Twins stop Guardians' 10-game win streak, keep Cleveland from tying for AL Central lead with 6-2 win
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Brooks Lee hit a go-ahead, two-run homer in the sixth, pinch-hitter Royce Lewis had a three-run shot in the seventh and the Minnesota Twins ended the Cleveland Guardians' 10-game winning streak with a 6-2 victory on Sunday.
The Guardians lost for only the fourth time in 20 games and missed a chance to pull even with Detroit in the AL Central after the Braves finished off a sweep of the Tigers with a 6-2 victory. Cleveland will host Detroit for three games beginning Tuesday.
Minnesota, which never led and was outscored 20-2 in losing the first three games in the series, grabbed a 3-2 lead when Lee greeted reliever Matt Festa (5-4) with his 16th home run. Luke Keaschall reached base with a one-out double off Erik Sabrowski before Lee's blast.
Tim Herrin left after allowing two-out singles to Kody Clemens and Austin Martin in the seventh and Lewis greeted Hunter Gaddis with his 13th homer for a four-run advantage.
Steven Kwan hit the third pitch from Simeon Woods Richardson for his 11th home run and Bo Naylor added a sacrifice fly to put the Guardians up 2-0. Naylor has an RBI in six straight games, the longest stretch by a Cleveland catcher since Victor Martinez had a seven-game run in 2007.
Byron Buxton had a two-out double off Joey Cantillo in the third before scoring on a single by Clemens to cut it to 2-1. It was the Twins' first run in 23 innings.
Woods Richardson allowed two runs on three hits in a five-inning start. Kody Funderburk (4-1) pitched a scoreless sixth for the win.
Cleveland (84-72) won nine of 13 games against Minnesota (67-89) this season.
Key moment
Lee's homer gave the Twins their first lead in the series.
Key stat
Guardians starting pitchers had a run of 16 straight games of five-plus innings while allowing two runs or less end.
Up next
The Guardians haven't announced who will start the opener against the Tigers and LHP Tarik Skubal (13-5, 2.23).
The Twins travel to play the Texas Rangers on Tuesday. Neither team has named a starter.
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
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