MINNEAPOLIS -- The roll continues for the Guardians, with their latest pitching phenom and their suddenly hot-hitting catcher.
Rookie left-hander Parker Messick turned in another strong outing and Bo Naylor drove in four runs on Friday as the Guardians beat the Twins 6-2 at Target Field.
Cleveland (82-71) has won eight straight and 13 of its last 14. The Guardians moved to within 2 1/2 games of first place in the AL Central -- the closest they’ve been since May 13 -- after the Tigers lost to Atlanta 10-1 on Friday. They remain 1 1/2 games out of the final AL Wild Card spot with Boston beating Tampa Bay 11-7 and Houston falling to Seattle 4-0.
Though he entered the game hitting just .188, Naylor is 10-for-26 (.385) with 11 RBIs during his current (and career-high) seven-game hitting streak. And many of those hits have been huge.
On Sunday against the White Sox, he drove in all three runs, and his seventh-inning solo homer proved to be the difference in a 3-2 win. On Wednesday, his two-out, two-run single in the ninth inning provided some key insurance runs in a 4-0 victory. And on Friday, Naylor came through with a pair of two-out, two-run singles -- one in the first inning and one in the eighth -- to become the latest hero of the moment for the Guardians.
“We've talked about Bo all year, right? And the numbers may not be there, but he's hit the ball hard. He's having quality at-bats. He's finally getting some results,” manager Stephen Vogt said. “I don't think people understand what his body feels like this time of year, after catching 120, 130 games. Bo is stepping up in a huge way.”
When asked about his recent success, Naylor pointed to a more streamlined mental approach that eliminates some of the clutter and distractions that can hinder a straightforward approach.
“Simplicity -- just locking in on my routine, making sure that I'm preparing the right way, and just going out there with a free mind, trusting in the work that I did beforehand,” Naylor said. “Going out there and just trying to execute the plan that I have or whoever's out there on the mound.”
Meanwhile, in his sixth Major League start, Messick came within two outs of his fifth quality start, allowing two earned runs while striking out a career-high nine in 5 1/3 innings.
“It was one of those games where you feel like you could throw anything for a strike, and it was a little different approach. I threw more offspeed today than normal,” said Messick, who got seven of his nine strikeouts on his offspeed pitches. “There was a lot more curveball-slider-change-ups than I’ve had in a while.”
He might be just six starts into his Major League career, but those around Messick have already begun to grasp the value he can bring to the team down the stretch.
“When he's going out there and just dialed in, dotting wherever I'm calling the pitch, it makes my job easy and takes the pressure off the defense,” Naylor said. “He's been proving himself to be quite the effective pitcher. He just goes out there and competes. He has a really good head on his shoulders.”
Now, with the Guardians red-hot and the Tigers continuing to stumble, it could be tempting to look ahead to the three-game set with Detroit coming up next week back in Cleveland. But the Guardians are taking their cue from their manager, who understands the best way to stay focused during these white-knuckle, scoreboard-watching times.
“It's a choice. And you have to actively make that choice every single day, that it's about today,” Vogt said. “You cannot get caught up in where we are or where we've been or anything like that. Be where your feet are, watch the game, think of the game, and just love on these guys, because it's been a lot of fun to watch them.”