Angel Martinez turned Saturday night into his own showcase, and the Cleveland Guardians rode that explosion to a 12-6 win over the Athletics at Progressive Field.
Cleveland didn’t just beat Oakland in the second game of the series. The Guardians kept swinging until the game was out of reach, extending their winning streak to four and pushing their record to 80-75 after Friday’s 5-3 victory.
Martinez was the center of everything. The switch-hitting infielder homered from both sides of the plate, finished 4-for-5, scored three times and drove in four runs in one of the loudest offensive performances of the night.
The win also kept Cleveland right in the middle of the AL Central race. The White Sox won too, leaving the Guardians a game back for the top spot, with the division set to be decided down to the wire because Cleveland has to finish ahead of Chicago to take the crown.
The game started with the Athletics striking first. Zack Gelof and Donovan Walton opened the top of the first with back-to-back singles, and those hits brought home Shea Langeliers and Lawrence Butler for a quick 2-0 lead.
Cleveland answered immediately and then some.
Steven Kwan and Jose Ramirez started the bottom half with consecutive singles, and rookie Chase DeLauter followed with his 15th homer of the season to flip the score just three batters into the inning. Jo Adell then singled, Martinez launched a two-run shot, and the Guardians had already taken control before Jacob Lopez could record the first out.
The scoring didn’t slow down there. Walton knocked in Butler with a single in the third, but Cleveland answered with another big burst in the bottom half.
David Fry ripped a two-run double, Austin Hedges followed with another double to score Fry, and Rocchio added an RBI double. Kwan then singled in Rocchio, pushing the Guardians’ lead to 10-3.
The A’s kept hanging around. Henry Bolte singled in Alika Williams in the fourth, and Walton later homered with Gelof aboard in the fifth to trim the gap to 11-6.
That was the point where Bibee’s night ended, after he was tagged for 12 hits and six runs in 4.2 innings. He didn’t walk anyone and struck out two.
But Martinez wasn’t finished. He hit his second homer of the game in the bottom of the fourth, this time from the left side, to restore Cleveland’s seven-run cushion. Then in the sixth, he added an RBI single that brought home Ramirez and closed the scoring at 12-6.
DeLauter also had a big night, driving in three runs and going deep himself. Kwan, Ramirez and Adell each had two hits, while Fry drove in two. After Bibee exited, Matt Festa, Tim Herrin and Slade Cecconi covered the final 4.1 innings without allowing a run.
Rocchio left the game “for precautionary reasons with left leg tightness”, per the team.
The series wraps up Sunday, when the Guardians will try for the sweep behind Gavin Williams at 1:40 pm ET. Jack Perkins is set to start for the Athletics.
In Other News...
Brayan Rocchio's Early Exit Just Raised A Big Guardians Concern
Brayan Rocchios night against the Athletics ended early after the Guardians pulled him with left leg tightness, a move Stephen Vogt described as precautionary. Rocchio has been dealing with soreness that flared up during the game, and Cleveland planned to take a closer look the next day. For a club that has leaned on him heavily lately, his presence has mattered in more ways than one.
Rocchio has given the Guardians key hits and steady defensive plays at a time when every little edge seems to count. So even if the early exit was framed carefully, it still adds another layer of concern around one of their more important recent contributors, especially with the team waiting to see how he responds after the evaluation. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Suddenly Have A George Valera Decision To Make
George Valeras season has turned into something of a late-summer crossroads for the Guardians, who have watched the outfielder go from an injured-list start to a demotion to Triple-A after a rough beginning in the majors. Since then, he has reminded the organization why he once looked like an important piece of the outfield mix, putting together a strong run in the minors and staying on base in 21 straight games.
The recent production has reopened the conversation about whether Cleveland should bring him back to the major league roster, and whether the next move is bigger than a simple call-up. For a club that has already seen enough to know Valeras path has not been linear, the question now is how aggressively to reward the surge and whether there is a 40-man roster decision waiting in the background. [Read more 🡒]
Jose Ramirez Just Strengthened His Place In Cleveland History
Jos Ramrez added another line to a rsum that already sits near the center of modern Cleveland history, reaching 1,000 career RBIs with a go-ahead home run in the sixth inning against the Athletics. It was a milestone only one other player in franchise history had reached, and it came with the same familiar blend of timing and impact that has defined so much of Ramrezs career.
The homer was his 297th, which also moved him into a tie with Rickey Henderson on the all-time home run list, and it landed not long after Ramrez returned from surgery on his left hand. For Cleveland, the bigger picture is the one fans have come to know for years: a cornerstone star keeps adding to his legacy, even while the team still waits to see how far his next chapter can go. [Read more 🡒]