Guardians 9, Twins 2: Kwan's Leadoff Shot and a Half-Game Race

A second-pitch homer into the flowers

September 13, 2026 - Minneapolis - Steven Kwan hit Joe Ryan's second pitch into the row of flowers in the right-field overhang. It was his third homer of the year. The Cleveland Guardians never trailed. They beat the Minnesota Twins 9-2 and pulled within a half-game of the White Sox in the AL Central, the Associated Press recap said.

Partly cloudy, 69 degrees. First pitch 1:15 p.m. Attendance 17,676. The game lasted 2 hours, 42 minutes. Target Field had a leadoff homer, a two-run shot in the sixth, and a three-run ninth that turned a comfortable afternoon into a statement.

The Guardians are 76-74. The AP recap said they sit one game ahead of Toronto and 5 1/2 ahead of Minnesota for the last AL wild-card spot. The Twins are 70-79.

Bibee after two rough September starts

Tanner Bibee (6-15) went 6 2/3: four hits, two runs, two walks, seven strikeouts, 96 pitches. The AP recap said the 27-year-old had allowed 10 runs over 8 1/3 innings in his previous two September starts. Sunday was the version he needed if Cleveland is going to spend the last two weeks in a real race.

Kwan's homer made it 1-0 before Ryan had recorded an out. Jo Adell hit his 21st in the third, a fly ball to left. 2-0. Minnesota answered in the bottom half. Luke Keaschall scored on Kody Clemens's double. 2-1. That was as close as the Twins got while Bibee was on the mound.

Kwan doubled Brayan Rocchio home in the fourth. Travis Bazzana singled Kwan in. 4-1. Bazzana then hit a two-run homer in the sixth, his 12th, Rocchio scoring again. 6-1. Two extra-base hits and three RBI from the second baseman. The AP recap led with Kwan and still had to make room for Bazzana.

Ryan (6-10) lasted four innings, seven hits, four runs, one walk, one strikeout, 84 pitches, two homers. The AP recap said it was his second start since coming off the injured list, and that he is 0-5 with an 8.48 ERA in five starts since the All-Star Game. It also noted he had given up eight runs on a franchise-record six homers against Cleveland on July 20. Sunday was four runs, not eight. It was still a loss.

Larnach's 13th, then a ninth that padded the wild-card math

Trevor Larnach hit a solo shot in the seventh, his 13th. 6-2. Bibee was still in. Hunter Gaddis, Erik Sabrowski, and Matt Festa finished the last 2 1/3 without a run. Minnesota had six hits. Larnach had two of them, a homer and a double. Keaschall had two singles. Clemens drove in the other run. That was the home offense.

Cleveland added three in the ninth against Taylor Rogers. Petey Halpin scored on Adell's ground-rule double. Bazzana scored on Nathaniel Lowe's sacrifice fly. Adell scored on Angel Martínez's double. 9-2. The AP recap said Kwan finished a triple shy of the cycle. He went 3-for-4 with a homer, a double, two RBI, two runs, and a walk. Bazzana went 2-for-4 with a homer, three RBI, two runs, a walk, and a stolen base. Adell went 2-for-5 with a homer and a double.

Cleveland left nine on and still scored nine. Fourteen hits will do that when the leadoff man goes deep and the second baseman hits a two-run shot in the sixth. Bazzana stole a base. Rocchio stole one too. The Guardians did not need a perfect night with runners on. They needed Ryan's second pitch to leave the park and Bibee to throw 96 pitches that looked nothing like his last two starts.

A half-game, a wild-card cushion, and Chicago coming to town

Travis Adams threw three innings in relief of Ryan and allowed two more runs, Bazzana's homer. Rogers took the ninth. Minnesota left six on. Larnach's homer was the second run. Clemens's double was the first. Emmanuel Rodriguez and Keaschall had the other hits that did not score. The rest of the afternoon was Cleveland hitting and Bibee throwing strikes.

Monday is Gavin Williams (13-7, 3.78) against White Sox right-hander Sean Burke (8-7, 3.58) in Cleveland, the AP recap said. The Twins open a series with the Yankees at Target Field, Dean Kremer (3-5, 5.65) against Will Warren (10-6, 4.05). A 9-2 on Sunday put Cleveland a half-game out of first and 5 1/2 up on Minnesota for a wild-card spot. That is the whole September argument in one box score.

AthX Engine after the baseball

AthX Engine (our projection and scoring system) put Bazzana at 13 hitting fantasy points and Kwan at 12. Adell had 10. Bibee had 17.66 pitching FP. Cleveland finished with 19 team FP, second on Sunday. Minnesota finished at minus-6.

Fantasy points measure the night under platform scoring rules. Share prices also move with traders through dynamic pricing. They are related. They are not the same number.

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*Sources: ESPN recap and box score, MLB.com Gameday wrap, MLB.com schedule, and AthX Engine scoring. Information only; not financial advice.*