Rookie Tanner Bibee allowed three hits and struck out nine over 5 2/3 innings to win his third straight start as the Cleveland Guardians beat the host Chicago Cubs 6-0 on Saturday night.
Following a weather delay prior to first pitch that lasted nearly three hours, Bibee (5-2) outpitched Chicago star Marcus Stroman (9-6) to continue a solid first season in the majors while helping the Guardians rebound from Friday’s 10-1 series-opening loss.
Bibee also issued two walks, but he was never in real trouble while matching a career high for strikeouts and lowering his ERA to 3.46.
Meanwhile, Jose Ramirez recorded two hits and Amed Rosario had two RBIs as Cleveland avoided a third straight defeat.
Stroman didn’t show any noticeable effects of a blister that forced him to exit last Sunday’s start against St. Louis in London after 3 1/3 innings.
However, he yielded two runs in the third and was charged with three of Cleveland’s four in the sixth. He also gave up five hits, two walks and fanned seven in failing to record a quality start for the second consecutive outing after winning seven straight.
Stroman retired the first eight batters he faced before walking Bo Naylor with two outs in the third. Steven Kwan followed with a double over the head of Chicago first baseman Jared Young, and both Naylor and Kwan scored on Rosario’s single up the middle.
Cleveland broke things open in the sixth.
Ramirez and Josh Naylor singled, and Andres Gimenez came through with a two-out RBI single to right field that chased Stroman. Will Brennan followed with a single off the first base bag against Julian Merryweather to drive in the Guardians’ fourth run of the game.
Myles Straw then plated Gimenez with a base hit, and Brennan also scored on the play as the ball rolled past Chicago center fielder Cody Bellinger.
Relievers Sam Hentges, Nick Sandlin and Eli Morgan yielded a combined two hits over 3 1/3 innings as Cleveland pitchers recorded 13 strikeouts for a seventh shutout of 2023.
Bellinger had three of the five hits for the Cubs, who have lost five of their last six following an 11-2 stretch.
–Field Level Media
