09/22/23 10:17:00
Printable Page
09/22 22:16 CDT Fry's double in ninth inning sends Guardians to 9-8 win, spoils
comeback by AL East-leading Orioles
Fry's double in ninth inning sends Guardians to 9-8 win, spoils comeback by AL
East-leading Orioles
By TOM WITHERS
AP Sports Writer
CLEVELAND (AP) --- David Fry delivered a two-run double with one out in the
ninth inning as the Cleveland Guardians recovered from closer Emmanuel Clase
blowing another save and rallied to beat the AL-East leading Baltimore Orioles
9-8 on Friday night.
After Clase (3-9) allowed the Orioles to take the lead on Aaron Hicks' two-run,
two-out double in the top of the inning, his teammates bailed him out.
Andrs Gimnez, who made two dazzling defensive plays in the eighth and ninth,
opened the inning with a double off Yennier Cano (1-4). One out later, the
Orioles intentionally walked Will Brennan to face Fry.
Cleveland's catcher jumped on Cano's first pitch, hitting it off the wall in
left-center to score both runners as the Guardians spoiled what would have been
a memorable comeback by the Orioles.
The loss kept Baltimore 1 1/2 games ahead of second-place Tampa Bay. The Rays
lost 6-2 to Toronto.
Anthony Santander had three hits and three RBIs for the Orioles.
The Guardians won't make the postseason, but they got something of a
late-season reward in getting back Shane Bieber after he missed 64 games.
The right-hander made his first start since July 9, returning from the injured
list after being sidelined with elbow inflammation.
Bieber's injury was a critical one for the Guardians, who didn't have the 2020
AL Cy Young winner anchoring their staff during the heart of the season. He
allowed five runs and six hits in five innings, but his comeback meant much
more to Bieber and Cleveland than any stat line.
Baltimore was counting on starter Dean Kremer to give them a quality start to
protect its tired bullpen, but the right-hander only got through 3 1/3 innings.
It didn't help that Kremer's defense let him down with two errors in the
fourth, leading to three Cleveland runs.
Bieber had a costly throwing error in the third inning when the Orioles scored
three times to take a 5-3 lead.
Ramn Uras tripled and scored on rookie Gunnar Henderson' double. Adley
Rutschman followed with a comebacker Bieber snagged neatly, and he had time to
get Henderson breaking for third but rushed his throw, which was way off the
bag.
Santander's single scored Rutschman and Bieber was in jeopardy of letting it
get away before getting a double play and strikeout.
BULLPEN BOOST
With Baltimore's bullpen taxed during a difficult stretch, the team recalled
right-hander Tyler Wells from Triple-A Norfolk to help.
He was needed right away, pitching two scoreless innings.
Wells was one of the AL's top starters in the first half of the season.
However, the 6-foot-8 right-hander was sent down following the All-Star break
and has been pitching in relief. The 29-year-old was a reliever in 2021 and
Hyde indicated he could be used in a variety of roles.
"We're hoping he can help us in that back half of the game," manager Brandon
Hyde said. "We're looking for guys to get outs right now. They're pretty
fatigued in the bullpen."
MUSICAL NOTES
The Guardians honored Cleveland-born rapper Kid Cudi with a bobblehead giveaway.
Cudi's appearance caused quite a pregame stir amongst the Guardians with
pitching coach Carl Willis posing for a picture with him in the dugout.
While manager Terry Francona admitted not knowing Cudi's work, he was familiar
with Taylor Swift's guitarist Paul Sidoti, another Cleveland-area native who
threw out a ceremonial first pitch before playing the national anthem.
"Love him, love her," said Francona.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Guardians: Rookie C Bo Naylor was removed in the fifth with a bruised right
thumb. David Fry replaced him behind the plate.
UP NEXT
Guardians RHP Cal Quantrill (3-6, 5.26 ERA) starts against Orioles LHP John
Means (0-1, 3.60), who makes just his third start in 17 months after undergoing
Tommy John surgery.
___
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB
|