Parker Messick LHP
2026 season (MLB rank among qualified starters)
ERA
2.53
10th
WHIP
1.04
21st
K/9
9.32
54th
BB/9
2.43
41st
P-Score75i
FIP
–
HR/9
0.86
33rd
OPS/R
–
IP
167.0
Last 5 starts
ERA
2.37
FinalFinal lineupsAL Central
Cleveland Guardians 5, Minnesota Twins 2
Final Score and Game Recap
Final score, pitching lines and standings context.
8:10 PM ET · Target FieldGame-day snapshot Sep 11, 11:10 PM ETFinal lineups lockedCurrent 2026 season stats — updated Oct 4, 5:00 AM ET
Pitching recap
| Pitcher | Team | Role | IP | H | ER | BB | K | P |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Parker Messick | CLE | Starter | 5.1 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 95 |
| Hunter Gaddis | CLE | ReliefWin | 1.1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 17 |
| Cade Smith | CLE | ReliefSave | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| Taj Bradley | MIN | Starter | 6.0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 6 | 94 |
| Yoendrys Gómez | MIN | ReliefLoss | 0.1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 21 |
Scoring by inning
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cleveland Guardians | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 0 |
 Minnesota Twins | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 0 |
Top hitters
Angel Martínez2-for-4 · 1 HR · 2 RBI
Brayan Rocchio1-for-3 · 2 RBI · 1 BB
Kaelen Culpepper1-for-3 · 1 RBI
Royce Lewis1-for-4 · 1 RBI
Travis Bazzana2-for-2 · 2 R · 2 BB
Matchup at a glance
PitcherStat calculationPregame contextStarting pitchers
Taj Bradley RHP
2026 season (MLB rank among qualified starters)
ERA
3.95
75th
WHIP
1.26
81st
K/9
10.39
27th
BB/9
3.84
164th
P-Score60i
FIP
–
HR/9
1.30
103rd
OPS/R
–
IP
159.1
Last 5 starts
ERA
4.88
This matchup at Target Field sets up around a clean contrast
This matchup at Target Field sets up around a clean contrast.
Cleveland arrives with the better record at 74-73 and sits second in the AL Central, 1.5 games back. Minnesota is 69-77, third in the division and 6.0 back. The path each club has taken to those positions shows up clearly in the numbers: the Twins have been the more productive offensive team, while the Guardians bring the stronger run-prevention profile.
That starts on the mound, where the probable pitching matchup favors Cleveland. Parker Messick has been excellent across 28 starts, posting a 2.53 ERA, 3.11 FIP and 1.04 WHIP over 167 innings. Taj Bradley has thrown 159.1 innings with a solid strikeout rate of 10.4 per nine, better than Messick’s 9.3, but Cleveland’s left-hander has the stronger overall statistical line. Messick has allowed fewer walks and home runs, and his 0.86 HR/9 and 2.4 BB/9 compare well against Bradley’s 1.30 and 3.8. Even the quality-start rate leans slightly Cleveland’s way.
If Minnesota is going to tilt the game, the offense is the obvious route. The Twins have outperformed Cleveland across the major season hitting categories provided here: 4.62 runs per game to 4.07, a .245 average to .237, a .319 OBP to .314, and a .726 OPS to .686. The gap has been even more visible in the short term. Over the last 10 games, both teams are 5-5, but Minnesota has scored 5.40 runs per game while Cleveland is at 4.10.
That creates an interesting test for Messick. Cleveland’s offense has been lighter over the full season, yet the Guardians have still stayed ahead of Minnesota in the standings because the pitching staff has covered so much ground. The bullpen numbers reinforce that. Cleveland holds the edge there as well, with a 3.78 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 9.4 strikeouts per nine, compared with Minnesota’s 4.46 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and 8.7 K/9.
So the shape of the game is fairly clear even with lineups still unconfirmed: Minnesota brings the stronger bats, but Cleveland has the better starting-pitching profile and the better bullpen. For the Twins, that raises the importance of cashing in when scoring chances appear, because the later the game moves, the more the Guardians’ numbers suggest they are built to keep it under control.
How the lineups match the starters' pitch mix
Pitch data coverage: partial. Usage and velocity only.
Team OPS vs opposing starter's hand
Lineups
Final lineupsOrder from the stored snapshot; treat as unofficial until the card is filed.Full lineup page
Team comparison
CLE·MINAVG.239 22nd.245 16th
OPS.696 26th.720 13th
Home runs162 27th187 12th
Runs678 24th739 11th
OBP.316 18th.317 16th
SLG.380 27th.403 11th
CLE·MIN1stMLB rank30th
CLEMIN
CLEMIN
CLEMIN
CLEMIN
CLE·MIN1stMLB rank30th
no league rank
no league rank
CLEMIN
CLE·MIN+27518th
Run differential
+27019th
85–77 Record77–85
5–5 Last 105–5
Last 10 games
L
W
L
W
L
W
W
L
L
W
L
W
L
L
W
L
L
W
W
W
2026 head-to-head
Season Series
9—5
Frequently asked
Who is starting for the Guardians?+
Parker Messick (2.53 ERA, 11–9) is listed as the starter.
Who is starting for the Twins?+
Taj Bradley (3.95 ERA, 11–6) is listed as the starter.
What time does the game start?+
8:10 PM ET at Target Field.
Where is the game being played?+
Target Field, home of the Minnesota Twins.
Are the lineups confirmed?+
Not as official league cards. The orders shown are the current projected or last-posted lineups.
How have the Guardians and Twins performed head-to-head?+
Season series: Twins 5–9 this season.
How do the starters compare on P-Score?+
Parker Messick is at 75; Taj Bradley is at 60. P-Score is PitcherStat's 0–100 season index for qualified starters.