The Cleveland Guardians will look to maintain their hold on the American League Central and sweep the visiting Athletics when the teams wrap up a three-game series on Sunday afternoon.
With a 12-6 win on Saturday night, the Guardians (80-75) maintained their one-game lead over the second-place Chicago White Sox in the division.
Cleveland’s Angel Martinez led the way with a home run from each side of the plate to give him 17 homers for the season. He finished 4-for-5 with four RBIs, a double and three runs. Chase DeLauter hit his 15th homer, a three-run shot, and David Fry added a two-run double.
DeLauter, Steven Kwan, Jose Ramirez and Jo Adell had two hits apiece for Cleveland, which has won four games in a row and five of its past six. Ramirez homered and got his 1,000th career RBI on Friday in a 5-3 win.
The Guardians took the field Saturday night knowing the White Sox had won. But DeLauter said that didn’t deter the Guardians, who will try to hang on to the division with seven games left in the regular season. Their magic number is five to make the playoffs, which could be a wild-card berth if they don’t win the division.
“We can’t control the scores of the other game and who’s playing, who’s pitching, who’s hitting for those guys,” DeLauter said. “The only thing we can do is come here, get prepared, and be ready at 6 or 7 o’clock.”
The team did just that, pleasing manager Stephen Vogt, who has led the Guardians to the postseason in each of his first two seasons on the job.
“It just feels like this team is clicking, and that’s what you gotta do,” he said.
Shortstop Brayan Rocchio, who has been pivotal in Cleveland’s September surge into first place, left the game in the sixth inning Saturday night with lower leg tightness. He has three home runs and 16 RBIs this month.
Right-hander Gavin Williams (13-8, 3.78 ERA) is Cleveland’s scheduled starter on Sunday. He last pitched on Monday, charged with a 7-3 loss to the White Sox. Williams allowed two runs and four hits in five innings, with three walks and seven strikeouts.
He is 1-0 with a 3.55 ERA in two starts against the Athletics in his career.
On Saturday, the Athletics (61-94), who have lost five games in a row, jumped to a 2-0 lead. They scored twice with two outs in the top of the first, but Jacob Lopez allowed five runs on five hits — including two homers — before he retired a batter in the bottom of the inning.
He gave up five more earned runs in the third.
A’s right-hander Jack Perkins (3-11, 6.14 ERA) will start on Sunday. In his most recent appearance on Tuesday against the Tampa Bay Rays, he allowed four hits and walked one batter, giving up one unearned run in his team’s 2-1 loss. He struck out eight.
“Jack was great tonight; this was a big improvement,” Athletics manager Mark Kotsay said after that game. “Probably his best start in the big leagues.”
Perkins has appeared in 47 games in his career, 19 as a starter. He has been effective in two appearances, both in relief, vs. the Guardians. He has not allowed a run in six innings against them, surrendering just one hit and one walk.
Donovan Walton was a bright spot for the Athletics on Saturday night by hitting a two-run homer among a 3-for-3 performance with four RBIs.
–Field Level Media
–Field Level Media
