MINNEAPOLIS — The Guardians are still looking for consistent production at the plate with runners in scoring position, but they managed to overcome their week-long lack of breakthrough hits Wednesday to earn a doubleheader split against the Twins with a 5-1 win in Game 2 at Target Field.

The win snaps a season-high five game losing skid for Cleveland and ends Minnesota’s 10-game home winning streak.

Gavin Williams (4-2) tossed six strong innings, allowing a run on just two hits with six strikeouts to earn the win. Carlos Santana blasted his sixth home run off Twins reliever Griffin Jax to push Cleveland’s lead to two runs in the eighth inning.

It was the second quality start of at least six innings and two runs or fewer allowed by Williams, who has at least six strikeouts in five of his last six starts.

Manager Stephen Vogt said Williams delivered exactly the kind of outing the Guardians needed after losing four straight.

“He attacked the strike zone, the one inning where he made him work and threw 30 pitches, other than that, he was super efficient,” Vogt said. “Got us through six so we could hand it over the bullpen. Really proud of our guys, the way they kept adding on in the second game.”

Santana, who homered earlier in the day during Cleveland’s 6-5 loss in the resumption of Monday’s suspended game, added a single in the fourth and is batting .400 (6 for 15) with a pair of RBI in five games against the Twins this season.

His 19 career home runs as a visitor at Target Field rank second only to Kansas City’s Salvador Perez (23). Vogt said that it’s no surprise Santana, who spent the 2024 season on the Twins’ roster, likes hitting in Minnesota.

“There’s just some parks as a hitter where you see the ball better, you feel more comfortable,” Vogt said. “It’s all mental, but it’s real.”

José Ramírez delivered Cleveland’s first hit with a runner in scoring position when he drove in Steven Kwan with an RBI single off Kody Funderburk as part of the Guardians’ two-run ninth. Pinch-hitter Jhonkensy Noel singled and moved to third on a Kwan double, and Angel Martínez brought him home with an RBI sacrifice fly down the right field line.

It was Martinez’s fourth sacrifice fly of the season and the 20th overall for the Guardians, one more than the Yankees for the American League lead and second behind the Diamondbacks (21) in the majors.

Kwan also finished with three hits, including a pair of doubles. It was his fourth three-hit game of the season and 18th multi-hit effort. In his last five games at Target Field, Kwan is hitting .318 with a three extra-base hits and an .893 OPS.

Guardians hitters stranded five on base and went 0 for 7 with runners in scoring position through five innings, but still managed to surge ahead in the sixth thanks to a patient approach at the plate and some execution with the bases loaded.

Ramírez, who finished with three hits, opened the sixth with a single to right against Twins starter Chris Paddack and moved to third on back-to-back walks by Carlos Santana and Daniel Schneemann. With one out and the bases loaded, Gabriel Arias worked a nine-pitch walk against Twins reliever Louis Varland to force Ramírez home with the tying run.

Vogt said Arias has had a tough week in terms of results, but has continued to put together good at-bats.

“For Gabby to spit on those pitches and lay off, it’s just such a pro at-bat when we needed it most,” Vogt said. “And for our guys to come through in those situations and then continue to add on … that was huge.”

Nolan Jones followed with an RBI sacrifice fly to center off Varland that scored Santana.

Ramírez extended his hitting streak to 14 and has reached base safely in his last 18. During the streak, Ramírez is hitting .389 with five doubles, four home runs, nine RBI and a 1.163 OPS.

Paddack (1-4) took the loss, allowing seven hits in 5 1/3 innings with a pair of walks.

Minnesota grabbed the lead against Williams in the third after a leadoff walk to Willi Castro. Williams retired DaShawn Keirsey Jr. and Christian Vazquez, but Ryan Jeffers delivered a two-out RBI single up the middle to put the Twins in front.

But Williams settled in after that, retiring 10 of the last 11 batters he faced following a Brooks Lee walk. Tim Herrin, Hunter Gaddis and Emmanuel Clase each pitched a scoreless inning of relief without allowing a baserunner besides Kody Clemens’ double with one out off Clase in the ninth.

In 14 appearances against the Twins since August 2023, Clase has a 0.64 ERA with seven hits and one walk allowed and 14 strikeouts.

Afterward, Williams said he tried to use Minnesota’s aggressiveness to his advantage.

“They were coming out swinging,” Williams said. “From the last time I faced them they knew I threw a lot of heaters, but I’ve been working on a lot of stuff. The cutter just opened up everything else today.”

Next: The Guardians open a four-game series in Detroit on Thursday. Right-hander Tanner Bibee (3-4, 4.06) will start for Cleveland. Righty Jack Flaherty (2-5, 4.44) takes the mound for the Tigers. The game will air on CLEGuardians.TV, WTAM 1100 AM, WMMS 100.7 FM and the Guardians Radio Network.