Tanner Bibee allowed two hits over 5 2/3 shutout innings and Kyle Manzardo, Gabriel Arias and Daniel Schneemann each homered to lead the visiting Cleveland Guardians to a 6-2 win over the Kansas City Royals in the rubber game of their three-game series on Sunday afternoon.
Bibee, scratched as Cleveland’s Opening Day starter after coming down with a case of acute gastroenteritis, showed no effects from the illness. He walked two and struck out two and retired 13 batters in a row before being lifted after walking Bobby Witt Jr. in the sixth inning. One of the two hits Bibee (1-0) allowed was a double to Hunter Renfroe in the second inning that left fielder Steven Kwan lost in the sun.
Manzardo and Arias both finished with two hits, two RBIs and a run while Kwan went 3-for-5 with an RBI and a run. Schneemann reached base four times with three walks and a homer for the Guardians.
Witt had an RBI single, Vinnie Pasquantino tripled and Maikel Garcia and Renfroe each doubled for Kansas City. Michael Wacha (0-1) took the loss, allowing one run on four hits over four innings. He walked four and struck out two.
Cleveland took a 1-0 lead in the second inning when Carlos Santana lined a double over the head of left fielder Jonathan India, advanced to third on a flyout by Bo Naylor and scored on a sacrifice fly by Arias.
The Guardians extended the lead to 3-0 in the fifth off reliever Sam Long. Kwan led off with a single and scored one out later on Manzardo’s second home run of the season, a 417-foot drive to right.
Cleveland added two more runs off reliever Chris Stratton in the sixth. Arias hit a solo homer to right to make it 4-0 and Schneemann followed with a walk, advanced to third on a single by Brayan Rocchio and scored on a fielder’s choice.
Schneemann made it 6-0 when he led off the eighth inning with a home run to right.
Kansas City cut it to 6-2 in the eighth on an RBI single by Witt and a two-out, bases-loaded walk to Renfroe. Reliever Hunter Gaddis then got out of the jam by getting Garcia to ground out.
–Field Level Media
