naylor finally got to him in the fifth inning for a two-out, three-run homer that put Cleveland ahead, 3-2. Cole Sands came on in relief for the final out of the frame, then the Twins quickly retook the lead on Wallner's homer.

Sands also pitched a 1-2-3 sixth inning and picked up the win to improve to 6-1.

"Come Thanksgiving, I'm going to tell everyone I'm thankful for Matt Wallner and Cole Sands," Varland said. "The team had my back and things worked out. We took two today, that's great."

Varland gave up eight hits and the three runs overall while fanning four across 4 2/3 innings.

"(Varland's) offspeed pitches were a real factor today. ... Probably just would want the breaking ball back that he threw with two strikes. That pitch probably has to be out of the zone, and (Varland) knows it," Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. "You wipe that away, I mean, it's a damn good outing."

Cobb, making his first start of the season for the Guardians after recovering from a left hip procedure, gave up nine hits and five runs while fanning one across 4 2/3 innings in the loss.

Christian Vazquez had a pair of excellent base running plays that resulted in Twins (65-50) runs. In the second inning, Austin Martin hit an infield single, but the throw to first base from Guardians shortstop Brayan Rocchio was off the mark, and Vazquez went from first to home to make it a 2-0 game.

Vazquez later came home for an insurance run in the seventh inning when he took an aggressive line on third base and got Guardians reliever Tim Herrin to balk. That brought him in for a 6-3 Twins lead, and the sequence resulted in Guardians manager Stephen Vogt being ejected to protect Herrin.

A balk is called and manager Stephen Vogt has been ejected from the game pic.twitter.com/aAK0eKOpFm

— Dillard Barnhart (@BarnHasSpoken2) August 10, 2024

"(Vazquez) had a great game, period, but the base running was fantastic," Baldelli said.

The Twins took a 1-0 lead in the first inning when Guardians catcher Austin Hedges made an ill-advised throw to second base in an attempt to catch Wallner stealing, but Lewis had already drawn a walk. The mistake allowed Willi Castro to steal home for the first run of the night.

Willi Castro gets under the tag to steal home!

(MLB x @Chevrolet) pic.twitter.com/9SB1LWTTYs

— MLB (@MLB) August 10, 2024

Caleb Thielbar sent the Guardians down in order in the seventh and eighth innings while fanning a pair. Trevor Richards, who was coming off an outing in which he struggled mightily against the Chicago Cubs, send the Guardians down in order in the ninth to pick up his first save of the year.

The Twins and Guardians meet for the third of their four-game series at 6:10 p.m. on Saturday.