It took longer than anyone would have liked, but the Cleveland Guardians have snapped their seven-game losing streak. Jose Ramirez, Andres Gimenez, and Josh Naylor all homered in the contest.
Gimenez’ grand slam in the third and Naylor’s two-run shot in the seventh did a lot of the heavy lifting for Cleveland. The clear the bases job from Gimenez gave the Guardians a temporary 5-4 lead while Naylor’s homer was of the game-winning variety with two innings to go.
Aaron CIvale struggled yet again, allowing six runs on seven hits in just four innings. The 26-year old Guardians right hander has allowed six runs in back-to-back starts totaling just seven innings. The only other Cleveland pitcher to allow a run(s) to score was Enyel De Los Santos. Sam Hentges, Trevor Stephan, and Emmanuel Clase all combined to allow just one hit (Clase) while striking out five in 4.1 innings.
After back-to-back sweeps at the hands of the Yankees and Angels, Cleveland found their offensive groove against the A’s. As a team, Cleveland combined for 11 hits and five walks, a breath of fresh air for the Guardians and their recent struggles. With the first win of the series under their belt, Cleveland has a chance to continue the trading sweeps pattern that has been going on for most of the season.
Shane Bieber will take the mound for the Guardians Saturday afternoon as the Athletics will trot out Cole Irvin.
