Brooks Lee blasted a go-ahead two-run homer in the sixth inning and Royce Lewis added a pinch-hit three-run homer in the seventh to help the Minnesota Twins end the Cleveland Guardians’ 10-game winning streak with a 6-2 victory on Sunday afternoon in Minneapolis.
Kody Clemens contributed two hits, an RBI and run scored for the Twins (67-89), who ended a five-game skid.
Twins starter Simeon Woods Richardson allowed two runs and three hits over five innings, striking out three and walking two.
Kody Funderburk (4-1), Pierson Ohl, Cole Sands and Travis Adams each followed with an inning of shutout relief.
Steven Kwan swatted a leadoff homer for the Guardians (84-72), but they collected just three singles the rest of the way, missing an opportunity to move into a tie for first in the American League Central after trailing the Detroit Tigers by 15 1/2 games in early July.
Guardians starter Joey Cantillo went 4 1/3 innings, allowing one run and four hits while striking out five and walking two.
Luke Keaschall blooped a ground-rule double into the right-field stands off Cleveland reliever Erik Sabrowski with one out in the sixth. After Sabrowski gave way to Matt Festa (5-4) with Keaschall on third and two outs, Lee drilled a two-run homer to right field to move the Twins in front 3-2.
Clemens rolled an infield single up the third base line with two outs in the seventh and Austin Martin beat out another single to deep third base. Cleveland brought in Hunter Gaddis and the Twins countered by pinch-hitting Lewis, who lifted a slider over the fence in left-center field to extend the lead to 6-2.
Kwan homered on the third pitch of the game to give the Guardians a quick lead.
Bo Naylor added a sacrifice fly later in the inning to make it 2-0.
The Twins had gone 23 straight innings without scoring a run when Buxton blooped a double down the right-field line with two outs in the third and Clemens followed with an opposite-field single to left, scoring Buxton to cut the lead to 2-1.
–Field Level Media