Minnesota Twins vs. Cleveland Indians Pick & Prediction SEPTEMBER 19th 2024
Preview and Prediction
The Cleveland Guardians appear to be well-prepared for the upcoming postseason, while the Minnesota Twins have been struggling to stay in contention. As the Guardians, who currently lead the American League Central, aim to win this four-game series against the struggling Twins, they will rely on their ability to come back from behind and their strong performances in big games. In their latest victory, Josh Naylor hit two tying home runs and Brayan Rocchio's RBI single sealed the deal in a 5-4 win for the Guardians. Manager Stephen Vogt praised his team's never-give-up attitude, stating that their ability to come back in late innings and outlast their opponents gives them confidence in their ability to win important games. Naylor, who hit his 30th and 31st home runs in Wednesday's game, has been a key player for the Guardians all season, with a batting average of .320 and 13 RBIs in his last 19 games. Meanwhile, injuries and inconsistency in the rotation have opened up opportunities for pitcher Joey Cantillo, who made his major league debut in July. Though he struggled in his first four starts, Cantillo has since bounced back and won both of his recent starts, allowing just one run and five hits while striking out 16 batters. He will look to continue this success in his third career start against the Twins. The Twins, who have a record of 3-9 against the Guardians this season, are currently holding onto the final wild-card spot in the AL. Despite their recent struggles, star player Carlos Correa has been a bright spot for the team, batting .315 since returning from a foot injury. On the other hand, scheduled starter Simeon Woods Richardson has been dealing with fatigue and has not completed more than 4 2/3 innings in his last four starts. He will look to bounce back from a rough outing in his last game against the Cincinnati Reds. Woods Richardson, who has made 26 starts and pitched 128 innings in his first full season in the majors, remains determined to compete and help his team in any way he can. However, he will have to face a strong Cleveland lineup, including Naylor and fellow All-Star David Fry, who have a combined 4-for-9 record against him in their previous matchups. In conclusion, the Cleveland Guardians are in a good position to continue their success and secure a spot in the postseason, while the Minnesota Twins will need to turn things around quickly if they hope to hold onto their spot in the playoffs. Both teams will rely on their key players to lead them to victory in this crucial series.
Minnesota Twins vs. Cleveland Indians Recap MAY 19TH 2024
Will Brennan clubbed a three-run walk-off homer in the ninth, and the Cleveland Guardians swept a three-game series against the visiting Minnesota Twins with a 5-2 victory on Sunday.
After Cleveland's Emmanuel Clase (3-1) failed to hold a 2-1 lead in the top of the ninth, Brennan picked him up when his drive bounced off the top of the right-field wall and into the seats with two on and two outs against Jhoan Duran (0-2). It was the sixth win in seven games for the American League Central-leading Guardians.
Trailing 2-1 in the ninth, Minnesota was down to its last out when Clase hit Ryan Jeffers with a pitch. Byron Buxton ran for Jeffers and safely reached second on Willi Castro's grounder after Cleveland shortstop Brayan Rocchio didn't get to second in time for the force.
However, it appeared the Guardians would still get out of the inning with the win, but Clase dropped a flip from Josh Naylor on Alex Kirilloff's grounder while covering first base. With Buxton in between third and home plate, Naylor mistakenly threw behind the runner, allowing the tying run to score.
Andres Gimenez's two-run, first-inning homer off Minnesota's Chris Paddack seemed to be all Cleveland needed to win. While Guardians starter Tanner Bibee allowed Jose Miranda's third-inning solo homer, three other hits and a walk while striking out eight in seven innings, Paddack proved even tougher.
After allowing two hits in the first inning, Paddack gave up just one more hit with no walks and six strikeouts to last eight innings. Paddack retired 24 of the final 25 Guardians he faced but got little run support from the Twins, who have been outscored 33-9 during their season-high six-game losing streak.
Cleveland's Tyler Freeman led off the bottom of the first with an infield single, then Gimenez followed with his no-doubt drive just to the right of center field for his third homer of the year.
Minnesota got within a run in the third when Miranda cleared the 19-foot-high wall in the left, his third home run of the season as well.
Cleveland is 5-0 versus Minnesota this season.