Guardians improve to AL-best 16-6 by sweeping A's

Field Level Media|published: Sun 21st April, 16:43 2024

Apr 21, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Oakland Athletics second baseman Zack Gelof (20) steals second as Cleveland Guardians shortstop Brayan Rocchio (4) misses the throw during the second inning at Progressive Field. credits: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

Will Brennan homered and Josh Naylor added a bases-clearing double as the Cleveland Guardians completed a three-game sweep of the visiting Oakland Athletics with a 6-2 victory on Sunday.

Tanner Bibee (2-0) allowed two runs over 5 2/3 innings for Cleveland, which won for the seventh time in its last eight games and improved to an American League-best 16-6. Bibee walked two and struck out eight.

Tim Herrin, Nick Sandlin, Cade Smith and Emmanuel Clase combined for 3 1/3 scoreless innings in relief.

Brent Rooker hit a solo homer for Oakland, which ended its season series against the Guardians by losing for the sixth time in seven meetings. Cleveland is 17-3 against the A's since the start of the 2022 season.

Oakland was within 3-2 before the Guardians added three runs with two outs in the seventh inning on Naylor's double against T.J. McFarland.

Naylor is 12-for-37 with three homers and 11 RBIs during his nine-game hitting streak for Cleveland, which has won six of its first seven series to open the season.

Brennan gave the Guardians an early lead with a one-out solo homer in the second inning against Ross Stripling (0-5). The 370-foot homer was Brennan's second of the season.

Cleveland pushed another run across in the third inning when Brayan Rocchio doubled and scored on Andres Gimenez's two-out single.

Rooker cut the lead in half with a leadoff blast in the fourth inning for his second homer in the last three games and fourth of the season.

Gabriel Arias singled in a run with two outs in the bottom of the fourth to put the Guardians ahead 3-1.

Stripling gave up three runs on five hits, walked one and struck out four in five innings. He fell to 0-10 in his last 27 games (16 starts) since the beginning of last season.

After the A's cut the deficit to 3-2 on Lawrence Butler's RBI signal in the sixth inning, the Guardians extended their lead in the seventh.

With two runners on, McFarland entered and got the second out, but hit Gimenez with a pitch to load the bases. Naylor's double to right field scored all three baserunners.

—Field Level Media

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