Twins 6, Guardians 0: Just don’t allow any runs

After losing game 1 of the doubleheader due to their bullpen, the Twins decided to just not give up any runs tonight. That strategy would prove effective for Josh Winder, who, like Smeltzer before him, threw 6 innings and gave up 4 hits.

Of course you do need to score runs to win baseball games (you heard it here first), so the Twins did it. In the 3rd, Luis Arraez hit an RBI triple, and Jorge Polanco, in his first game since returning from the IL, hit a 2-run homer.

Polanco drove in another run in the 5th on a groundout, and in the 6th Jose Miranda hit a solo homer (5) to push their lead to 5-0. In the 9th, Byron Buxton picked up his 20th homer of the year, a solo shot.

The Guardians only had one inning with multiple base runners, the 6th, but Winder got Oscar Gonzalez out to end the threat. The bullpen shut down the Guardians lineup in the 7th, 8th and 9th. Tyler Duffey worked the 7th and Jovani Moran got the 8th and 9th innings.

With that, the Twins move back to 3 games ahead in the AL Central. They’ll play the Guardians again tomorrow at 6:10 PM.

Studs:

Byron Buxton: 2-5, HR

Josh Winder: 6.0 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 SO

Garlick, Arraez, Polanco, Miranda, Jeffers: 2-4

Duds:

NO DUDS TWINS WIN!

COTG: Uncle Lincoln

“Polancoville, etc.”