José Ramírez drove in five runs with three doubles and Steven Kwan collected five hits as the Cleveland Guardians erased an early five-run deficit to beat the Los Angeles Angels 8-6 in 10 innings Tuesday night.
Ramírez delivered the decisive two-run double in the 10th after Kwan opened the inning with his fifth single. Cleveland earned its sixth consecutive win despite falling behind 5-0 in the second inning and 6-5 in the fifth.
Vaughn Grissom homered twice for Los Angeles, while Christian Moore also went deep. The Angels built a commanding early lead against Gavin Williams but could not stop Cleveland’s comeback.
Angels Build Early Five-Run Lead
Los Angeles wasted little time against Williams.
Grissom opened the scoring with a two-run homer in the first inning. The Angels then added three more runs in the second to take a 5-0 advantage.
Moore started the second inning scoring with a solo home run. Denzer Guzman followed later in the inning with an RBI double before Zach Neto added a run-scoring single.
The difficult start ended Williams’ night after only 1 1/3 innings.
The Cleveland right-hander allowed five runs and six hits in his shortest outing of the season. However, the Guardians’ bullpen kept the game within reach while their offense began cutting into the deficit.
Cleveland Erases Early Deficit
The Guardians finally broke through against Angels starter Walbert Ureña in the fourth inning.
Travis Bazzana lined an RBI double to make it 5-1. Ramírez then delivered his first major hit of the night, driving a two-run double to reduce the deficit to 5-3.
Ureña could not finish the fourth. He allowed three runs on five hits across 3 2/3 innings while striking out three and walking five.
Cleveland continued its comeback in the fifth.
With two outs, Brayan Rocchio produced an RBI single. Kwan followed with another run-scoring single, completing the Guardians’ comeback from five runs down and tying the game at 5-5.
The Angels responded immediately.
Grissom Homers Again
Grissom led off the bottom of the fifth against Logan Allen and hit his second home run of the night.
The solo shot restored Los Angeles’ lead at 6-5.
That proved to be the Angels’ final run.
Cleveland’s pitching staff shut down Los Angeles over the remaining regulation innings, allowing the Guardians another opportunity to rally.
Kwan started that comeback in the eighth with a single. Ramírez then doubled him home to tie the game at 6-6.
Los Angeles nearly regained the lead in the bottom half.
Mike Trout drove a ball toward the center-field wall with a runner aboard, but Angel Martínez made a leaping catch at the wall to take away a potential two-run homer.
The defensive play preserved the tie and helped send the game toward extra innings.
Ramírez Delivers in the 10th
Erik Sabrowski gave Cleveland momentum by striking out the side in the bottom of the ninth.
The Guardians then quickly created a scoring opportunity against Blake Weiman in the 10th.
Automatic runner Rocchio started at second base. Kwan opened the inning with his fifth single of the night, moving Rocchio to third.
The five-hit performance was the second of Kwan’s major league career.
Bazzana popped out, bringing Ramírez to the plate with runners at the corners.
Ramírez lined a double into left-center, scoring both Rocchio and Kwan to give Cleveland its first two-run advantage of the night at 8-6.
The hit completed a five-RBI performance for Ramírez. All five runs came on his three doubles.
Sabrowski earned the win and improved to 5-2, while Weiman fell to 0-1.
Smith Escapes Final Angels Threat
Los Angeles still had an opportunity in the bottom of the 10th.
The Angels put runners at second and third, bringing the potential tying run into scoring position.
Cade Smith responded with consecutive strikeouts.
He struck out Guzman and Adam Frazier to end the threat and secure his 35th save of the season.
The finish completed a dramatic comeback for Cleveland after the Guardians had appeared in serious trouble during the opening two innings.
Guardians Continue Winning Streak
Kwan and Ramírez led Cleveland’s comeback throughout the night.
Kwan finished with five singles and played a role in several important rallies. He drove in the tying run in the fifth, singled and scored the tying run in the eighth, and helped set up Ramírez’s winning double in the 10th.
Ramírez supplied the run production. His two-run double in the fourth brought Cleveland back into the game before another double tied the score in the eighth. His third double finally put the Guardians ahead for good.
Los Angeles received plenty of early offense, particularly from Grissom. His two homers accounted for three runs, while Moore, Guzman and Neto helped the Angels establish their five-run advantage.
The Angels could not add to their lead after Grissom’s second homer in the fifth, however. Cleveland scored the final three runs and received several important defensive and bullpen contributions.
The result extended the Guardians’ winning streak to six games and handed the Angels a difficult loss after they led by five runs early.
Up Next
The teams conclude their series on Wednesday in Anaheim.
Cleveland is scheduled to start left-hander Joey Cantillo, who enters with a 9-7 record and a 3.73 ERA.
The Angels will counter with right-hander Grayson Rodriguez, who is 4-5 with a 6.41 ERA.