Cleveland pitchers held the Baltimore Orioles to one hit through the first six innings as the host Guardians posted an 8-4 victory on Friday night in a matchup of teams that began the night as American League divisional leaders.
Josh Naylor’s third hit of the game was a two-run double that turned a one-run lead into a three-run advantage and propelled the Guardians to their fifth straight victory. Austin Hedges added a pair of runs batted in and Brayan Rocchio had two hits.
Cade Smith (6-1) was the winning pitcher with 1 2/3 innings of shutout relief.
Guardians starter Carlos Carrasco went 4 1/3 innings, giving up one run on that one hit with four walks with five strikeouts. He left with a 2-1 lead but finished with a no-decision, ending his string of losses in three consecutive starts and leaving his record at 3-9. He also avoided, for now, his third season with double-digit losses in his 15-year career in the big leagues.
Adley Rutschman’s second-inning single was the Orioles’ only hit until the seventh. Rookie teammate Jackson Holliday finished with two singles, including one that drove in a run. Orioles batters struck out 13 times.
Baltimore has dropped has back-to-back games after winning four of five. Orioles starter Dean Kremer was dinged for four runs on six hits in five innings. Kremer (4-8) walked two and struck out two.
The Orioles struck first when Ryan Mountcastle’s fielder’s choice grounder knocked in Ryan O’Hearn in the second inning.
The Guardians were even with Rocchio’s one-out, bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the inning. Hedges followed with a sacrifice fly.
In the sixth, Hedges drove in another run with a bases-loaded single before Steven Kwan’s walk extended the lead to 6-1. Two more runs scored on Jose Ramirez’s sacrifice fly.
The Orioles rallied for three runs in the seventh off Scott Barlow, who recorded one out. Cleveland’s other four relievers in the game combined for 4 1/3 shutout innings.
–Field Level Media