CLEVELAND — A package from MLB arrived in the Minnesota Twins’ clubhouse on Monday, similar to ones that were almost certainly delivered to stadiums around the league, containing a “2024 Central Division Champions” banner for the Twins to use in the unlikely event they clinch that achievement in the season’s final two weeks.

They needn’t have bothered.

Griffin Jax rescued Pablo López from a bases-loaded jam in the seventh inning, but then surrendered Kyle Manzardo’s 407-foot game-winning two-run homer in the eighth, and the Cleveland Guardians all but officially ended Minnesota’s chase of a second straight division title with a 4-3 victory at Progressive Field.

The loss widened the Twins’ deficit behind the Guardians to 7 1/2 games with 12 remaining, allowing the Twins to focus on their wild-card hopes for the final two weeks.

López pitched six strong innings and seemed intent upon making sure the division race wouldn’t end on his watch — though he’s fortunate the fences at Progressive Field aren’t two or three feet closer to home plate. The Guardians hit three fly balls against the Twins’ right-hander, who entered the game in 10th place in the American League in home runs allowed, that were caught at the back of the warning track, one of them on a leaping catch by Buxton.

None of them carried into the seats, however, and López completed six innings with a 3-1 lead, the lone run coming home on a two-out infield hit by Guardians second baseman Andrés Giménez.

Having thrown only 74 pitches, however, López was allowed to return to the mound for the seventh inning, and it didn’t go well. López walked Manzardo, the last two fastballs not close to the zone, to start the inning, then gave up a soft single to Will Brennan. He loaded the bases by walking Bo Naylor on four pitches.

When he struck out pinch-hitter Daniel Schneemann on three pitches, however, the Twins hoped López could escape the jam. Didn’t happen. Angel Martinez lined a pitch that landed a few feet in front of Willi Castro in left field, scoring Manzardo with the Guardians’ second run.

But Jax, who routinely has bailed out López over the past few weeks — Monday’s game was the third time in López’s last four starts he has been summoned with the tying run on base — was ready. He extinguished the threat on a mere four pitches, three of them to strike out Giménez and one to produce a sharp ground ball by José Ramirez that his former teammate, Carlos Santana, fielded and crossed first base with.

Jax’s heroics are what made the next inning so shocking.

Josh Naylor led off with a deep line drive that Buxton caught on a bounce off the wall in right-center. Jax recovered by striking out Lane Thomas on a high sweeper, but Manzardo was sitting on a first-pitch fastball in the same spot. As the announced crowd of 17,599 roared, Cleveland’s DH drove it deep into the seats in right field, only his third home run of the season and the first Jax has allowed since July 21, 21 innings ago.

The Twins have only themselves to blame. Minnesota put two runners on base in four of the first six innings, but went 2 for 9 with runners in scoring position. The only runs they scored came in the third inning, when a Carlos Correa double and two walks loaded the bases. A passed ball by Bo Naylor scored Correa, and Buxton grounded a single up the middle to score two more.

But the Twins never scored again.

____

©2024 The Minnesota Star Tribune. Visit at startribune.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.