Jose Ramirez had two infield singles and scored the decisive run with some aggressive baserunning as the surging Cleveland Guardians won their ninth straight home game, 3-2 over the Washington Nationals on Saturday.

Ben Lively (5-2) continued his surprise season by allowing two runs over 5 2/3 innings. The 32-year-old right-hander combined with four relievers to hold the Nationals to six hits for the AL Central-leading Guardians. Cleveland has won 15 of 18 overall.

Cleveland led 2-0 entering the third when Ramirez reached on his second infield hit. He stole second, and with two outs, scored from second on rookie Mitchell Parker’s wild pitch that catcher Riley Adams initially couldn’t find.

The Nationals mustered only two runs. In the fourth, Lane Thomas drew a one-out walk and went to third when right-fielder Johnathan Rodriguez lost his footing on a fly ball single by Luis Garcia Jr. Garcia took second on the throw to the infield. Joey Meneses followed with an RBI groundout and Jesse Winker hit a run-scoring bloop single to left. Winker was picked off first to end the inning.

Washington missed a chance in the second inning when Garcia was tagged out in a rundown between third and home. Nationals pitchers also committed three wild pitches as Washington has dropped the first two of this three-game set.

Cleveland got to Parker (4-3) in the first. After allowing a one-out infield single to Ramirez, he issued consecutive walks to Josh Naylor and David Fry. Then after Rodriguez struck out, Kyle Manzardo dropped a bloop single among three Nationals in short left field to score two.

Parker allowed four walks and four hits in his 5 2/3 innings. Cleveland’s Emmanuel Clase recorded his 18th save.

Washington shortstop CJ Abrams was scratched from Saturday’s lineup due to a shoulder issue. In the sixth, Nationals center fielder Jacob Young exited with an apparent hand injury.

–Field Level Media