Twins sweep doubleheader to stretch Guardians' skid to 7 straight, close AL Central gap to 1½ games
MINNEAPOLIS — Matt Wallner hit the go-ahead three-run homer for the Minnesota Twins in the fifth inning of the nightcap to spoil Cleveland starter Alex Cobb's season debut, fueling a 6-3 victory for a doubleheader sweep on Friday that gave the Guardians their seventh straight loss and further tightened the AL Central race.
Bailey Ober pitched six shutout innings and Carlos Santana and Ryan Jeffers hit solo homers to win the opener 4-2 for the surging Twins (65-50), who cut their deficit to 1½ games behind the Guardians (67-49).
That's the closest defending division champion Minnesota has been since May 13 to Cleveland, which has held first place for all but seven days in April.
Cobb (0-1), who was acquired for prospects on July 30 in a trade with San Francisco, surrendered three consecutive two-out hits in the fifth after Josh Naylor's three-run homer gave the Guardians a 3-2 lead in the top of the frame.
Wallner's soaring 106.9 mph drive to right field, his fourth home run in his last 10 games, was the first homer on a 3-0 count for the Twins this season and the last pitch for Cobb. The 36-year-old had offseason hip surgery after making his first All-Star game last year for the Giants.
The Guardians, who hadn't lost more than three games in a row all season until this skid started last weekend, went hitless against relievers Cole Sands (6-1), Caleb Thielbar and Trevor Richards after tagging Twins starter Louie Varland for eight hits and three runs in 4 2/3 innings.
Richards recorded his first save, after Jhoan Duran notched his 16th save in the opener by striking out the side in the ninth inning.
The Guardians, swept in their second doubleheader in three days, got a little sloppy in the nightcap. Willi Castro scored on a delayed steal of home in the first inning, after Wallner sprinted to second on a walk by Royce Lewis to draw a throw by catcher Austin Hedges. That's when Castro bolted home, and the throw to the plate was too late.
Twins backup catcher Christian Vázquez hustled home from second base, after a throwing error by shortstop Brayan Rocchio on an infield single skipped past Naylor at first.
Vázquez later scored on a balk by reliever Tim Herrin, after dancing down the third-base line to try to distract him. Herrin didn't think he did it, charging at home plate umpire Jim Wolf to yell his disgust. Rookie manager Stephen Vogt came out to protect his pitcher and shout his piece, drawing his first career ejection.
OBER IS LIGHTS OUT
Ober (12-5) has elevated himself into a legitimate ace at just the right time for the Twins, who shelved starting pitcher Joe Ryan with a shoulder injury before the game that puts his availability in question for the remainder of the regular season.
"It's tough when guys go down, especially with how they've been doing," Ober said. "We're hurting for them. We're hoping they can get as healthy as they can. We're just going to try to go out there and play our baseball."
The 6-foot-9 right-hander, in his fourth year in the major leagues, dominated with just two hits and two walks allowed and nine strikeouts in a career-high 106 pitches against a lineup loaded with eight left-handed hitters. Ober logged his ninth consecutive quality start with three runs or fewer allowed and six innings or more completed, keeping the Guardians repeatedly guessing — late on his fastball and ahead on his changeup.
"I think we could've done a better job today, I really do, but at the same time he had his 'A' stuff," Vogt said. "He kept us off balance."
Joey Cantillo (0-2), who was recalled from Triple-A as the 27th player for the doubleheader, gave up three runs on five hits and three walks in 5 2/3 innings in his third major league start for the Guardians.
Rocchio's two-run homer in the seventh off Jorge Alcala brought the Guardians within 3-2, but Griffin Jax and Duran finished strong out of the bullpen for the Twins.
UP NEXT
Guardians RHP Gavin Williams (1-4, 4.91 ERA) starts on Saturday night. RHP Simeon Woods Richardson (3-2, 3.87 ERA) pitches for the Twins.