Jose Ramirez went deep in the sixth for his 1,000th career RBI after rookie Travis Bazzana went deep in the fifth, fueling the host Cleveland Guardians to a 5-3 victory over the Athletics on Friday.
Cleveland’s Brayan Rocchio ripped a two-run double in the fourth inning and scored on Ramirez’s RBI single.
The Guardians (79-75) have won three in a row to move a half-game ahead of the second-place Chicago White Sox (78-75) in the American League Central. The White Sox host the Detroit Tigers on Friday night.
Joey Cantillo (10-9) relieved rookie Daniel Espino and scattered two hits and struck out five batters over six innings.
Hunter Gaddis bridged the gap to Cade Smith, who struck out two batters in the ninth to secure his 38th save of the season.
Zack Gelof belted a three-run homer in the first inning for the Athletics (61-93), who extended their losing skid to four games.
After Cleveland scored three runs to forge a 3-3 tie in the fourth inning, the Guardians took the lead for good in the fifth.
Bazzana deposited a 2-0 fastball from Scott Blewett (2-1) over the wall in center field to give Cleveland a 4-3 lead. Bazzana’s homer was his 15th of the season and sixth in his last 11 games.
One day after celebrating his 34th birthday, Ramirez joined Earl Averill (1,084) as the only players to record at least 1,000 RBIs with the franchise. Ramirez sent a 0-1 slider from Seth Johnson over the wall in right field for his 12th homer of the season and first since Aug. 30.
Blewett permitted one run on one hit in 1 2/3 innings.
Henry Bolte and Lawrence Butler each walked before Gelof deposited a 0-1 slider from Espino over the wall in center field, lifting the Athletics to a 3-0 lead in the first inning. Gelof’s homer was his 19th of the season and his second in his last five games.
Cleveland chased starter Mason Barnett after tying the game at 3-3 in the fourth inning. Patrick Bailey and rookie Petey Halpin each singled, then scored on Rocchio’s double into the right-field corner. Rocchio scored on a single to center by Ramirez.
–Field Level Media
