CLEVELAND — The Twins endured another cringeworthy loss to the Guardians on Thursday, losing 5-3 at Progressive Field on Andres Gimenez' walk-off, two-run home run in the bottom of the ninth.
Cleveland won three of the five games in the series to move within a game of the first-place Twins in the American League Central.
The Twins had just lost on a walk-off homer by Josh Naylor in extra innings Wednesday night. In all three losses in the series they blew leads in the late innings, and finished a stretch of eight games in 10 days against the Guardians 3-5.
Reliever Tyler Thornburg came in for the eighth with the Twins leading 3-1 and loaded the bases by hitting a batter and walking two more. With one out, Myles Straw's ground ball single to a diving shortstop Carlos Correa accounted for a run, and the tying run scored when Correa threw wildly to third trying to get a force out.
Thornburg stayed in for the ninth with the bullpen very short on other options. He walked Jose Ramirez, who took second on a groundout, and got a fly out before giving up Gimenez' bomb to center on a 3-2 pitch.
The Twins had fallen behind early after a shaky second inning from starter Chris Archer. Archer walked four consecutive batters on two outs, thus gifting the Guardians a then one-run lead. Archer left after four innings, in which he gave up just one hit but walked six.
The Twins loaded the bases in the third against Cleveland starter Shane Bieber on hits from Luis Arraez and Correa and a walk to Max Kepler. Jose Miranda's double cleared the bases and give the Twins a 3-1 lead.
