Mike Cook
 |  Associated Press

Minneapolis — Steven Kwan tied a season high with four RBIs, Logan Allen pitched a career-best eight innings and the Cleveland Guardians made it 10 straight wins by beating the Minnesota Twins 8-0 on Saturday to sweep a day-night doubleheader without giving up a run.

Winners in 15 of their past 16 games, the Guardians are one game back of first-place Detroit in the AL Central after trailing by 11 on Sept. 4. The Tigers were beaten 6-5 by Atlanta on Saturday afternoon.

The Guardians started the nightcap one game behind Boston and Houston in the wild-card standings. They won the opener 6-0, hitting five home runs in a game for the first time since April 10, 2021.

It was the 11th time Cleveland pitched shutouts in both ends of a doubleheader and first since Sept. 30, 1964, against Boston. The only other time the Twins went scoreless for 18 innings in a twinbill came against Cleveland on May 21, 1961.

Minnesota was blanked twice in Oakland on April 20, 2021, but those were seven-inning games due to rules in place during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Limited to one hit through four innings, Cleveland sent 10 batters to the plate in the fifth.

A one-out single by Kwan scored Brayan Rocchio and Petey Halpin. With two outs, Kyle Manzardo and C.J. Kayfus had RBI singles around a two-run double by Gabriel Arias to the wall in right-center field.

Kwan added a two-run single in the eighth.

That was more than enough for Allen (8-11), who earned his first win since July 29 by scattering four hits and striking out seven.

Guardians starters have allowed no more than two earned runs in 15 straight games since Sept. 5, the longest streak in franchise history.

Bailey Ober (5-9) permitted six runs and eight hits in five innings for the Twins. After going 4-1 in his first seven starts, he is 1-8 in 19 starts since May 8. He missed 26 games from June 29 to Aug. 2 with a left hip impingement.

Game 1

José Ramírez homered for his third career 30-30 season and the Cleveland Guardians beat the Minnesota Twins, 6-0, in the first game of a day-night doubleheader on Saturday.

Bo Naylor homered twice, George Valera and Daniel Schneemann also went deep, and Cleveland won its ninth straight game and 14th of 15 to close within 1½ games of AL Central-leading Detroit, which was beaten 6-5 by Atlanta.

Ramírez hit a solo line-drive homer to right field in the first inning. Coupled with his 40 stolen bases, his 30th home run got him 30-and-30 for a franchise-best third time in his career.

Naylor opened the second inning with a home run off Joe Ryan and Valera hit the first of his career two batters later. Schneemann went deep in the fifth.

Ryan (13-9) gave up four earned runs on six hits and struck out five in five innings. The four home runs were a season high. In his past six starts, the All-Star is 1-4, allowing 22 earned runs in 27 innings.

Slade Cecconi (7-6) had his third straight strong start for Cleveland, allowing just two hits in seven shutout innings. He struck out eight. After a second-inning double, the right-hander retired 18 of the final 19 batters he faced, allowing one walk.

Seattle 6, (at) Houston 4

Cal Raleigh hit his 57th home run to pass Ken Griffey Jr. for Seattle’s single-season record and the Mariners built a big lead and they held on for a 6-4 win over the Houston Astros on Saturday night to give them a two-game lead in the AL West.

George Kirby (10-7) scattered five hits across six scoreless innings and struck out seven to help the Mariners to the victory that assures them a season series win over the Astros.

Closer Andrés Muñoz plunked Jake Meyers to start Houston’s ninth before walking Jeremy Peña. But Victor Robles made a diving catch on a ball hit by Carlos Correa and Meyers was out on a double play to end it and give Muñoz his 37th save.

Seattle, which has won 13 of 14, currently has the second seed in the American League ahead of third-seed Detroit, which has dropped five straight.

The Mariners led by 2 in the third inning when Raleigh smacked a 95.5 mph sinker from lefty Framber Valdez into the bullpen in right-center field to make it 3-0 and pass the HR mark Griffey reached in both 1997 and 1998.

Seattle led by 6 with two outs in the seventh when Peña’s grand slam off Carlos Vargas got the Astros within 6-4. The Astros had runners on second and third with one out in the eighth, but Eduard Bazardo struck out Yainer Diaz before Gabe Speier came in and fanned pinch-hitter Christian Walker to end the threat.

The Mariners loaded the bases with two outs in the fifth and Valdez was pulled after walking Josh Naylor to make it 4-0. Jayden Murray took over and pinch-hitter Dominic Canzone’s single to right field extended the lead to 6-0.

Valdez (12-11) yielded six hits and five runs with four walks in 4 2/3 innings for his fourth straight loss.

Houston manager Joe Espada and hitting coach Troy Snitker were ejected for complaining to home plate umpire Shane Livensparger after Jesús Sánchez struck out looking for the second out of the fifth inning.

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