Bo Naylor went 3-for-5 with a home run, a double and three RBIs to lead the Cleveland Guardians to a 10-7 victory over the host Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday night.
Cleveland halted a two-game skid with its first double-digit scoring game of the season while totaling a season-high 14 hits.
Naylor’s two-run double to center with one out in the fourth inning scored Carlos Santana and Gabriel Arias to put Cleveland ahead 4-2. The Guardians then broke the game open with five runs in the seventh. Jhonkensy Noel and Arias each had two-run doubles off reliever Kyle Nicolas in that inning.
Bryan Reynolds went 3-for-5 with two RBIs and began a near comeback for the Pirates, hitting a solo home run as part of a three-run bottom of the seventh. Enmanuel Valdez hit a two-run home run in that inning for Pittsburgh, which belted three homers in a game for the first time this season and finished with a season-high six extra-base hits.
Pittsburgh’s Oneil Cruz hit a leadoff home run for the second consecutive game.
The Pirates scored two in the ninth on a Reynolds RBI single and a Valdez run-scoring double off Paul Sewald. However, Guardians left fielder Steven Kwan made a great defensive play when he threw out Valdez at third for the second out of the inning. Cleveland closer Emmanuel Clase relieved Sewald and walked Joey Bart before striking out Jack Suwinski to pick up his third save this season.
Naylor’s home run in the top of the third off Pirates starter Carmen Mlodzinski (1-3) tied the game at 1.
Cleveland starter Luis L. Ortiz (2-2) struck out eight and allowed two runs on four hits and three walks in five innings. He threw 92 pitches in his first start against his former team.
Mlodzinski exited in the fifth after allowing a leadoff double to Jose Ramirez, who subsequently stole third and scored on a fielding error at third by Jared Triolo.
Mlodzinski was charged with five runs on nine hits and two walks. He did not record a strikeout and threw 64 pitches. Mlodzinski’s rough outing broke a string of four consecutive starts by Pirates pitchers of six or more innings.
–Field Level Media
