Oscar Gonzalez hit a tiebreaking two-run home run and reliever Kirk McCarty threw 3 1/3 scoreless innings to lead the host Cleveland Guardians to a 3-1 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Tuesday night.
The win was the Guardians’ fifth in a row and increased their lead in the American League Central to 3 1/2 games over the White Sox, pending the result of the White Sox game Tuesday night against the Rockies.
Angels star Mike Trout did not homer for the first time in eight games, as Matt Thaiss homered for the club’s only run. Trout had homered in seven straight, one short of the Major League record shared by Dale Long (Pirates, 1956), Don Mattingly (Yankees, 1987) and Ken Griffey Jr. (Mariners, 1993). Trout went 0- for-3 with a walk.
The game was tied at 1 going into the bottom of the sixth when Jose Ramirez led off with a double against Angels starter Jose Suarez (6-7). Gonzalez fell behind 0-2 but got ahold of a slider and hit it over the fence in left for a 3-1 Cleveland lead.
Guardians starter Cody Morris struggled with his control, walking five in 3 2/3 innings, but he was bailed out by McCarty (3-2), who retired 10 of the 11 Angels hitters he faced, allowing only a bunt single by David Fletcher.
Emmanuel Clase threw a scoreless ninth for Cleveland to earn his 35th save, tops in the Majors.
The Angels took the lead in the third against Morris on Thaiss’ homer leading off the inning. The Angels threatened for more, getting an infield single by Andrew Velazquez and a walk from Trout with one out.
Morris worked his way out of the jam, however, striking out Shohei Ohtani and getting Taylor Ward on a flyout to right. Morris gave up just one run and two hits, but he walked five and made 75 pitches in 3 2/3 innings.
Suarez held the lead until the Guardians tied the game at 1 when Owen Miller led off with a single, went to second on a wild pitch, took third on a flyout to right by Tyler Freeman and scored on a sacrifice fly by Luke Maile.
