CLEVELAND - For the third consecutive night, the Cleveland Guardians struggled to put runs on the board.
For the first time in the series, they failed to score once.
Kevin Gausman went seven innings before the Toronto Blue Jays’ bullpen secured a 1-0 road win against the Guardians on Wednesday, notching their second win in the first three contests of this week’s four-game Cleveland home stand. Toronto also avenged its single-run loss to the Guardians on Tuesday that, like Wednesday, saw the victor post the lone score early in the game.
George Springer fouled off six consecutive pitches against Cleveland rookie Logan Allen (5-5), but sent the 13th and final pitch over the left-field wall for a solo shot in the bottom of the first - Springer’s 14th of the season and his first since Jul. 7.
“Especially in the first inning, [I’m] trying to execute,” Allen stated after the game. “Not trying to give in there and walk the guy. Continued to make competitive pitches. Thirteen-pitch at-bat, great at-bat for him. He put a good swing on that pitch, and that ended up being the difference.”
Allen would settle to allow four hits and the lone run over five innings, while throwing for three walks and three strikeouts. Wednesday was the left-hander’s fifth time in his last seven outings he has allowed two runs or fewer.
The Guardians' offense, meanwhile, was stifled against Gausman (9-6), who allowed four hits while striking out six in his start. However, Gausman’s outing nearly got off to a rough start when, with a runner on second and one out in the bottom of the first, José Ramírez roped a line drive to left that was caught by a diving Whit Merrifield, keeping Cleveland off the board.
“We tried to balance our lineup where we didn’t just get too left-handed, where if [Gausman] gets comfortable with that [splitter], he can make it a quick night,” said Guardians manager Terry Francona. “We didn’t do much anyway.”
Cleveland had some web gems of their own throughout the game, such as a grab by Steven Kwan deep down the left-field line to end the top of the 7th inning:
The Guardians’ fielding highlights also included a double play that came with one out and the bases loaded in the top of the 8th inning. The play was kicked off by shortstop Gabriel Arias, who dove to catch a grounder up the middle before turning the ball over to Andres Gimenez and Kole Calhoun to end the frame with Cleveland unscathed.
“My mindset was to stop anything that came my way,” Arias said postgame, via translation. “Just stop the ball. I don’t know how, but just stop the ball. To be honest, I didn’t know what happened. I just reacted and tried to throw [from] the glove and, thankfully, it went that way.”
The Guardians had a few chances to tie the game in its later stages. One chance came in the bottom of the 7th inning, when Oscar Gonzalez hit a 1-out double. However, after a putout, Gonzalez was picked off second base by Gausman, ending the inning and the potential Cleveland rally.
In the bottom of the 9th, after Tim Mayza retired two of the first three Guardians hitters, Toronto called upon Jordan Hicks to face Gonzalez. With Gimenez on first, the Jays’ right-hander forced a pop-out to end the contest, picking up his 11th save of the season.
The Guardians have now lost seven of their last 10 games heading into Thursday’s afternoon series finale (1:10 p.m.). Noah Syndergaard (1-5, 6.75 ERA) is slated to face Toronto righty Alex Manoah (3-8, 5.72 ERA).
Cleveland suffers 7th loss in last 10 games
