The A's used a late power surge to beat the Guardians 8-2 on July 20. Despite a José Ramírez homer, Cleveland's bullpen faltered, giving up key late homers.
StatPro MLB Beat Reporter
It was a story of two games at Progressive Field on Saturday night. For seven innings, the Cleveland Guardians were in a tight battle with the Oakland Athletics. But the final two frames devolved into a home run derby for the visitors, as the A's launched three late homers to pull away for a decisive 8-2 victory, sending the Guardians to their second straight loss.
Oakland rookie Nick Kurtz now leads all MLB rookies with 18 home runs after his ninth-inning blast.
For a brief moment, it looked like José Ramírez might carry the team on his back once again. The Guardians' superstar accounted for all of Cleveland's offense with a two-run home run in the third inning off A's starter Luis Severino. The blast was Ramírez's 19th of the season and continued his remarkable career success against Severino. Unfortunately, that was the lone highlight, as the rest of the Guardians lineup was silenced, managing a paltry three hits the entire game.
Starter Logan Allen battled, keeping the Guardians in the game by allowing three runs over 5 1/3 innings. But the bullpen couldn't hold the line. The trouble began in the eighth when reliever Nic Enright, recently recalled from Triple-A, gave up a two-run shot to Shea Langeliers. The floodgates opened in the ninth when Kolby Allard surrendered back-to-back homers to Jacob Wilson and rookie sensation Nick Kurtz, turning a close game into a blowout. It was a complete meltdown that underscored the team's recent struggles.
With the loss, the Guardians fall to 47-50 on the season, a frustrating three games below .500. More importantly, they now sit a daunting 11 games behind the division-leading Detroit Tigers. Cleveland is now tied with Minnesota for a distant second place. The team did make a roster move before the game, sending shortstop Gabriel Arias to Columbus for a rehab assignment while calling up reliever Nic Enright, but the shuffle did little to change Saturday's outcome.
The Guardians will look to salvage the series finale on Sunday and stop this two-game skid. They'll send Gavin Williams (5-4, 3.70 ERA) to the mound to face Oakland's lefty Jeffrey Springs. It's a critical start for Williams and a crucial game for a team desperate to avoid falling further into a hole in the AL Central.
