Cleveland Guardians at Minnesota Twins

The Guardians desperately needed a win on Thursday. From the moment Gavin Williams stepped on the mound, he made clear he was intent on making it happen. Williams set the tone in his final start before the All-Star break, to lead the Guardians to a 5-2 win over the Twins at Target Field and help Cleveland avoid a three-game sweep. The big right-hander struck out 11 batters over seven innings, allowing two runs on three hits and one walk. Thursday marked Williams’ fourth start this season with 10-plus strikeouts, which is the most by a Cleveland pitcher before the All-Star break since Shane Bieber had six such outings in 2021. “When he gets the ball, you kind of go out there and expect him to do that every time,” Guardians outfielder Chase DeLauter said. “It’s electric stuff. I'm glad I'm on the other side of it.” With the win, the Guardians (48-46) snapped a season-high-tying four-game losing streak. They were in danger of falling to .500 for the first time since May 10 (when they were 21-21) after they entered the day with a 13-19 record since the start of June. In some ways, Williams’ first half has mirrored the Guardians’ overall. He started the season off strong, but has had inconsistent results since the start of June. In his first 12 starts this season, Williams logged a 3.07 ERA in 76 1/3 innings. He entered Thursday with a 6.00 ERA in 30 innings over six starts since the start of June. “I think it could have been a lot better,” Williams said of his first half. “I know I had a few bad games, a seven-run game \[June 17 vs. Milwaukee\