MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Angel Martínez hit a two-run homer and his double in the ninth inning keyed the game-winning rally as the Cleveland Guardians beat the Minnesota Twins 5-2 on Friday night.
The Guardians moved two games ahead of Toronto in the race for the AL’s third wild-card spot.
Martínez gave the Guardians a 2-1 lead in the seventh with his 15th homer of the season.
After the Twins tied it on Kalen Culpepper's RBI single in the seventh, Martínez
hit a one-out double off Yoendrys Gómez (2-3) that moved Travis Bazzana to third. Bazzana scored the go-ahead run on a wild pitch by Gómez and Brayan Rocchio brought home two more with a double.
Hunter Gaddis (4-3) pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings and Cade Smith retired the side in the ninth for his 36th save.
Twins starter Taj Bradley gave up one hit and four walks while striking out six in six scoreless innings.
Parker Messick held the Twins to three hits and one run with two walks and five strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings.
Bradley walked the leadoff hitter in each of the first three innings and allowed Bazzana's leadoff single in the fourth, but the Guardians didn't get a runner past second base.
The Twins didn't do much against Messick, with just two hits through the first five innings. But the hits were back-to-back in the second inning — Kody Clemens' single and Royce Lewis' double — and produced the game's first run.
The Guardians have not announced their starting pitcher for the middle game of the series on Saturday, though LHP Joey Cantillo (9-9, 4.00 ERA) is expected to pitch the bulk of the innings. The Twins will start LHP Connor Prielipp (4-7, 5.25).
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