Kody Clemens Goes 3-for-4 With Two Doubles and Twins Survive Cleveland's Ninth-Inning Push

The Minnesota Twins came to Progressive Field on Sunday and did exactly what you need to do on the road in May: they scored early, they scored often when it mattered, and they held on when it got tight. Final score: Twins 5, Guardians 4. Game over, moving on.

Here's what made this one stick. The Twins' entire offense showed up at once in the fifth inning. They sent nine hitters to the plate, scored four runs on six hits, and basically put the game away before Cleveland could blink. Kody Clemens led it off with a double to right center and scored on Brooks Lee's single to make it 2-1. Lee stole second, then Royce Lewis ripped an RBI double down the line. Byron Buxton reached on an infield single, and with two outs and an 0-2 count, Josh Bell singled to bring in Lewis. Austin Martin finished it with an RBI single up the middle to score Buxton and push the lead to 5-1. That's the inning that won the game.

The Bullpen Stayed Clean When It Had To

Minnesota didn't have to sweat it out too much after that explosion. Kendry Rojas came out of the bullpen and scattered five hits, walked three, and struck out five in 3 1/3 innings of relief work to pick up his first major league win. Yoendrys Gomez pitched a clean ninth to earn his second save and close it out.

Cleveland didn't go quietly. Brayan Rocchio was absolutely on fire at the plate, going 4-for-4 with a double and two runs scored. Chase DeLauter went 2-for-5 with two RBIs and kept chipping away. The Guardians pulled within 5-4 in the eighth when DeLauter's grounder scored Fry, but it wasn't enough. Despite the loss, Cleveland stayed at .500 and held onto first place in the AL Central.

Early Damage Set the Tone

Minnesota's first run came in the third when Clemens doubled to left, advanced to third on Lee's single, and scored on a Gavin Williams wild pitch. Cleveland answered right back when Rocchio singled and moved to second on DeLauter's line hit to center, then scored on Jose Ramirez's RBI single up the middle to tie it 1-1. But that fifth inning barrage was the difference.

Williams took the loss, allowing 10 hits and five runs in six innings while striking out six. The Guardians' manager Stephen Vogt was out sick and missed the whole game.

Next up for Minnesota, they keep rolling. For Cleveland, they've got work to do.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.