Slade Cecconi pitched six strong innings and the Cleveland Guardians topped the host Detroit Tigers 3-1 on Friday night.
Cecconi (1-1) allowed one run and five hits during his second start of the season. Cecconi, acquired from Arizona in the offseason, recorded six strikeouts.
Hunter Gaddis got the next six outs and Emmanuel Clase closed out the game for his 10th save.
Steven Kwan led the offense with three hits, a run and an RBI. Jose Ramirez stretched his hitting streak to 16 games with an RBI triple for the Guardians, who have taken the first two games of the series.
Spencer Torkelson’s homer accounted for Detroit’s run. Jackson Jobe (4-1) gave up two runs and four hits in five innings.
The Guardians scored twice in the first inning. Kwan led off the game with a double and scored on Ramirez’s one-out triple to right. After Jobe struck out the next batter, Ramirez scored on Carlos Santana’s infield hit.
Ramirez and Kyle Manzardo walked with one out in the third. Jobe responded by retiring Santana on a flyout and Daniel Schneemann on a grounder.
In the bottom of the inning, Kerry Carpenter and Gleyber Torres walked with two outs. Cecconi got out of trouble as Colt Keith flied out.
Detroit also threatened in the fourth when Dillon Dinger and Trey Sweeney singled. Cecconi struck out Akil Baddoo on three pitches to leave them stranded.
Carpenter had a one-out double in the fifth. Cecconi struck out Keith to end that frame.
The Tigers finally broke through in the sixth as Torkelson pounded a hanging slider from Cecconi over the left field wall for his 13th homer.
Javier Baez smacked a one-out double in the seventh but Gaddis retired the next two batters to keep the score at 2-1.
Manzardo singled and Schneemann walked in the Cleveland eighth. Chase Lee entered the game and struck out Gabriel Arias to snuff out that threat.
Bo Naylor led off the ninth with a triple off Lee and Kwan brought Naylor home with a single to left.
–Field Level Media
