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Guardians vs. Minnesota Twins recap; Guards win, clinch playoff spot
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- Guardians vs. Minnesota Twins recap; Guards win, clinch playoff spot
CLEVELAND — Win, and they're in . Lose, and, well, they'll try to get in Friday instead.
The Guardians had a chance to clinch a playoff spot with a win over the Minnesota Twins Thursday afternoon and came through in walk-off fashion. In doing so, they secured one of the six postseason spots in the American League and followed the New York Yankees , who punched their ticket to the playoffs Wednesday night. The Milwaukee Brewers are the only other MLB team to clinch a playoff spot.
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Because the Detroit Tigers were off Thursday, it made the Guardians' clinch scenario simple for one day: win their own game and they'll celebrate at Progressive Field. Lose, and they would have had to ship that champagne to St. Louis for a weekend series against the Cardinals .
Josh Naylor's multi-homer game in Wednesday's walk-off 5-4 win put the Guardians on the doorstep of a playoff spot. They'll look to finish the job Thursday.
Check back here for live score updates, analysis and highlights from Thursday's game.
Sep 19, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians second baseman Andres Gimenez (0) celebrates with shortstop Brayan Rocchio (4) and left fielder Angel Martinez (1) after getting the game-winning hit during the tenth inning against the Minnesota Twins at Progressive Field. With the win the Guardians clinched a playoff berth. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
Guardians beat the Twins, clinch playoff berth
The Guardians have secured their playoff spot.
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With one out and Jose Ramirez on second as the potential winning run, Andres Gimenez hit a single to right field to win it, 3-2. It's the Guardians' second consecutive walk-off win.
It's the first time they've won in walk-off fashion in extra innings in back-to-back games since September 2018.
Eli Morgan retires Byron Buxton to end 10th inning; Guardians, Twins tied
Eli Morgan just pulled off of a Houdini act. Despite Morgan hitting a batter and walking another to load the bases, the Twins did nothing with it, as Carlos Correa popped out and Byron Buxton flew out to end the inning.
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The Guardians will have the free runner as the winning run on second base to begin the 10th inning.
Guardians, Twins go to extra innings
They'll play free baseball in Cleveland yet again, tied 2-2.
Guardians, Twins score update: Tied in the eighth
The Guardians and Twins are tied in the eighth inning. The Twins should have the go-ahead run on first base, but they don't, as Carlos Correa broke his bat and didn't run out the grounder even though he likely would have been safe.
The Twins also didn't cover second base earlier in the game. It doesn't appear to be a high-effort game for Minnesota. The Twins almost seem disinterested, strangely.
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And with their playoff lives pretty much on the line, the Twins are bringing in Varland , who has an 8.31 ERA.
Guardians tie Twins in sixth inning
Another defensive miscue by the Twins, but this time, it burned them.
A routine ground ball that might have been a double play didn't turn into any outs, as Willi Castro bobbled it and Kyle Farmer didn't cover second base. Later, with the bases loaded, Brayan Rocchio drove in the tying run via a sacrifice fly, tying it 2-2.
Austin Hedges then struck out to end the inning.
Cole Irvin retires Jose Ramirez to end fifth inning
The Twins played with some fire in the fifth but escaped unharmed.
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A defensive misplay opened the door for Jose Ramirez to bat with two one and two out. He drilled a ball down the left field line, but it curved foul. He then grounded back to Cole Irvin on the mound. He bobbled it but still got Ramirez at first, preserving the Twins' lead at 2-1.
Twins take the lead over Guardians in the fifth
With one swing and an error, the Twins have taken the lead and forced Joey Cantillo 's exit from the game.
Kyle Farmer doubled and Willi Castro walked to put two runners on with one out.
Manuel Margot then lined a ball into the left-center gap. It easily scored Farmer, but Castro also scored from first after Lane Thomas bobbled the ball.
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Joey Cantillo tosses four scoreless innings
Guardians rookie Joey Cantillo has looked fantastic for the third start in a row. He's through four scoreless today, limiting the Twins to one hit and striking out four.
The Guardians still lead 1-0.
Sep 19, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians designated hitter Kyle Manzardo (9) rounds the bases after hitting a home run during the first inning against the Minnesota Twins at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
Kyle Manzardo hits home run; Guardians lead Twins early
Two batters into the bottom of the first inning, and the Guardians have the lead.
Kyle Manzardo continued to swing a hot bat and drilled a solo home run down the right field line, putting the Guardians up 1-0.
Below is some pregame information.
Steven Kwan placed on injured list; Myles Straw contract selected; Carlos Carrasco DFA
The Guardians are placing Steven Kwan (back inflammation) on the injured list. Kwan has missed four consecutive games entering Tuesday night.
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Myles Straw has not played in the major leagues this season while his offensive struggles have continued, though he could play a role due to his defense and speed off the bench.
Carrasco posted a 5.64 ERA in 103 2/3 innings this season.
Emmanuel Clase Cy Young case, odds
Guardians teammates have begun to lobby for Emmanuel Clase to be considered for the American League Cy Young Award, which hasn't gone to a reliever since 2003.
Cleveland Guardians standings
The Guardians (88-65) entered Wednesday's slate of games with a 6-game lead over the Kansas City Royals (82-71). The Twins have fallen behind and are now in a 7.5-game hole in the AL Central.
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The Twins' lead over the Detroit Tigers for the final Wild Card spot has also shrunk to 0.5 games.
Angel Martinez could be trusted with leadoff spot with Steven Kwan injury sidelining All-Star left fielder
Angel Martinez was recalled prior to Saturday's game and could be trusted with the leadoff responsibilities as long as Steven Kwan is out with back soreness.
Guardians magic number
The Guardians enter Thursday with a magic number to clinch a playoff spot at one and a magic number to win the division at four.
The magic number will lower every time the Guardians win or every time the second-place team in those scenarios loses.
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Lane Thomas heating up with Guardians
With his dad's help as a former race car driver, Lane Thomas is finding his way with the Guardians .
Sam Hentges to undergo season-ending shoulder surgery
Sam Hentges' 2024 season is finished, and his entire 2025 season is also in jeopardy .
Jose Ramirez has 30/30 season in 2024
Jose Ramirez became the first Cleveland hitter in franchise history with multiple 30/30 seasons.
Watch: Machine Gun Kelly throws out first pitch at Guardians-Cubs game
MGK tossed the ceremonial first pitch, but he did so in an interesting manner that was anything but traditional .
Jhonkensy Noel 's renewed approach on putting the ball in play has led to breakout 2024 season
Jhonkensy knows he has the power. It took a new focus on contact and mobility to lead to his great rookie season thus far.
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Guardians name CC Sabathia to team Hall-of-Fame
CC Sabathia is now in the Guardians' Hall-of-Fame, and he offered a two-part message to Cleveland fans .
Guardians No. 1 overall draft pick Travis Bazzana meets Jose Ramirez, wants to grow the game in Australia
It all finally sank in for Travis Bazzana , the top overall draft pick in the draft, when he stepped onto the field at Progressive Field and met Jose Ramirez and others.
Cleveland Guardians 2025 schedule
Major League Baseball released the 2025 schedules .
2024 National Sports Card Convention comes to Cleveland
The National Sports Card Convention was in Cleveland recently. We broke down how we'd spend $100 , ranked the most mind-blowing items we could find and listed the top collectibles for under $50 .
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How can I watch, listen or stream the Cleveland Guardians game today?
Today's game will be televised on Bally Sports. It'll be broadcast on the radio by WTAM (1100-AM) and WMMS (100.7-FM).
Guardians schedule
After this current four-game series against the Twins, the Guardians go on the road for a quick — and their last — road trip of the season, with two games against the St. Louis Cardinals up next. The Guardians then return home for the final five games of the year, two against the Cincinnati Reds and three against the Houston Astros .
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cleveland Guardians score today vs. Minnesota Twins
