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Cleveland Guardians vs. Minnesota Twins recap; Guards beat Twins on walk-off hit
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- Cleveland Guardians vs. Minnesota Twins recap; Guards beat Twins on walk-off hit
CLEVELAND — The Guardians have a chance to secure a playoff berth Wednesday night.
The Guardians can clinch a spot in the postseason with a win over the Minnesota Twins , along with losses by the Detroit Tigers and Seattle Mariners .
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The Mariners don't play until 9:40 p.m. ET, so the Guardians won't be eligible to clinch until, likely, after midnight, even if everything breaks their way.
Check back here for live score updates, analysis and highlights from Wednesday night's game at Progressive Field.
Brayan Rocchio hits walk-off single and Guardians beat the Twins
Brayan Rocchio chopped a grounder over the head of first baseman Carlos Santana, and the Guardians have their sixth walk-off win of the season, 5-4 over the Twins.
If the Tigers and Mariners both lose tonight, the Guardians will clinch a playoff berth. The Tigers still lead the Royals 4-1 in the sixth.
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Will Brennan ties it; Guardians-Twins score update
The Guardians have tied it, and the winning run is on third.
Will Brennan ripped a single to right-center field, scoring the tying run and putting the winning run 90 feet away no third. Bo Naylor is up and there are still no outs.
Kyle Manzardo drives in a run; Twins lead Guardians by one run in 10th
The Guardians will bring the winning run to the plate.
With the free runner on second, Kyle Manzardo singled to center field to make it 4-3 and put the potential tying run on first base, which will be pinch-runner Myles Straw .
Andres Gimenez then drew a four-pitch walk against Twins reliever Ronny Henriquez to put two runners on.
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Carlos Correa drives in two runs in 10th inning
The 10th inning sort of unraveled on Hunter Gaddis and the Guardians, and Carlos Correa made them pay.
With the free runner on second, Jose Ramirez fielded a routine grounder but tried to get Manuel Margot , who had strayed off the bag, at second base, but he was too late, allowing everyone to be safe. Hunter Gaddis then hit the next batter, and with one out and the bases loaded, Correa lined a ball back up the middle to score two and give the Twins a 4-2 lead.
Guardians, Twins heading to extra innings
The Guardians and Twins will be heading to extra innings, tied it 2-2.
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Guardians, Twins tied heading to bottom of the ninth
Emmanuel Clase worked a quick ninth inning, and Andres Gimenez made yet another terrific play at second base, and the Guardians and Twins will head to the bottom of the ninth inning tied 2-2.
And for any scoreboard watchers out there, the Tigers are leading the Royals 4-1 in the fourth inning. The Guardians need to win, and then they need Detroit and Seattle losses to clinch a playoff spot tonight.
Cade Smith records strikeout No. 100
Cade Smith worked a scoreless eighth and in the process recorded strikeout No. 100 for the season. He's the first Cleveland reliever to hit 100 strikeouts in a single year since 1999.
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Manuel Margot robs Jhonkensy Noel of a double
Manuel Margot just made a Gold Glove-level play in left field to take away extra bases from Jhonkensy Noel, who drilled a ball down the line that was caught with a tremendous diving play to help keep the score tied.
Josh Naylor has multi-homer game; Guardians, Twins tied in the seventh
Josh Naylor did it again.
Naylor just crushed a solo home run to right field that has tied it 2-2 in the seventh inning. It's his third multi-homer game of the season. Both Guardians runs tonight have come off the bat of Naylor.
The second it left his bat, Naylor had a heck of a bat flip and yelled toward the Guardians dugout.
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Twins re-take lead in the fifth inning against Tanner Bibee
Willi Castro led off the inning with a double and Matt Wallner followed with an infield single. Carlos Correa grounded a ball to Brayan Rocchio, which was bobbled, and that error allowed Castro to score from third.
The top of the lineup again did some damage. Already with two outs, Willi Castro was hit by a pitch and Matt Wallner followed with a single to put runners on the corners. Carlos Correa then followed with singe to give the Twins a 2-1 lead thanks to that two-out rally.
Sep 18, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Minnesota Twins designated hitter Trevor Larnach (9) is tagged out by Cleveland Guardians second baseman Andres Gimenez (0) while attempting to steal second base in the first inning at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images
Josh Naylor hits home run No. 30; Guardians-Twins score update
Josh Naylor has reached the 30-homer plateau for the first time in his career with a solo shot to right field, tying it 1-1 in the second inning.
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Naylor's previous career high was 20 home runs, set in 2022.
Sep 18, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians second baseman Andres Gimenez (0) throws to second base in the first inning against the Minnesota Twins at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images
Twins take first-inning lead against Guardians
The Twins made Tanner Bibee work in the first inning, though an error on Brayan Rocchio didn't help matters.
Willi Castro led off the inning with a double and Matt Wallner followed with an infield single. Carlos Correa grounded a ball to Brayan Rocchio, which was bobbled, and that error allowed Castro to score from third.
Below is some pregame information.
Sep 16, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians designated hitter Kyle Manzardo (9) celebrates after hitting a two-run home run during the eighth inning against the Minnesota Twins at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
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 (87-65) entered Wednesday's slate of games with a 5-game lead over the Kansas City Royals (82-70). The Twins have fallen behind and are now in a 6.5-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 1.5 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 Tuesday with a magic number to clinch a playoff spot at three and a magic number to win the division at six.
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
