CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Wardens no longer live on the end of a broomstick.
Facing the prospect of their seventh straight series being decided by a sweep, the Guardians rallied to beat the Padres 6-5 in 10 innings in the second game of a doubleheader on Wednesday to earn a split at Progressive Field . San Diego won the first game 5-4.
Steven Kwan relegated Owen Miller home with the winning run. Miller, the automatic runner, scored from second place after Dinelson Lamet (0-1, 5.40) hit Franmil Reyes with a throw.
The Guardians were involved in six straight series sweeps up until the late innings of Wednesday’s nightcap. They were 8-10 in those sweeps but the pattern was broken.
Here’s how the sweep streak broke down: a two-game sweep by the Reds, a three-game sweep by the Giants, a three-game sweep by the White Sox, a three-game sweep by the Yankees, a four-game sweep by the Angels, a three-game sweep by the A’s, and (almost) a two-game sweep by the Padres.
The franchise record for consecutive sweeps is 12 by the 1953 Indians. The Sweep-A-Thon lasted from May 1-27.
San Diego played corners in anticipation of Kwan attempting to advance Miller and Reyes with a bunt. Manager Terry Francona swung him away.
“He looked down and asked Sarbie (third base coach Mike Sarbaugh) to repeat the signs,” Francona said. “He’s running well enough where they shouldn’t be able to double him. They’re playing him for a bunt, so the idea is maybe he can hit one by someone.
Kwan singled from behind second base for the game winner.
The Padres went 3-0 in the first inning against Cal Quantrill, their No. 1 pick of 2016. Quantrill faced seven batters, allowing two walks and three hits.
The three runs were counted as two outs. Eric Hosmer doubled home Trent Grisham and Manny Machado who reached on walks. Ha-seong Kim singled home Hosmer. The inning ended when Jorge Alfaro attempted to turn a single into a double but was wiped out on a throw by center fielder Myles Straw and a good tag by second baseman Andres Gimenez.
“I didn’t come out of the gate like I should have,” Quantrill said. “I wasn’t aggressive enough. I tentatively just threw around the zone. I was really impressed with what the batsmen did after that first inning. That can take the wind out of some people’s sails.”
Quantrill kept the Padres strokeless and scoreless for the next five innings. The problem was that the Guardians could do little against left-hander MacKenzie Gore, San Diego’s No. 1 in 2017.
They threatened in the third as Gimenez, Straw and Amed Rosario filled the bases with two outs. However, the Padres wanted nothing to do with MLB RBI leader Jose Ramirez when Gore issued an accidental, intentional walk in four straight pitches to meet Gimenez. Somewhere Joe Maddon is smiling.
Quantrill posted season highs with seven strikeouts, five walks and 98 pitches.
Gore allowed a four-hit run in 5 2/3 innings.
The Guardians went 3-2 in game seven to Craig Stammen, who rehabilitated the 2016 season in Cleveland’s minor league system. Austin Hedges singled and Ernie Clement drove him home with a double off the left field wall. The Guardians had two outs to bring Clement home with a tie, but Stammen beat Straw and knocked out Rosario with a short grounder.
The Padres responded with two runs in the eighth to extend the lead to 5-2. The damage was done to Trevor Stephan, who hadn’t conceded an earned run or walk in his first 10 appearances of the season. Stephan allowed Jurickson Profar an RBI double and forced a second run with a base-loaded walk.
“We knew Trevor was going to give up some runs at some point,” Francona said. “You don’t ride all season without giving up runs. The bullpen bounced and swayed, giving us a chance to go home reasonably happy.”
The Guardians responded with three runs in the eighth to tie it. Pinch-hitter Josh Naylor drove a two-out single against Robert Suarez in the tie-run. Singles from Gimenez and Hedges provided the first two runs of the inning.
Nick Sandlin escaped a base-filled jam on the 10th when pinch-hitter Austin Nola hit in a 6-4-3 doubles play. Kwan’s single made Sandlin (2-1, 4.15) the winner.
The first game featured a pitching reunion between former teammates, Cleveland’s Zach Plesac and San Diego’s Mike Clevinger. It was Clevinger’s first start since 2020 following his second Tommy John surgery on his right elbow, but he went 3-1 up after 4 2/3 innings.
Cleveland rallied to level the score on Naylor’s double singles in the fifth point, but the Padres scored two points on Austin Nola’s doubles in the sixth and held on to a 5-4 win. Both runs went to Plesac (1-3, 4.44).
Naylor doubled Miller in the seventh home game to make it a one-run game, but the next eight Guardians batters went down in turn. Taylor Rogers threw the ninth for his eighth save.
For the doubleheader, Naylor went 3-for-5 with three RBI. For the season, he hits .340 (18-for-53) with two homers and 11 RBI.
Next: Toronto attends a four-game series on Thursday. RHP Aaron Civale (0-2, 10.67) meets Toronto’s RHP Jose Berrios (2-0, 4.13) at 18:10. Bally Sports Great Lakes, WTAM and WMMS will broadcast the game.
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