Roden's RBI single in the 9th inning lifts Twins past the Guardians 6-5

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Alan Roden hit a game-winning RBI single in the ninth inning as the Minnesota Twins beat Cleveland 6-5 on Wednesday night for their fourth straight win over the Guardians.

The Twins have won four in a row and five of six overall.

Roden singled twice and drove in two runs. Kody Clemens went 3 for 4 with a double and an RBI, and Brooks Lee singled twice and drove in a pair of runs.

Yoendrys Gómez (1-0) pitched a scoreless ninth for his first win this season.

Brayan Rocchio and Rhys Hoskins homered for the Guardians.

Chase DeLauter singled to lead off the fourth before Rocchio hit a 401-foot homer off Twins starter Connor Prielipp. Hoskins followed with a solo shot, his second straight game with a homer.

But, the Twins answered in the bottom half of the inning.

Lee, Clemens and Josh Bell singled to load the bases with no outs. Lee scored when Royce Lewis walked, Luke Keaschall followed with a sacrifice fly that scored Clemens, and Roden added an RBI single that made it 3-all.

Cleveland's Kahlil Watson walked on four pitches to leadoff the seventh and then stole second base before Steven Kwan walked. DeLauter singled, driving in Watson, and Kwan scored on a sacrifice bunt by Rocchio.

Keaschall and Ryan Kreidler walked before Erik Sabrowski replaced Shawn Armstrong with one out in the bottom half. Pinch-hitter Austin Martin walked on four pitches to load the bases before Lee drew another walk, scoring Keaschall. Clemens walked, scoring Kreidler, making it 5-all.

Prielipp allowed three runs and had six strikeouts in five innings.

Indians RHP Gavin Williams (9-4, 3.89 ERA) starts Thursday opposite Twins RHP Bailey Ober (6-3, 4.59), who returns after nearly six weeks on the injured list.

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Minnesota Twins' Kody Clemens (2) scores on a sacrifice fly by Luke Keaschall during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Cleveland Guardians, Wednesday, July 8, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Joseph Scheller)

Minnesota Twins' Luke Keaschall (15) hits a sacrifice fly to score Kody Clemens during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Cleveland Guardians, Wednesday, July 8, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Joseph Scheller)

Minnesota Twins' Alan Roden (18) hits a walk-off RBI single scoring Royce Lewis in the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Cleveland Guardians, Wednesday, July 8, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Joseph Scheller)

Minnesota Twins' Alan Roden, center left, celebrates with teammates after hitting a walk-off RBI single scoring Royce Lewis in the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Cleveland Guardians, Wednesday, July 8, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Joseph Scheller)

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The United States launched new airstrikes against Iran early Thursday, and Tehran responded by targeting Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar in crossfire that again threatened an interim deal intended to help end the war in the Persian Gulf.

The strikes came hours after U.S. President Donald Trump said recent Iranian attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz signaled the end of the fragile ceasefire. The U.S. struck a variety of military sites and port facilities early Wednesday after Iran targeted several merchant vessels off the coast of Oman, sparking Iranian fire then as well.

But Thursday’s attacks appeared bigger all around, with sirens sounding at least twice in Bahrain, home to the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet headquarters. There was no immediate word of damage in the three Gulf Arab countries. Kuwait’s military said it was actively intercepting incoming drones and missiles. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard claimed attacks on Bahrain and Kuwait.

The U.S. military's Central Command said it hit some 90 targets across Iran, releasing black-and-white footage of what appeared to be strikes on an airport runway and missile launchers.

“U.S. forces remain vigilant, lethal, and prepared to execute operations directed by the Commander in Chief,” it added.

The U.S. says the strikes were intended to “further degrade” Iran’s ability “to threaten freedom of navigation” in the strait, through which a fifth of the world’s traded oil and natural gas passed before the war began with U.S. and Israeli attacks on Feb. 28.

Iranian state media reported explosions in several locations, including Bushehr, home to Iran’s nuclear power plant complex, and the southern port cities of Chabahar, Konarak, Bandar Abbas and Sirik. In Iranshahr, authorities said a strike had killed a firefighter at an airport.

For the first time since April, it also appeared the U.S. strikes targeted Iranian bridges. State media reported a strike on a railway bridge in Iran’s northeastern Golestan province, and the Revolutionary Guard said two bridges had been attacked on the route to Mashhad, where officials plan to bury the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Thursday. But it wasn’t clear if the Golestan attack was the same one mentioned by the Guard.

After leaving a NATO summit in Turkey, Trump posted several videos on his social media site of what he said were explosions in Iran and issued another warning to the Islamic Republic.

“This is in retribution for yesterday’s bombing of ships by Iran. If it happens again, it will get much worse!” Trump wrote.

Trump had said earlier in the day that the latest back-and-forth fighting would not result in “long-term” military action.

“Anything that happens is going to happen very fast,” Trump said, though he also suggested the U.S. military might “just finish the job.”

Trump also renewed his past threats to hit Iran’s civilian infrastructure, including electric plants and desalinization plants, and to seize the oil-production hub of Kharg Island.

After three tankers were hit Tuesday, the U.S. launched strikes on Iran, and Iranian forces retaliated by targeting American military sites in the Persian Gulf.

Iran has asserted that the interim ceasefire deal gives it the right to manage traffic through the strait. Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, a key negotiator in talks seeking a permanent end to the war, was defiant in a post on X on Thursday morning: “America still hasn’t learned that bullying and breaking promises are no longer cost-free. Let me put it plainly: if you strike, you’ll get hit.”

Trump fueled concerns that the war could restart by saying the interim agreement to pause fighting was “over,” although he added that he would allow negotiations to continue.

Attacks have repeatedly threatened the shaky ceasefire, but Trump’s comments added new uncertainty, and oil prices shot up after he spoke. A renewed conflict could engulf the wider Middle East and would likely again halt energy shipments through the strait.

“For me, I think it’s over,” Trump said when asked about the status of the ceasefire. He added that U.S. representatives can continue negotiations, but he cast doubt on the outcome. “They can talk, but I think they’re wasting their time,” he said.

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi, also a top negotiator, retorted on X that Trump’s remarks “are not a sign of power but an admission of the failure” of U.S. policy toward Iran.

Trump has made other threats to seize Kharg Island, including last month, when he also questioned whether the U.S. “has the stomach for it.” Some 90% of Iranian oil exports pass through the island.

The new attacks on ships in the strait, despite the negotiations, could reflect a divide among Iran’s leadership. Hard-liners seek lasting control over the waterway, which is a globally important conduit for fuel shipments and has become a critical lever in confronting the West. Pragmatists want a permanent peace deal to lift international sanctions and provide desperately needed economic relief.

Negotiations to reach a final deal were due to start after the funeral for Khamenei, who was killed Feb. 28 in the war’s first moments. The funeral, which ends Thursday, was supposed to be a period of lower tensions.

The talks are meant to focus on the toughest matters, including fully reopening the strait and rolling back Tehran’s disputed nuclear program.

The flower petal-covered coffin of the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is carried above mourners reaching out to touch it outside the Imam Hussein Shrine in Karbala, Iraq, early Thursday, July 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

The coffin of the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is carried through a crowd of mourners at the Imam Hussein Shrine in Karbala, Iraq, early Thursday, July 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

A mourner holds a portrait depicting Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, top, and his late father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as mourners wait for the funeral procession for the elder Khamenei outside the Imam Hussein Shrine in Karbala, Iraq, Wednesday, July 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

Children wade in the water with cargo ships at anchor in the background and a fisherman nearby, in the Strait of Hormuz off Bandar Abbas, Iran, Tuesday, June 30, 2026. (Amirhosein Khorgooi/ISNA via AP)

The coffin of the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is carried through a tightly packed crowd as mourners jostle to reach and touch it outside the Imam Hussein Shrine in Karbala, Iraq, early Thursday, July 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)