The Cleveland Guardians improved to 14-4 this month after a 6-2 win over the Twins, who coughed up four runs late in Friday’s game, extending an unfortunate but perfectly understandable trend.
In other words, this is what happens when you get rid of your most talented relievers at the trade deadline.
Combine the Guardians’ win with the Tigers’ 10-1 loss to the Braves and the Guards are now 2.5 games back of the division lead and 1.5 games back in the wild card race.
The Twins and Guards were tied at 2-2 after six innings.
Reliever Cody Laweryson followed starter Pablo Lopez. He exited early with a minor arm injury after he fell while still making a throw to first base. Laweryson and Fundy made scoreless appearances and then Cole Sands got the ball in the eighth.
I previously noted that Sands has pitched to an ERA of more than 5.00 in the last 15 games, but it rises to a 10.00 ERA over the last seven games.
And it showed on Friday because although Sands struck out the first batter he faced, he then served up a double, intentionally walked a batter, both base runners stole second and third base, and then both scored on a single to make it 4-2 Cleveland.
Sands was replaced by Michael Tonkin and his 6.43 ERA and he allowed a single and two doubles to make it 6-2. Ballgame.
They play a doubleheader on Saturday. Joe Ryan gets the ball in Game 1, Bailey Ober in Game 2.
Extra innings…
–The Twins are 66-87.
–I made a point during the game to listen to Tom Hamilton, the Guards’ great radio voice. He had some nice things to say about Target Field, calling it one of the best ballparks in baseball and one of the coziest. He explained that it was built on the second-smallest plot of land in the game, second only to the Giants’ ballpark in San Francisco.
But he also pointed out that the Twins have been the worst team in baseball since the All-Star break and how they were “decimated” at the trade deadline by shipping off 10 players.
–The Twins’ second-half record: 19-38.
–The Twins scored two runs on six hits: one double and five singles.
–The game featured three wild pitches, two intentional base on balls and one hit batter.