Gavin Williams tossed 7 2/3 stellar innings and Chase DeLauter drove in a pair of runs on Wednesday afternoon to help the Cleveland Guardians post a 3-1 victory over the visiting Tampa Rays.
Williams (5-1) earned his fourth straight win, allowing one unearned run on five hits, striking out nine and walking none. Brayan Rocchio went 3-for-4 and Daniel Schneemann had two hits for Cleveland, which snapped a four-game losing streak.
Cade Smith worked around Yandy Diaz’s leadoff single in the ninth to secure his seventh save in nine tries.
Drew Rasmussen (2-1) threw five innings of three-run (two earned) ball, yielding six hits, while striking out six and walking one for Tampa Bay, which saw its six-game winning streak come to an end. Chandler Simpson and Diaz each had a pair of hits for the Rays, who struck out 12 times.
After an 80-minute rain delay, Cleveland scored first in the bottom of the third. Following Rocchio’s leadoff single, DeLauter walked and Jose Ramirez reached on a fielder’s choice to load the bases with one out. Kyle Manzardo then drove in the game’s first run with a sacrifice fly.
Rocchio reached on an error to begin the fifth, before Steven Kwan’s double and DeLauter’s two-run single pushed the lead to 3-0.
Diaz singled to lead off the seventh. Looking to begin a double play with Jake Fraley batting, Cleveland second baseman Travis Bazzana’s errant throw into left field allowed the only Rays run to score.
Williams surrendered Simpson and Junior Caminero’s back-to-back two-out singles in the eighth and was replaced by reliever Erik Sabrowski, who struck out Jonathan Aranda to escape the jam.
–Field Level Media
