CLEVELAND, Ohio - Down 3-2 and with two out in the bottom of the seventh inning, the Cleveland Guardians quickly turned the tables on the Los Angeles Dodgers.
RBI hits from Steven Kwan and José Ramírez, followed by a three-run home run by Kole Calhoun, jump-started a five-run rally that boosted the Guardians (60-66) to an 8-3 series-opening victory. All eight of the Guardians’ Tuesday night runs came with two outs.
“You’re not always going to do that, but it was sure fun to watch,” said Guardians manager Terry Francona after the game. “We had a real good inning going, and then Calhoun really helped with giving us a little more wiggle room.”
The Dodgers (76-48) jumped ahead in the opening frame after Will Smith launched a 2-run home run off Guardians starter Noah Syndergaard. Two innings later, Freddie Freeman ended a 10-pitch at-bat with an RBI single off Syndergaard, who yielded four hits, three earned runs, and one walk over a six-inning outing against his former team.
“It’s kind of a bittersweet moment,” Syndergaard explained. “I forged a lot of [friendships] and brothers over there. A lot of really good dudes over there. I’m reminded of the good in it, but also, I wasn’t as successful over there. Being over here, and having a nice reset, I think is really good for me.”
Cleveland managed to cut into L.A.’s lead with two runs in the fourth inning, on an Oscar Gonzalez solo home run (his second of the season) and a Gabriel Arias RBI single - both off Dodgers starter Bobby Miller (6.1 innings, four hits, 3 4 ERs, 4 K’s).
The Guardians managed to put two runners on in the seventh when, after a Myles Straw fielder’s choice, Kwan roped a line drive off Dodgers reliever Caleb Ferguson to score Will Brennan and tie the game at 3-3.
Ramírez followed with another single to give Cleveland its first lead of the game, before Calhoun — who had played in the Dodgers’ farm system earlier this season before arriving in Cleveland — hit a towering fly ball that landed just beyond the right field wall.
“It was huge,” said Calhoun following the game. “I was with these guys for a little over two months. That one felt pretty good.”
The Guardians added some insurance in the eighth, when Myles Straw hustled out a two-out grounder to score Andrés Giménez from third.
Sam Hentges, Trevor Stephan, and Emmanuel Close each worked an inning of scoreless relief to secure Cleveland’s win.
Wednesday’s contest at Progressive Field (7:10 p.m.) will pit Guardians right-hander Xzavion Curry (3-1, 3.24 ERA) against L.A. ace Clayton Kershaw (11-4, 2.48 ERA).
