Gabriel Arias had a two-run, go-ahead double in the seventh inning as the Cleveland Guardians rallied from four runs down and held on for a 7-5 victory over the visiting Los Angeles Angels on Saturday afternoon.
The Guardians trailed 4-0 heading into the bottom of the fourth before scoring seven times over the next four innings. Carlos Santana’s solo homer and Arias’ double both occurred after the Angels’ Ryan Zeferjahn (2-1) retired the first two batters in the seventh, failing to protect a 5-4 lead.
Logan Allen (3-3) pitched a scoreless seventh in his first career relief appearance for the win, while Emmanuel Clase picked up his 12th save in 14 appearances. Injuries in Cleveland’s rotation prompted Allen’s temporary shift to the bullpen.
Jose Ramirez had a solo home run in the fifth for the Guardians, tying Earl Averill’s franchise mark with his 10th double-digit homer season in a row.
Steven Kwan also went deep for Cleveland, and Nolan Jones had an RBI triple in the comeback, helping the team improve to 2-3 on its six-game homestand against both Los Angeles squads. The Angels won the series opener 4-1 on Friday.
Yoan Moncada, Taylor Ward and Jo Adell homered in building the four-run lead against Guardians starter Slade Cecconi, who gave up five runs on seven hits in 4 1/3 innings and struck out three.
Three-time American League MVP Mike Trout went 3-for-4 with an RBI double and a run in his second game back from a bone bruise on his left knee, serving as the Angels’ designated hitter.
Trout was activated Friday before the three-game series opener and went 1-for-5 while batting fifth. Manager Ron Washington dropped him to sixth on Saturday when Moncada declared himself ready to play after a one-game absence with a sore right knee.
Kyle Hendricks struck out a season-high six in 5 2/3 innings for the Angels, giving up four runs on seven hits with six strikeouts.
–Field Level Media
