Williams Deals, Four CLE Homers Sink Minnesota Before All-Star Break

Gavin Williams struck out 11 batters over 7.0 innings, and Cleveland's offense went deep four times to beat Minnesota 5-2 on Thursday. The Twins, already without Byron Buxton — placed on the 10-day IL earlier this week with a lingering hip injury — couldn't find an answer for Williams or Cleveland's power.

The game's tone was set in the second inning when Gabriel Arias launched a 442-foot shot to center, putting Cleveland up 1-0. Minnesota answered in the fifth when Tristan Gray singled to right, scoring Royce Lewis to tie it at 1-1. That's as close as the Twins would get. Chase DeLauter put Cleveland back in front with a 394-foot homer to right in the sixth, and then the seventh inning broke the game open. Brayan Rocchio doubled to left, scoring two runs — that swing alone moved Minnesota's win probability from 33% to 11%, a 22-point collapse in a single at-bat. Lewis responded with a 389-foot solo shot to left to make it 4-2, but it was too little, too late for the home side. Patrick Bailey added a 384-foot insurance homer to right in the ninth to set the final at 5-2.

The story of the night, though, was Gavin Williams. Seven innings, three hits, two earned runs, one walk, and 11 strikeouts is a performance that looks like a pitcher operating at a completely different level than the competition. Bailey Ober gave Minnesota five innings and allowed just one earned run, but the Twins' bullpen couldn't hold the line once Williams handed things off to Cade Smith (1.0 IP, 2 K) and Hunter Gaddis (1.0 IP, 1 K), both of whom were spotless. Cleveland's bullpen combined for two perfect innings to close it out — this was a wire-to-wire team effort.

For Minnesota, the loss stings heading into the All-Star break. Royce Lewis went 2-for-4 with a home run and two runs scored, which appears to be the one bright spot in an otherwise frustrating night. But without Buxton in center and with the offense managing just two runs against a Cleveland staff that never really wobbled, the Twins look like a team that could use the reset the break provides. Cleveland, meanwhile, heads into the All-Star week having hammered four home runs and gotten a dominant start from their rotation — that's the kind of statement game that looks very good on a first-half résumé.