After reaching base in all five plate appearances in a series-opening defeat on Tuesday, Cleveland left fielder Steven Kwan had his fingerprints all over the Guardians’ 3-2, 10-inning victory over the Houston Astros on Wednesday.
Kwan and the Guardians will chase a series victory on Thursday as the three-game set concludes in Houston.
In the top of the 10th on Wednesday, Kwan delivered the go-ahead run with an RBI double.
In the bottom of the frame, he made a diving grab of a sinking line drive from Mauricio Dubon before completing a game-ending double play. After making the catch, Kwan doubled off Victor Caratini at second base as Caratini had rounded third base and headed home, assuming the ball would drop.
“I know that ball is sinking, line drive. That’s kind of the dead spot where it’s at,” Kwan said. “I just had to go get it. I saw (second baseman Andres Gimenez) waving his hands. I didn’t know I had that much time. I tried to scramble to get (the ball) out.”
Kwan finished 3-for-5 with two RBIs and was a home run shy of the cycle on Wednesday after going 2-for-2 with a triple, two walks and a hit by pitch in the series opener. During his current seven-game hitting streak, Kwan is batting .393 (11-for-28).
“The biggest thing is trying to not bottle up momentum or try to do anything too funky,” Kwan said. “Every day is a new day. Just redo your routines every day. Just doing it day by day makes it easier to digest as well. Day by day, little wins.”
Left-hander Logan Allen (3-1, 5.46 ERA) is scheduled to start the series finale for the Guardians. He took his first loss of the season on Friday against the Atlanta Braves, allowing four runs on five hits and two walks with five strikeouts over 4 2/3 innings during a 6-2 defeat.
Allen faced Houston once during his rookie season last year, and he allowed five runs on nine hits and two walks with four strikeouts over six innings. He did not factor into the decision as the Guardians won 10-9 in 14 innings on June 9.
Rookie right-hander Spencer Arrighetti (0-3, 10.97) has the starting assignment for the Astros in the rubber match. He allowed four runs on seven hits and two walks with a career-high seven strikeouts over 3 2/3 innings against the Chicago Cubs on April 24, taking a 4-3 road loss.
Arrighetti made his major league debut against the Kansas City Royals on April 10. He is set to oppose the Guardians for the first time.
While Arrighetti is in the Houston rotation for the moment, right-handers Cristian Javier (neck) and Jose Urquidy (forearm) are taking steps toward returning to action. Javier last pitched for the Astros on April 14, while Urquidy has yet to appear this season after being sidelined during spring training.
Javier (2-0, 1.54 ERA in four starts) threw a side session with batters tracking at the plate on Monday. Barring a setback, he is likely to return to the mound when the Astros host the Seattle Mariners for a three-game series starting Friday.
“I need to sit down and talk to him and see where we go next,” Astros manager Joe Espada said. “If it goes well enough, if we feel good about it, yes that’s a possibility (Javier pitches this weekend).”
Urquidy tossed a live batting practice consisting of roughly 30 pitches that went according to plan, per Espada. Urquidy, who turned 29 on Wednesday, finished 3-3 with a 5.29 ERA over 16 appearances (10 starts) last season.
“I think one more (batting practice) will be good, especially after what we saw (Wednesday),” Espada said. “And then we can get him out and get him some minor league rehabs.”
–Field Level Media