Guardians stop skid at 7, beat Twins 2-1 on home runs by Steven Kwan and Bo Naylor

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Steven Kwan homered on the second pitch of the game and Bo Naylor also went deep for the Cleveland Guardians in a 2-1 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Saturday night that stopped their season-long seven-game losing streak and created some space in the narrowing AL Central race.

Cleveland lengthened the lead on defending division champion Minnesota to 2 1/2 games by ending its longest skid since April 22-28, 2022, as starter Gavin Williams (2-4) gave the Guardians six strong innings on just the right night.

Williams caught manager Stephen Vogt’s attention with his look before the game after the Twins swept a doubleheader to start the series.

“I could tell he was ready. The way he got on the bus, the way he got here, it just seemed like a different demeanor out of him,” Vogt said. “Not that it’s bad normally, but just something a little different today. Man, he was special.”

Williams allowed one run on four hits and no walks in the best of his eight starts this year.

“He has good stuff,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. “If he’s going to throw most of his pitches in the zone and force you to swing, it’s tough.”

Kwan, the All-Star and Gold Glove left fielder who has been a consistent catalyst in the leadoff spot, smacked a fastball from Simeon Woods Richardson into the seats above right-center field for his 11th home run. That matches his combined total from his first two seasons in the major leagues.

“It electrified the dugout,” Vogt said. “It got everybody into the game.”

Woods Richardson (3-3) was just as good as Williams, logging a career-high seven innings and allowing only two other baserunners — both singles — beyond the homers. The rookie threw only 89 pitches.

“It’s really what we were looking for from him,” Baldelli said. “He gave it to us.”

The Twins played superb defense behind him, too, with first baseman Carlos Santana and second baseman Austin Martin with two diving stops apiece and third baseman Jose Miranda tracking down a foul popup with a basket catch and his back to the infield.

But the two costly pitches, to Kwan and Naylor, were uncatchable. Naylor’s ninth home run on a first-pitch fastball led off the sixth, before the Twins responded in the bottom of the inning with a leadoff double by Willi Castro. He scored after consecutive groundouts, but Williams preserved the lead.

“That’s my job, to get out of innings like that,” Williams said.

Cleveland’s bullpen took the baton from there, with Cade Smith, Hunter Gaddis and Emmanuel Clase each turning in a perfect inning. Clase notched his 34th save, second most in the majors, in 37 attempts and has converted 22 consecutive opportunities.

Kwan threw out Ryan Jeffers from left field on a rare force play at third base for the first out of the third inning. With runners at first and second, Castro hit what could have been a clean single. But Kwan made it look like he would catch the ball until pulling up at the last second, forcing Jeffers to get a late start.

“It’s just an uncomfortable play,” Jeffers said. “Being straight at him, and I’m looking dead at him, I can’t overcommit. It’s just got all the right ingredients to happen.”

Guardians: RHP Tanner Bibee (9-4, 3.48 ERA) pitches the series finale, 12 days after his last start. He was skipped in the rotation to rest a sore shoulder.

Twins: RHP David Festa (2-2, 5.55 ERA) takes the mound on Sunday. The rookie is coming off his best of four career starts, when he threw five shutout innings against the Chicago Cubs on Monday.

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