With another personal milestone aside, Cleveland Guardians right-hander Gavin Williams can continue focusing on the team’s playoff run.
Williams (12-7, 3.72 ERA) will take the mound on Tuesday evening in the second contest of a three-game series against the Los Angeles Angels in Anaheim, Calif.
Williams, 27, surpassed the 200-strikeout barrier for the first time in his career on Thursday in his most recent outing. He fanned 11 over 5 2/3 innings of a 5-2 win against the San Francisco Giants to reach 201 strikeouts for the season.
Williams is the first Cleveland pitcher with 200-plus strikeouts in a season since Shane Bieber in 2019, when he fanned 259 over 214 1/3 innings. Williams has reached double digits in strikeouts in six of his past eight outings.
“It’s special, especially for the first time in my career,” Williams said of the milestone. “It’s definitely special to see that. I hope it continues. I think it’s awesome.”
Williams was credited with the win in his last outing after holding the Giants to two runs and four hits. He’ll try to string together two straight wins for the first time since a four-start winning streak from May 17 to June 3.
“He’s worked super hard,” Cleveland outfielder Steven Kwan said. “He stays pretty level-headed, too. It’s been super impressive. If we’re going to go deep in a playoff run, he’s going to be one of the main guys that we’re going to rely on.”
Williams has made two starts against the Angels in his career, going 1-0 with a 1.86 ERA.
The Guardians received a solid pitching performance from left-hander Parker Messick in a 4-2 win in the series opener on Monday evening and now trail the first-place Chicago White Sox by only 2 1/2 games in the American League Central.
Messick held the Angels to one run and three hits over six innings.
After leaving the tying runs on base in the ninth inning of a 5-3 loss at the Texas Rangers on Sunday, the Angels had the tying run at the plate on Monday before Christian Moore flied out to the wall to end the game.
“For the guys to do that, and give us a chance to tie the game up right there with one swing, was a testament to their fight,” Los Angeles manager Kurt Suzuki said.
Rookie right-hander Walbert Urena (8-9, 2.80 ERA) will start for the Angels on Tuesday and continues to be one of the team’s most pleasant surprises this season.
He’s had two starts this month in which he’s thrown six shutout innings, and most recently he took the loss after giving up three runs and three hits in five innings of a 3-2 defeat at the Houston Astros on Wednesday.
“I thought he pitched well,” Suzuki said of his last outing. “His stuff was really good again.”
Urena pitched well in his lone encounter with Cleveland in his career, permitting two runs on three hits in five innings in a 3-2 loss on May 12.
–Field Level Media
