Jose Ramirez singled home Steven Kwan to ignite a two-run 10th inning Monday night as the visiting Cleveland Guardians, after seeing a lead slip away in the bottom of the ninth, bounced back for a 12-11 victory over the Oakland Athletics in the opener of a three-game series.
Seeking to end a two-game losing streak, the A’s were down 10-8, when Seth Brown followed a walk to Aledmys Diaz with a two-run homer off Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase in the last of the ninth. It was Brown’s first homer of the season.
But the visitors wasted no time reclaiming their two-run cushion when Amed Rosario opened the 10th with a single, sending courtesy runner Kwan to third against Oakland’s fifth pitcher, Trevor May (1-1). Ramirez then followed with his go-ahead hit.
The Guardians added an insurance run when Rosario scored on May’s wild pitch. The run proved critical when Esteury Ruiz belted a two-out, RBI double in the bottom of the 10th against the Guardians’ sixth pitcher, Eli Morgan.
But Morgan registered his first save by getting Tony Kemp to fly out to end the game. The win, as well as a blown save, went to Clase (1-0).
Ramirez earlier had tripled home the go-ahead run and scored one batter later on a Josh Bell sacrifice during a three-run eighth that completed a Guardians comeback from as much as a four-run deficit.
Josh Naylor hit his second home run of the season as part of the rally that produced a fourth straight victory after an Opening Day loss in Seattle.
Jace Peterson and Ramon Laureano also homered for the A’s, who knocked out Guardians starter Zach Plesac with a five-run second inning, which was capped by Peterson’s three-run shot.
Oakland led 6-2 after two and 8-5 after five.
Plesac, who didn’t retire any of the five hitters he faced in the second, was charged with six runs on seven hits in one-plus inning. He walked one and struck out one.
A’s starter James Kaprielian went five innings, allowing five runs and seven hits. He did not get a decision after leaving with an 8-5 lead. He walked two and struck out five.
Ramirez and Naylor had three hits and two RBIs apiece for the Guardians, who out-hit the A’s 16-14. Kwan chipped in with two hits and three runs, while Rosario and Myles Straw also drove in a pair of runs.
–Field Level Media