Joey Cantillo’s latest command stumble put the Guardians in an early hole Monday night, and Baltimore made sure Cleveland never fully climbed out of it.
Trevor Rogers was sharp, Colby Mayo was loud, and the Orioles used both to beat the Guardians 6-4 at Camden Yards, a result that trimmed Cleveland’s cushion in the postseason race and left the club at 73-72.
The loss also tightened the AL wild-card picture. Cleveland began the day with a one-game edge over Toronto for the third and final spot, but that margin dropped to a half-game after Monday. A Blue Jays win later in the night at Oakland would move Toronto ahead by a half-game, and Toronto already owns the head-to-head tiebreaker after taking the season series.
Cantillo’s night unraveled quickly. The left-hander walked five in 2 1/3 innings, allowed four runs on three hits, and never found any rhythm.
Baltimore got to him in the second when he hit Samuel Basallo with a pitch and Dylan Beavers followed with an RBI double. In the third, Mayo blasted a solo homer for his 20th of the year, then Cantillo issued two more walks before departing with the bases loaded.
Franco Aleman inherited the mess and couldn’t stop it from getting worse. He walked back-to-back hitters, forcing in two more runs and pushing the Orioles’ lead to 4-0.
That kind of damage by way of the free pass fit the night. Baltimore came in leading the American League with 531 walks and had drawn at least six in a game 30 times.
Mayo wasn’t done. In the sixth, he crushed another two-run shot off Slade Cecconi for the first multi-homer game of his career.
His 21st homer made it 6-1 and stretched his career-best hitting streak to 11 games. Mayo entered Monday batting .306 with two homers and eight RBI during that run, and he has been especially dangerous against left-handers, leading the majors with 15 home runs, a .733 slugging percentage and a 1.115 OPS against lefties.
Rogers kept Cleveland from ever building momentum. The Orioles left-hander allowed one run on six hits over 7 1/3 innings, struck out six and did not walk a batter. He has now posted seven straight quality starts at Camden Yards.
The Guardians had almost nothing going until late. Steven Kwan singled to start the game, but the next hitter grounded into a double play, and Rogers retired 16 straight Cleveland batters before Brayan Rocchio reached on a two-out bunt single in the sixth. Kwan followed with a bloop hit, then Jo Adell finally put Cleveland on the board with a bloop double that landed just inside the right-field line.
Adell’s hit brought home Cleveland’s only run at that point and marked his 85th RBI. He entered the night tied for third in the AL with 31 RBI since the All-Star break.
Baltimore answered right back. Mayo’s second homer came with a runner on and turned the game into a 6-1 Orioles lead.
Cleveland did make the ninth inning interesting. Jo Adell and José Ramírez reached on balls that dropped in front of Orioles outfielders, and pinch-hitter Nathaniel Lowe then unloaded a three-run homer off Andrew Kittredge to pull the Guardians within 6-4. It was Lowe’s fourth homer since joining Cleveland at the start of August and his 15th of the season.
Kittredge then got Angel Genao on a groundout, and lefty Josh Walker finished it by retiring pinch-hitter Patrick Bailey on a flyout to earn his first career save.
The Guardians’ offense never offered much beyond that late burst. They entered Monday hitting .219 with a .653 OPS and averaging 3.3 runs over their first seven games of September. Cleveland also came in 13-53 when scoring three runs or fewer and 4-28 when held to five hits or fewer.
Kwan did his part early and late, accounting for two of Cleveland’s first three hits and helping manufacture the club’s only run before the ninth-inning rally. He entered Monday batting .352 since the All-Star break.
There was also a brief delay in the second inning when home plate umpire Chris Guccione took an Angel Martínez foul tip off the mask and had to leave the game. First base umpire James Jean moved behind the plate.
The series continues Tuesday night at 6:35 p.m. Tanner Bibee will start for Cleveland against Brandon Young for Baltimore.
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