The game was decided before most fans had settled into their seats. Cleveland exploded for four first-inning runs and weathered a late Minnesota rally to defeat the Twins 6-4 at Progressive Field.
Parker Messick earned the victory with 5.2 innings of work, allowing 1 run on seven hits while striking out seven. The left-hander carried a 2.30 ERA into his fourth win of the season. Cade Smith closed out the ninth for his 11th save despite allowing a run.
The Guardians struck immediately against Connor Prielipp. Steven Kwan scored on a fielding error by second baseman Keaschall, then Rhys Hoskins lifted a sacrifice fly to bring home another run. Travis Bazzana capped the outburst with a two-run homer to center field that traveled 427 feet, giving Cleveland a 4-0 advantage.
Minnesota mounted a comeback attempt in the final innings. Ryan Jeffers singled home Austin Martin in the sixth, then Byron Buxton launched a two-run homer in the seventh to cut the deficit to 4-3. But Cleveland answered immediately when José Ramírez singled home Kwan to restore the two-run margin. Prielipp took the loss, allowing 4 runs on four hits over five innings.
Cleveland improved to 19-19 and moved into first place in the division. Minnesota fell to 16-21 and dropped to fifth place.