Twins Split Series Against Guardians

After taking the double-header to open the series the Minnesota Twins slumped as the weekend series would see the Cleveland Guardians take the final to games at Target Field.

David Fry and José Ramírez homered, and the Guardians beat the Twins 5-3 on Sunday to earn a split of the four-game series between the top two teams in the AL Central. Minnesota remains 3.5 games back in the Central Division. The Guardians won their second straight after losing seven in a row. Kansas City is four games back.

Emmanuel Clase pitched a shaky ninth for his 35th save as Minnesota loaded the bases with no outs, but Willi Castro struck out on a full count and Trevor Larnach grounded into a double play that began with a ranging backhand stop by second baseman Andrés Giménez.

Facing adversity for one of the rare times this season, Cleveland bounced back nicely in the series after being swept in Friday’s doubleheader. Byron Buxton homered twice for Minnesota, which fell to 2-7 against Cleveland this year.

Manager Rocco Baldelli likes how the Twins played over the four games.

“We had several innings where we whacked the ball all around the ballpark and we end up scoring no runs," he said. "Stuff where you think it’s almost impossible not to score. The vast majority of them it’s not like our guys did anything too wrong, they just hit the ball too hard and hit the ball right at people. If one or two of those runs come into play, we’re in a good spot.”

In his sixth career start, Minnesota’s David Festa allowed one earned run and three hits in 3 1/3 innings, but he walked three and was pulled after 70 pitches. Last Monday against the Cubs, he allowed two hits and struck out a career-high nine in five innings.

Next up for Minnesota, RHP Pablo López (10-8, 4.74) is scheduled to start Monday at home against Kansas City RHP Brady Singer (8-7, 3.03).

LOOK: MLB history from the year you were born

Stacker compiled key moments from Major League Baseball's history over the past 100 years. Using a variety of sources from Major League Baseball (MLB) record books, the Baseball Hall of Fame, and audio and video from events, we've listed the iconic moments that shaped a sport and a nation. Read through to find out what happened in MLB history the year you were born.

Gallery Credit: Seth Berkman