Josh Naylor, Amed Rosario drive Guardians to convincing 11-4 win against Twins

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Josh Naylor put the Twins on notice with a three-run home run in the first inning Monday, and Amed Rosario’s three-run knockout shot put Minnesota to bed in the sixth as the Guardians finished off their homestand in style with an 11-4 victory.

Cleveland’s win gave the Guardians a four-game lead over the idle White Sox in the American League Central Division chase and dropped the Twins seven games back. Minnesota trails the Mariners by eight games for the third AL Wild Card spot, while Cleveland’s magic number to clinch the division falls to 12.

The Guardians wrapped up their season series with the Twins by winning nine of their last 10 matchups and dealing a significant blow to Minnesota’s playoff chances.

Cal Quantrill (13-5, 3.56) benefitted from the power surge by Naylor and Rosario, winning his 13th and staying undefeated in 42 career appearances at Progressive Field. Quantrill moved to 4-0 lifetime against the Twins in 10 appearances and extended his individual home winning streak to 13 straight.

Naylor, who entered the game 2-for-26 on the homestand, launched a Sonny Gray curveball 413 feet to the concourse in right field in the first inning after Steven Kwan and José Ramírez each singled.

Gray (8-4, 3.08) gave up an RBI triple to Kwan in the second and exited after the inning with a sore right hamstring. He was replaced by rookie Ronny Henriquez, who made his major league debut and allowed three runs in four innings.

Naylor’s home run was his18th and the third this season against Minnesota, giving him 12 RBI. He added a leadoff double in the fifth and turned in one of the biggest defensive plays of the day when he snagged a bases-loaded line drive by Mark Contreras and stepped on first for an unassisted double play to help Nick Sandlin get out of trouble in the sixth.

Rosario’s three-run blast followed a triple by Myles Straw and a Kwan Walk. He yanked a first-pitch fastball from Henriquez to the bleachers in left for his 11th of the season.

After collecting eight combined hits in Saturday’s doubleheader, Rosario finished the Minnesota series 11-for-25 with a pair of home runs and 11 RBI.

Cleveland added four runs in the eighth against Minnesota’s Jorge Lopez on a Luke Maile solo home run, RBI singles by Ramírez and Andrés Giménez and a wild pitch that allowed Rosario to score from third.

Next: Cleveland opens a three-game road series against the White Sox on Tuesday. Right-hander Aaron Civale (2-6, 5.40) will take the mound for the Guardians while Chicago counters with righty Dylan Cease (14-7, 2.16). First pitch is set for 8:10 p.m. at Guaranteed Rate Field. The game will air on Bally Sports Great Lakes, WTAM 1100 AM, WMMS 100.7 FM and the Guardians Radio Network.

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