José Ramírez played his first game in six weeks on Wednesday. He went 2-for-5 with two RBI, looked like he’d never left, and watched Cleveland lose 10-6 anyway. The Guardians take the field again Thursday afternoon needing a win to take the series and hold their grip on a playoff spot.
Twins at Guardians: How to Watch
- First pitch: 1:10 p.m. ET, Progressive Field, Cleveland
- TV: Guardians.TV, Twins.TV (both presented by Progressive), MLB.TV
- Radio: Cleveland on WTAM 1100 and the Guardians Radio Network; Minnesota on WCCO 830 and The Wolf 102.9
- Probables: RHP Taj Bradley (9-4, 3.85) vs. RHP Gavin Williams (10-5, 4.00)
- Records: Minnesota 50-53, Cleveland 54-49
- Series: Four games, split so far. This one decides it.
What Happened Wednesday
Minnesota Twins’ Brooks Lee reacts after hitting a three-run home run off Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Slade Cecconi during the fourth inning of a baseball game, Wednesday, July 22, 2026, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Phil Long)
Minnesota snapped a four-game losing streak and spoiled a homecoming. Trevor Larnach opened the game with a leadoff home run. Cleveland answered with three early runs and looked to be cruising toward a third straight win in the series.
Then the fourth inning happened. An RBI infield single put Minnesota back within reach, and Brooks Lee hit a three-run homer off Slade Cecconi that flipped a tie game into a 7-3 Twins lead. Lee finished with four RBI.
Cecconi‘s line tells the real story: seven hits and seven runs over 4⅔ innings, but only three of them earned. Cleveland made three errors and gave Minnesota six unearned runs. You do not beat anybody doing that, and the Guardians didn’t.
Ramírez Is Back
Cleveland Guardians’ Jose Ramirez, left, runs home to score a run on an RBI single by Chase DeLauter during the third inning of a baseball game against the New York Yankees, Tuesday, June 9, 2026, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/David Dermer)
The good news for Cleveland arrived at the same time as the loss. José Ramírez was activated off the injured list Wednesday and played his first game since June 13 following hand surgery. He went 2-for-5 with two RBI and a run scored.
He hits second again Thursday. At 33, in his fourteenth season, Ramírez has 24 stolen bases — more than any other Guardian and more than the entire Minnesota starting lineup combined. The Guardians went 20-19 without him. They are a different team when he’s in it.
Lineups
Lineups subject to change.
| # | Twins | Pos | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brooks Lee | 3B | .254 |
| 2 | Byron Buxton | CF | .275 |
| 3 | Ryan Jeffers | C | .287 |
| 4 | Josh Bell | DH | .251 |
| 5 | Kody Clemens | 2B | .240 |
| 6 | Royce Lewis | 1B | .215 |
| 7 | Austin Martin | LF | .241 |
| 8 | Luke Keaschall | RF | .261 |
| 9 | Ryan Kreidler | SS | .236 |
| # | Guardians | Pos | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Steven Kwan | LF | .245 |
| 2 | José Ramírez | 3B | .242 |
| 3 | Chase DeLauter | RF | .287 |
| 4 | Brayan Rocchio | SS | .275 |
| 5 | Travis Bazzana | 2B | .245 |
| 6 | Rhys Hoskins | DH | .181 |
| 7 | Kyle Manzardo | 1B | .216 |
| 8 | Patrick Bailey | C | .201 |
| 9 | Petey Halpin | CF | .218 |
Note the absence: Trevor Larnach, who led off Wednesday’s game with a home run and scored again in the third, is not in the lineup. Austin Martin takes left field.
These Two Starters Already Owned Each Other This Month
Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Gavin Williams celebrates during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Minnesota Twins, Thursday, July 9, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Matt Krohn)
This is the fun part. On July 7, Taj Bradley faced Cleveland and gave up one run over seven innings while striking out ten. Two days later, on July 9, Gavin Williams faced Minnesota and struck out eleven in a 5-2 win.
Both are coming off rough outings. Bradley allowed five earned in five innings against the Cubs on July 18. Williams allowed five earned in six innings against Pittsburgh the same day.
Williams has 145 strikeouts in 119⅓ innings, the most on Cleveland’s staff, with seven quality starts. Bradley has 124 in 107⅔ and has gone at least five innings in seven consecutive starts, holding hitters to a .225 average.
Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Taj Bradley delivers during the first inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Angels, Sunday, July 12, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Bailey Hillesheim)
Byron Buxton Is Having the Season of His Life
Minnesota Twins Byron Buxton walks on the red carpet with his family for the MLB baseball All-Star game, Tuesday, July 14, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)
He was elected an All-Star starter and couldn’t play. He’s hitting .275 with 25 home runs and a .902 OPS at 32, playing center field, after a career of injuries that would have finished lesser players. It is the best line on either lineup card and it isn’t close.
Behind him, Ryan Jeffers is quietly out-slugging everyone — .287 with a .950 OPS, the highest number in the building.
Baseball Without Borders at Progressive Field
Cleveland Guardians’ Brayan Rocchio, right, is tagged out by Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Henry Davis. left, in the sixth inning of a baseball game in Cleveland, Sunday, July 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
The two lineup cards could not look more different on this front, and it’s worth saying out loud.
Every player in the Minnesota starting nine was born in the United States. The Twins are one of the most American-born rosters in the sport — their 40-man carries three Venezuelans and almost nothing else from abroad.
Cleveland is the opposite. Brayan Rocchio hits cleanup, and his passport story is one of the best in baseball: born in Caracas, Venezuela, he played for Italy in the 2026 World Baseball Classic on heritage eligibility — a run this outlet covered from the start. Travis Bazzana, hitting fifth, is from Sydney, one of the very few Australian-born position players ever to reach the majors, the top overall pick in the 2024 draft, and a 2026 All-Star in his rookie season. José Ramírez is Dominican, out of Baní.
The depth behind them runs further: Canadians Cade Smith (an All-Star), Bo Naylor, and Erik Sabrowski; Venezuelan Gabriel Arias; Dominicans Angel Martínez and Juan Brito; Cuban Franco Aleman; and Panamanian flamethrower Daniel Espino. Six countries in one clubhouse against a lineup from one.
Cleveland Guardians’ Travis Bazzana, left, scores under the tag of Minnesota Twins catcher Ryan Jeffers, right, in the sixth inning of a baseball game in Cleveland, Tuesday, July 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
One for the Younger Fans
Cleveland Guardians center fielder Kahlil Watson dives for but misses a ball hit by Pittsburgh Pirates’ Tyler Callihan for a double in the first inning of the first baseball game of a split doubleheader in Cleveland, Saturday, June 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
Cleveland optioned outfielder Kahlil Watson to Triple-A Columbus on Wednesday, the same day Ramírez came off the IL. Watson is 23, in his first big league season, and one of the most fun players to use in MLB The Show 26 — which for a certain slice of the audience is the only scouting report that matters. Petey Halpin takes center field in his place.
The Playoff Math
Cleveland sits at 54-49, second in the AL Central, holding the last American League wild card spot with a 72.2 percent chance of reaching October. That number has fallen 16 points in a month, and Chicago has taken over the division.
Minnesota is 50-53 and down to 18.8 percent. Projected finishes: Cleveland 84-78, Minnesota 78-84. A four-game swing in the standings, a fifty-point swing in hope.
First pitch, 1:10 p.m. ET. Cleveland has its best player back and a series to win. Minnesota has the best bat in the ballpark and eleven weeks to make something of it.
