Willi Castro's two-run home run in the eighth inning helps the Twins to a decisive 4-1 victory over the Guardians

CLEVELAND – For the second night in a row, the Twins managed minimal offensive success, only to watch as a dramatic home run in the eighth inning gave them the decisive lead.

Instead of a Twins reliever delivering the big hit, this time it was Cleveland right-hander Nick Sandlin who left a belt-high fastball over the middle of the plate to Willi Castro. The ball landed five rows deep in the right field seats and the Twins beat the Guardians 4-1 for the first time this season in the offensive desert known as Progressive Field.

By now, the Twins know how to play against the Guardians, especially in Cleveland. They have met 11 times this year and the Twins have scored just 32 runs in those games, and only once have they scored more than four.

The solution? You have to make do with less.

“Everyone has to step up their game now to get to where we want to be. We're still in control. We're still in control of our own destiny,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. “To be at this point in the year after having a few struggles over the last month and still be able to say, 'Hey, if we go out there and play well from here on out, we'll be pretty happy with where we are at the end of the season.' We just have to prove it.”

The Twins accomplished that laudable, if typically elusive, goal on Tuesday, turning two RBI singles from Matt Wallner with two outs and Castro's first home run since Aug. 25 into the offense they needed.

Okay, Byron Buxton hit a double with two outs in the fifth inning into the right-center field wall, but sustained offensive performance from Minnesota's team was rare.