Two weeks ago when the Cleveland Guardians were in the midst of a 10-game losing streak, pitcher Slade Cecconi made a bold statement.
“We’re going to see ourselves in a great spot at the end of the season,” he said. “I fully believe that.”
Cecconi apparently sensed something that few others did as Cleveland has caught fire, winning seven of its last eight games to move into second place in the American League Central.
Guardians left-hander Logan Allen (6-7, 4.00 ERA) seeks to continue the surge Saturday against Athletics right-hander Luis Severino (2-11, 5.16) in the middle contest of a three-game series in Cleveland.
Cleveland snapped its seven-game home losing skid Friday as Brayan Rocchio and David Fry drove in two runs apiece in an 8-6 victory. Cecconi picked up the win, tossing a career-best 8 1/3 innings before Emmanuel Clase closed the door for his 21st save.
“You’ve got to do it and you’ve got to fail to learn,” said Cecconi, who allowed all six runs and threw a career-high 107 pitches. “You experience a lot more learning from failure than you do success.
“That last inning was tough, but it’s just about getting the experience and letting your body get used to keeping your emotions on the same level.”
The Athletics scored three times in the ninth on RBI hits from Nick Kurtz, Brent Rooker and Shea Langeliers, taking some of the shine off Cecconi’s first career home win. The righty entered the inning with a five-hitter, two on homers by Rooker and Langeliers.
“Slade was outstanding, unbelievable how efficient he was,” Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt said. “He earned the ninth. Obviously, the offense gave us some cushion to be able to do it, but what a beautiful performance by Slade.”
Allen, who has won two straight against the Athletics, is 2-0 with a 3.77 ERA in three starts against them in 2023-24. The third-year pro has pitched exactly six innings in three consecutive outings, dating to June 29.
Severino has struggled mightily in his first year with the A’s, collecting two more losses than any other AL hurler. He is 2-1 with a 3.26 ERA in five starts against Cleveland but hasn’t faced them since 2018.
The Guardians plated four runs in the third inning of the opener, scoring a total of seven off JP Sears. Two defensive miscues by left fielder Tyler Soderstrom didn’t help his cause, but Sears blamed himself more for allowing homers to Fry and Johnathan Rodriguez.
“I left a fastball across the plate to (Rodriguez) and threw a hanging sweeper to Fry,” Sears said. “The way our guys came back later makes this one sting a little bit more to me.”
All-Star Game and Home Run Derby standout Rooker remains on a roll, batting .332 with 33 RBIs in his last 49 games. His homer off Cecconi was No. 100 in his six-year career, 90 of them since joining the Athletics three years ago.
“Any time you compete in a Home Run Derby, your name is going to be out there and that’s what everyone expects from you in the future,” Athletics manager Mark Kotsay said. “It’s pretty special that Brent was able to do it again tonight.”
–Field Level Media
