Kahlil Watson had an RBI double in the fourth inning and fellow rookie Cooper Ingle followed with his first major league hit, a two-run single, as the Cleveland Guardians beat the visiting Seattle Mariners 4-3 on Saturday night.
Slade Cecconi (4-6) earned his first home victory of the season, striking out four over six-plus scoreless innings while scattering three hits and a pair of walks. It was Cleveland’s fourth win in its last 11 games since All-Star Jose Ramirez broke his left wrist.
Cade Smith tossed the ninth, giving up a single to Julio Rodriguez and hitting Randy Arozarena with a pitch, before picking up his 25th save.
Arozarena belted a three-run homer in the eighth off Shawn Armstrong to pull Seattle within 4-3, but Hunter Gaddis entered and ended the inning without further damage.
Neither team had a baserunner advance past second until the fourth, when Cleveland went up 3-0 on Watson’s double that scored Travis Bazzana and Ingle’s single to right field. Ingle went 0-for-2 in his debut Friday.
After Brayan Rocchio doubled in Bazzana in the fifth to push the Guardians’ lead out to 4-0, American League West Division leader Seattle stormed back with three runs in the eighth on Arozarena’s 427-foot homer to straight-away center.
Mariners starter Logan Gilbert (6-5) worked seven innings, giving up four runs on seven hits. The right-hander struck out seven without a walk in his first loss since May 16 against the San Diego Padres.
Gilbert entered the day with the lowest road ERA in the majors at 1.04. He was scheduled for an abbreviated start with Emerson Hancock following in bulk relief, but Mariners manager Dan Wilson changed plans earlier in the day.
Hancock will now start Sunday.
–Field Level Media
