Steven Kwan delivered a tiebreaking single in the seventh inning Tuesday night for the visiting Cleveland Guardians, who remained red hot with a come-from-behind 3-2 win over the slumping New York Mets.
The Guardians have won the first two games of the three-game interleague series to improve to 18-7 since July 7 — the third-best record in baseball in that span behind only the Milwaukee Brewers and Boston Red Sox. Cleveland has won six of its past seven games.
The Mets, who led 2-0 after two innings thanks to Pete Alonso’s sacrifice fly and Tyrone Taylor’s RBI single, have lost seven of eight, including four of the first five games on a six-game homestand.
Cleveland’s Kyle Manzardo and Gabriel Arias each had RBI singles in the fourth against Clay Holmes before the Guardians mounted a two-out rally in the seventh against Tyler Rogers (4-4).
The sidearmer gave up singles to C.J. Kayfus and Brayan Rocchio, the Guardians’ eighth- and ninth-place hitters, before Kayfus raced home on Kwan’s single up the middle.
Kwan, who finished 2-for-4, was the only player on either team with multiple hits.
Reliever Matt Festa (3-2) tossed a perfect sixth for the Guardians, whose pitchers combined to retire the final 14 Mets in order. Cade Smith got the last three outs to earn his fourth save.
Neither starter factored into the decision following a five-inning outing.
The Guardians’ Logan Allen gave up two runs on four hits and four walks while striking out six. Allen issued three of his walks in the first two innings but escaped a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the second. Rocchio, the second baseman, ranged over to snag a grounder by former Cleveland shortstop Francisco Lindor to start a 4-6-3 double play.
The Mets got just one more runner as far as second base.
Holmes surrendered two runs on three hits and one walk while also striking out six. The right-hander allowed all his baserunners in the fourth.
–Field Level Media
