MINNEAPOLIMEDIA SPORTS | Guardians Overpower Twins 9-2 as Royce Lewis Leaves With Shoulder Soreness
Cleveland hit three home runs, chased Joe Ryan after four innings and moved within one-half game of the American League Central lead.
MINNEAPOLIS, MN (September 14, 2026). The Cleveland Guardians opened Sunday’s game with a home run and never surrendered the lead, defeating the Minnesota Twins 9-2 at Target Field as Minnesota lost for the third time in four games.
Steven Kwan, Jo Adell and Travis Bazzana homered for Cleveland. Kwan finished 3-for-4 with a double, a walk, two runs and two runs batted in.
The loss dropped Minnesota to 70-79.
Cleveland improved to 76-74 and moved within one-half game of the Chicago White Sox for first place in the American League Central.
The Twins also lost first baseman Royce Lewis during the fifth inning because of soreness in his left shoulder. The team had not announced the severity of the injury or a timetable for his return as of the research cutoff.
CLEVELAND STRIKES IMMEDIATELY
Kwan led off the game by driving a 1-0 fastball from Twins starter Joe Ryan into the overhang above the right-field wall.
It was Kwan’s third home run of the season and gave Cleveland a lead before Minnesota recorded an out.
Adell doubled that advantage in the third inning with a 451-foot home run into the third deck in left field. The ball left his bat at 116.8 mph, giving him his 21st homer of the season.
Minnesota responded in the bottom of the inning when Kody Clemens delivered a two-out run-scoring double, cutting Cleveland’s lead to 2-1.
The Guardians answered immediately.
Kwan drove in another run with a double in the fourth, and Bazzana added a two-out RBI single to extend the margin to 4-1.
Ryan’s afternoon ended after four innings. He allowed four runs on seven hits, walked one batter and struck out one, falling to 6-10.
GUARDIANS PULL AWAY
Bazzana widened the lead in the sixth inning with a two-run home run off Travis Adams. It was Bazzana’s 12th homer of the season and pushed Cleveland ahead 6-1.
Trevor Larnach provided Minnesota’s only home run when he led off the seventh inning with his 13th of the year. Larnach also doubled earlier in the game.
Luke Keaschall contributed two hits for the Twins, but Minnesota could not generate a sustained rally against Cleveland starter Tanner Bibee.
Bibee allowed two runs on four hits over 6⅔ innings. He walked two, struck out seven and improved to 6-15.
Cleveland added three runs in the ninth on an RBI double by Adell, a sacrifice fly from Nathaniel Lowe and a run-scoring double by Angel Martínez.
Adell finished with two runs and two RBIs. Bazzana reached base three times, drove in three runs and scored twice.
A DIFFICULT SEPTEMBER POSITION
The defeat left the Twins nine games below .500 with only 13 regular-season games remaining.
Minnesota entered the final weeks of the season needing victories and help elsewhere in the standings to remain relevant in the American League postseason race.
Instead, the Twins dropped another home game while Cleveland strengthened its position in a crowded division race.
Lewis’ shoulder adds another concern. His availability bears watching as Minnesota evaluates its roster over the closing stretch of the season.
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