Twins blown out in final game against Guardians, losing 9-2

Bobby Nightengale, The Minnesota Star Tribune on Sep 13, 2026

Published in Baseball

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MINNEAPOLIS — Joe Ryan threw pitches at his normal velocity Sunday, and he pounded the strike zone with his usual consistency, but those were probably the only elements of his start that looked normal.

Ryan labored through four innings in his second start since returning from a monthlong stint on the injured list because of left glute strain. He gave up seven hits and four runs while striking out only one batter.

The Minnesota Twins looked the part of a team out of the playoff race during their 9-2 loss to the Cleveland Guardians at Target Field. They were outhit 14-6, plus their pitchers walked four batters and had one hit batsman in front of the announced crowd of 17,676.

Adding injury to insult, Royce Lewis exited after the fifth inning because of left shoulder soreness. The Twins have dropped five of their last six series, losing two of three games to the Guardians, the team currently holding the American League's final wild-card spot.

Steven Kwan, who reached base four times and finished a triple shy of the cycle, hit a solo homer on the game's second pitch. Ryan left a fastball down the middle of the plate, and Kwan lofted it just beyond the tall right-field wall for his third home run of the season.

After Ryan left the bases loaded during a 29-pitch second inning, rallying from a 3-0 count to induce an inning-ending flyout against Travis Bazzana, Jo Adell crushed a solo homer to begin the third inning that landed in the third deck in left field. Adell annihilated a low-and-inside fastball, the ball leaving his bat at 117 mph.

Ryan gave up two more runs in the fourth inning after he hit Brayan Rocchio on the foot with a pitch. Kwan hit an RBI double to right field, and Bazzana followed with a two-out RBI single.

The Guardians added two more runs in the sixth inning when Bazzana drilled a two-run homer off Twins reliever Travis Adams, a slider that hung over the plate.

Cleveland right-hander Tanner Bibee allowed four hits and two runs in 6 2/3 innings while striking out seven. Kody Clemens hit an RBI double to the left-field corner in the third inning, scoring Luke Keaschall from first base, and Trevor Larnach hit a solo homer on a first-pitch fastball to lead off the seventh inning.

The Guardians scored three runs in the ninth inning against Twins relievers Taylor Rogers and Tommy Nance. Rogers didn't retire either of the two batters he faced after throwing a clean eighth inning. Adell hit an RBI double that bounced out of play after landing in right field, and Angel Martínez lined an RBI double to the center-field wall.

Next up for the Twins is a three-game series against the New York Yankees.

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