Guardians Routed By Twins, Lose Fifth In A Row
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The Guardians have hit the proverbial wall and have dropped their fifth straight game in a row after getting routed 11-1 by the Twins on Monday night.
The club had been cruising through the month of June and found themselves atop the AL Central not even one week ago after taking two out of three against the Twins in Minnesota.
Now, the team just can't seem to stop the bleeding since dropping the final game in Minnesota and getting swept at home by the Red Sox.
It was Triston McKenzie's turn on Monday to try to help the club get things turned around. McKenzie, who entered tonight's game with a 3.51 ERA exited with one north of 4.00. Tonight, McKenzie lasted six innings allowing eight hits and seven runs. He walked one, hit one, and struck out seven.
McKenzie has had a year that's showcased his brilliance and has also shown his lowest moments. Unfortunately, his last two outings both collided with the Twins, and they have been rough to say the least allowing a combined 13 runs.
The Guardians were able to save their teammate after his last outing, but tonight's story would end much differently as the club didn't waste the bullpen. Bryan Shaw would throw 0.2 innings and surrender two runs on the night.
Additionally, newly called up Ian Gibaut pitched 1.1 innings allowing one hit, and utility man Ernie Clement -- who became the first position player to toss an inning for the Guardians this season, gave up four hits and two runs in the ninth.
Offensively, the Twins outhit the Guardians 14 to five, with Steven Kwan, Amed Roario, Josh Naylor, Andrés Giménez, and Myles Straw the only hitters. The Guardians avoided the shutout by scoring on a wild pitch with two outs in the ninth to make the final score 11-1.
Tomorrow, the club is right back in action with a split doubleheader with the Twins slated for 1:10 with Zach Plesac (2-5, 4.17) on the mound for Cleveland and Devin Smeltzer (4-1, 3.05) for Minnesota. Josh Winder and Konnor Pilkington are probable for game two.
After tonight's loss, the Twins improved to 42-33 and the Guardians now sit at 36-33 and three games back in the division.
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