Joe Ryan gives up four home runs as Twins lose to Guardians in Game 1 of doubleheader

Bobby Nightengale, The Minnesota Star Tribune on Sep 20, 2025

Published in Baseball

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MINNEAPOLIS — When Joe Ryan watched Cleveland Guardians third baseman Daniel Schneeman connect on a 93-mph fastball in the fifth inning, during the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader, he dropped to his left knee and turned away.

Ryan, facing one of the hottest teams in baseball for his final home start of the 2025 season, allowed six hits and five of them turned into runs. He surrendered a season-high four homers, all the solo variety, and the Twins were steamrolled in a 6-0 loss to a Guardians team that seemingly can’t be stopped from chugging back into the playoff race.

Cleveland has won nine consecutive games and dwindled a 12 1/2-game deficit to Detroit in the American League Central standings to 1 1/2 games in 26 days. Cleveland could pull to within a game of the Tigers with a victory in Game 2.

It was the 11th time the Twins were shut out this season, producing only two hits against starting pitcher Slade Cecconi and reliever Kolby Allard. After striking out 16 times in Friday’s 6-2 loss, the Twins struck out another nine times in the first game of Saturday’s twin bill.

In the first two innings, the Guardians spoiled Ryan’s chance to play spoiler. Ryan surrendered three solo homers against his first seven batters before he could even settle into his outing.

José Ramírez crushed a splitter that didn’t move out of the heart of the plate for a 388-foot homer in the first inning, his 30th home run of the season. Ramírez, who has 40 stolen bases, completed a 30-30 season for the third time in his career. He joined Howard Johnson, Alfonso Soriano, Bobby Bonds and Barry Bonds as the only players with at least three 30-30 seasons in MLB history.

Ryan gave up a leadoff homer to Bo Naylor in the second inning on a first-pitch fastball that reached the second row of seats above the right field wall. Two batters later, George Valera homered on a ball that didn’t even reach the seats. Valera, who lifted a sweeper, watched his ball hit the top of the right field wall and bounce back onto the field for his first career home run.

After Ryan permitted three homers on his first 20 pitches, he retired eight of his next nine batters. He erased a walk with a double play, and he entered the fifth inning at an efficient 53 pitches.

The outing, however, imploded further when four straight batters reached base in the fifth inning. Schneemann hit a one-out homer, depositing a fastball into the first row of seats in right field. Brayan Rocchio followed with a double, the Guardians’ first hit that wasn’t a homer, and Steven Kwan hit a single.

With runners on the corners, Kwan stole second base and Twins catcher Jhonny Pereda’s throw deflected off shortstop Ryan Fitzgerald’s glove into shallow center field. Rocchio scored from third on the error.

Ryan completed five innings, surpassing his single-season career high with 166 innings, and he gave up five runs (four earned) on six hits and two walks. He added five strikeouts.

The Twins put only one runner in scoring position in seven innings against Cecconi. Luke Keaschall opened the second inning with a leadoff double laced down the left-field line. Cecconi retired the next three batters, and the Twins didn’t record until Austin Martin dropped a double into left field with two outs in the ninth.

Kody Clemens lined a seventh-inning pitch from Cecconi toward the warning track in the right-center gap, which Clemens thought was a sure hit. Instead, Guardians center fielder Angel Martínez raced under it for the inning-ending catch.

Clemens didn’t hide his disbelief, putting his hands on his helmet and then raising his palms to the sky. As Guardians players started jogging off the field, Clemens spiked his helmet to the dirt.