Game Recap 9/4/23 | Guardians Lose To The Twins 20-6

Post-Game Live Recap

3 Things About Guardians Loss to Minnesota Twins:

1 – UGH

There was a lot of excitement and hype around the Lucas Giolito pick-up by the Guardians, and his first outing, to say the least, did not live up to the expectations.  Giolito only went three innings, giving up nine and three home runs.  Royce Lewis put the game away early with a grand slam in the 2nd inning.

2 – McKenzie and Bieber

It was announced before the game that Triston McKenzie and Shane Bieber aim to return to the starting rotation on September 20th.

3 – David Fry in relief

David Fry pitched four innings in relief, giving up seven runs and seven hits along three home runs.

Game Summary

In Monday night’s game, Royce Lewis delivered an impressive performance, hitting a grand slam and achieving a career-best six RBIs. Additionally, Jorge Polanco and Carlos Correa contributed with solo home runs against Lucas Giolito during his debut for the Cleveland Guardians. The Minnesota Twins, leading the AL Central, dominated with a final score of 20-6.

The rookie third baseman, Lewis, tied a franchise record by hitting his third grand slam of the season, all within the past eight games. Remarkably, he now boasts four career grand slams in just 56 major league games, with three of them coming against Cleveland.

With this victory, the Twins extended their lead to six games over the second-place Guardians, with 24 games left to play, including two more in this series at Progressive Field. Their offense was on fire, amassing 20 hits, having 12 different players cross the plate, and setting season highs in both runs and hits, all while securing an impressive margin of victory.

The game featured other notable offensive performances as well. Kyle Farmer launched a three-run homer, and Joey Gallo and Matt Wallner each contributed two-run shots, all of them off catcher David Fry, who surprisingly pitched the final four innings, allowing seven runs and 10 hits. By the middle of the seventh inning, Minnesota had built an astonishing 18-1 lead.

Lucas Giolito, who had been claimed off waivers from the Angels on August 31, had a rough outing, giving up a career-high-tying nine runs in just three innings. This performance extended his struggles, as he now holds a 1-7 record with a 7.22 ERA in his last 11 starts, spanning his time with the White Sox, Los Angeles, and now Cleveland.

On the pitching side for Minnesota, starter Pablo López (10-7) put together a solid six-inning performance, allowing just one run, which came from an RBI triple by José Ramírez. López struck out three, bringing him within eight strikeouts of Kevin Gausman’s AL lead of 207 strikeouts.

Contributions from Lewis (3 for 4), Polanco (3 for 3 with three runs), and Edouard Julien (scoring three runs) highlighted the Twins’ offensive prowess. In a unique twist, Willi Castro played both center field and third base before taking the mound in the ninth inning for the Twins, where he allowed three runs.

Although the Guardians suffered a lopsided defeat, it did not surpass their most significant historical losses, which occurred by 21 runs—23-2 against Minnesota on June 4, 2002, and 21-0 against Detroit on September 15, 1901.

Up Next

Twins RHP Sonny Gray (7-6, 2.92 ERA) takes on Guardians RHP Tanner Bibee (10-3, 3.03 ERA).

Tuesday 9/5 6:10 PM EST – Game 2 Versus Minnesota Twins