Kyle Manzardo’s walk-off homer lifts Guardians over Twins after lengthy rain delay

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CLEVELAND — Chris Paddack and the Minnesota Twins pitching staff were very good in a rain-delayed game on Tuesday night. The Cleveland Guardian pitchers were just a little better.

Tanner Bibee and two high-leverage relievers shut down a hot Twins offense, and Bo Naylor and Kyle Manzardo each went deep, the latter with a walk-off home run, as the Guardians won 2-1 at Progressive Field. Manzardo’s solo homer off Louie Varland to start the ninth inning snapped the Twins’ four-game winning streak and evened the four-game series.

The teams waited out a 190-minute rain delay during which it only rained for roughly five minutes.

“We were playing good baseball,” Twins shortstop Carlos Correa said. “It was a good game. We didn’t come up with a win. Come back (Wednesday) and keep up the same spirits. We’ve been playing great ball for the last week, we’ve just got to keep building on that.”

Paddack flirted with danger in the fourth inning before continuing to build on a good run over his last four starts. Down a run, the Twins starting pitcher allowed a single and walked Carlos Santana on four pitches to start the fourth, which prompted a visit from his teammates and pitching coach Pete Maki.

Paddack said the words of encouragement from Correa and catcher Christian Vázquez fired him up, which resulted in the pitcher escaping the jam six pitches later. Paddack induced a double play and escaped the jam with a weak fly out to keep the Twins trailing 1-0. He needed only 11 pitches in his fifth and final inning to retire the side in order.

Over his last four starts, Paddack has a 2.25 ERA with 18 strikeouts in 20 innings.

“A lot of words of encouragement there in that mound visit — Carlos, Vazqy hyping me up,” Paddack said. “(It) goes a long way. They believe in me, I’ve got to be able to believe in myself.”

Kyle Manzardo – Cleveland Guardians (8) pic.twitter.com/fFnaogMt0Q

— MLB HR Videos (@MLBHRVideos) April 30, 2025

Though there’s plenty of belief in the Twins clubhouse that the offense is only beginning to break out, Bibee made sure production was at a minimum. With Cleveland’s bullpen worn down and a potential storm arriving sometime around 7:30 p.m., the team didn’t want Bibee to start and be removed because of weather.

Instead, the Guardians brought the tarp out around 5 p.m., and it stayed in place even though rain fell only briefly and well after its expected arrival time. In fact, Cleveland’s ground crew originally thought the storm had passed and was setting up the field when another storm popped up. Even so, rain fell for about five minutes and wouldn’t have hindered either starting pitcher.

The rain delay is the fifth already faced this season by the Twins, including a 200-minute delay on April 2 in Chicago.

Manager Rocco Baldelli talks with Twins players during a lengthy rain delay before Tuesday’s game against the Guardians. (Nick Cammett / Getty Images)

Bibee retired the first 11 Twins batters before Correa doubled in the fourth. But the Twins wouldn’t get on the board until Ty France delivered a score-tying opposite-field shot in the fifth.

France finished with three hits for the Twins, including a leadoff single in the seventh inning, in which he was thrown out after rounding the base too far. Anticipating the ball reaching the wall, France geared up for a leadoff double, only for Cleveland All-Star Steven Kwan to cut off the ball and fire it back in for the out. Twins manager Rocco Baldelli argued France’s path to first base was obstructed by Santana to no avail.

The Twins couldn’t capitalize on three late hits. Correa flew out with two on against Cade Smith in the eighth, and pinch runner DaShawn Keirsey Jr. was caught stealing in the ninth.

Brock Stewart, Griffin Jax and Jhoan Duran delivered nasty innings to keep it tied into the ninth. But Varland’s 1-1 changeup caught too much of the plate and Manzardo homered.

“They play a lot of games like this and their bullpen is very good,” Baldelli said. “They got a really good start today from (Bibee). But when they hand it over to their bullpen, you’re going to face clearly one of the better bullpens you’re going to run into. … I’d like to maybe forget about some of the at-bats and the tough luck and move on to getting ready for (Wednesday) because our guys are swinging the bats really well right now and it’s something we can ride.”

Jenkins, Soto to miss time

Twins top prospect Walker Jenkins is unlikely to make his 2025 debut for another month, while pitching prospect Charlee Soto joins him on the injured list with a right triceps strain. Jenkins, who is out with lingering left ankle soreness, received a cortisone shot Tuesday.

The team plans to be cautious with Jenkins, who originally injured himself jumping for a fly ball during a workout before minor league spring training began.

A compensatory first-round pick in 2023, Soto has been outstanding this season before suffering the injury. Soto has a 1.38 ERA and 15 strikeouts in 13 innings.

(Photo of DaShawn Keirsey Jr. getting caught stealing second base in the ninth inning: Nick Cammett / Getty Images)

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