Minnesota needed 12 innings, a perfect bullpen chain and a little disrespect to steal the finale at Progressive Field.
Nothing about Thursday afternoon in Cleveland came easily for Minnesota.
Gavin Williams struck out 11 Twins over seven innings without issuing a walk, Taj Bradley matched him with one of his sharpest starts of the season, and the two teams dragged a 1-1 tie deep into extra innings.
When the Guardians intentionally walked Royce Lewis with two outs in the 12th to set up a matchup with Trevor Larnach, the decision backfired immediately.
Larnach punched a single into left field to score the go-ahead run in an eventual 3-1 victory that salvaged a split of the four-game series and sent the Twins home feeling considerably better about a difficult week.
"I just assumed he was going to do (walk Lewis)," Larnach said, per MLB.com. "Even before I was even on deck. I was in the hole, I had everything ready because I was going to walk up there, I expected it."
Worth the Wait
Bradley handed the Twins seven innings of two-hit baseball, with the only damage a Patrick Bailey solo homer in the fifth.
Catcher Ryan Jeffers thought his starter deserved even better.
"In a way it felt like he left off the gas for one pitch today and it was the 95-mph fastball," Jeffers said. "Other than that, he was absolute nails." Bradley now owns a 3.69 ERA with 129 strikeouts this season, and the staff combined to hold Cleveland to three hits over 12 innings.
The offense stayed silent until the eighth, when Lewis walked, stole second and came around on pinch-hitter Alan Roden's game-tying single off closer Cade Smith.
Taylor Rogers then kept the game alive in the 11th, stranding two runners after an intentional walk to Jose Ramirez by striking out Chase DeLauter and retiring Brayan Rocchio, before Bazzana reached first on a fielder's choice.
The Little Things
After Larnach's hit in the 12th, Luke Keaschall added an insurance single that scored Lewis, and rookie Jack Anderson worked the bottom half for the first save of his career.
"It's an honor to get the opportunities when they come," Anderson said, per MLB.com. Larnach is hitting .294 with eight home runs and an .842 OPS, and his patience in the biggest spot of the day summed up a lineup that refused to give the game away late.
A Homestand With Real Stakes
The win sent Minnesota home at 51-53, third in the American League Central and four and a half games behind Chicago, with the Athletics arriving at Target Field on Friday night to open the first homestand since the break.
Manager Derek Shelton, who has been praising Luke Keaschall's growth throughout July, called the bounce-back split one of the few times a losing road trip still felt good.
The club also activated Byron Buxton from the injured list this week, and the rotation needs steadier innings after Joe Ryan endured his worst start of the season in the series opener.
The trade deadline hovers over everything in Minnesota, but an extra-innings win in Cleveland showed a team that has not stopped competing, and the coming week at home should reveal how far that fight can carry this group.
