On Tuesday, the Cleveland Guardians drew 14 walks, but it took a while for the big hits to follow.
Cleveland eventually emerged with the victory, and the American League Central leaders hope to cash in on any opportunities a little more quickly Wednesday night when they visit the New York Yankees for the middle game of a three-game series.
The Guardians are 6-10 in their past 16 games after scoring six runs in the 12th inning of their 9-5 win Tuesday.
Lane Thomas, who entered the game with six hits in 53 at-bats since joining the team in a trade from Washington, started the big inning with an RBI double. Jose Ramirez added an RBI single, and David Fry hit a bases-clearing triple.
In a game that lasted 4 hours and 5 minutes, Cleveland went 5-for-8 with runners in scoring position in the 12th and 7-for-24 overall.
Cleveland had 12 hits and drew 14 walks against nine pitchers — marking the first time the team drew 14 free passes since Sept. 9, 1979 — but stranded 18 runners in the first 11 innings and 20 overall.
“What an unbelievable game by both,” Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt said. “Just one team had to outlast the other, and fortunately it was us.”
The Yankees hope to take advantage of their opportunities after going 1-for-16 with runners in scoring position. Juan Soto and Aaron Judge hit back-to-back homers in the first inning, and Anthony Volpe hit a tying double in the fourth, but the Yankees had a runner thrown out at the plate in the eighth and stranded 12.
“It’s just been a few games now where we’ve struggled offensively,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “Juan and Aaron got us off to a really good start the first inning, but we’ve got to cash in those opportunities. That’s kind of over the weekend (against Detroit) and into this game where we’ve struggled. We’ve got to pick it up.”
The Yankees also may need to make a pitching move after using their entire eight-man bullpen due to rookie starter Luis Gil exiting in the fourth due to back tightness.
Cleveland’s bullpen combined for 6 2/3 innings of two-run ball, including two scoreless frames by closer Emmanuel Clase.
Left-hander Joey Cantillo (0-2, 6.23 ERA) will start for the Guardians on Wednesday in his first career appearance against the Yankees. Cantillo has made three starts and is coming off his longest career outing when he allowed three runs on five hits over 5 2/3 innings and threw 86 pitches in a 4-2 loss at Minnesota on Aug. 9.
New York’s Nestor Cortes (6-10, 4.20) will attempt to win consecutive starts for the second time this season and first time since May 17-22 when he allowed an unearned run against the Chicago White Sox and Seattle Mariners.
Coming off five straight starts where he did not complete six innings, Cortes allowed three hits in seven scoreless innings on Aug. 13 against the White Sox, marking his first scoreless outing since June 18 against the Baltimore Orioles.
The left-hander allowed four runs on five hits in four innings during a no-decision at Cleveland on April 14 and is 1-0 with a 3.68 ERA in six regular-season appearances (three starts) against the Guardians.
–Field Level Media
