By Canadian Press

Guardians take advantage of Blue Jays pitching wildness in 7-1 win

Jun 21, 2024 | 8:19 PM

CLEVELAND (AP) — Carlos Carrasco pitched six strong innings and Austin Hedges hit a two-run single when Toronto’s pitchers couldn’t find the strike zone, lifting the Cleveland Guardians to a 7-1 win over the Blue Jays on Friday night.

The Guardians scored seven runs in the second inning as Jays rookie starter Yariel Rodríguez (0-2) and reliever Bowden Francis needed 70 pitches to get three outs.

It was the most pitches thrown by the Blue Jays in an inning since June 21, 1995 — 30 years to the day.

Carrasco (3-6) won for the first time in six starts and avenged a loss in Toronto last week. The 37-year-old right-hander allowed one run and four hits, struck out a season-high seven — five straight in one stretch — and didn’t walk a batter.

The performance probably won’t affect the Guardians’ desire to add starting pitching before the trading line, but Carrasco at least bought himself a few more outings.

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Cleveland’s Steven Kwan, who came in batting .396 while just shy of eligibility to lead the majors, went 0 for 4 and is “down” to .387. He had his hitting streak stopped at 14 games and an on-base streak end at 25.

Kwan destroyed Blue Jays pitching last week in Toronto, batting .615 (8 of 13) during a three-game series.

Josh Naylor also had two RBI as the Guardians moved 21 games over .500 for the second time.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. homered the Blue Jays, who lost their fourth straight.

Toronto rookie slugger Orelvis Martinez got his first hit in his major league debut. The team’s No. 2 prospect, Martinez singled in the sixth, delighting a large contingent of family members in attendance from the Dominican Republic.

The 22-year-old also committed an error during Cleveland’s seven-run second.

Rodríguez made his first appearance since April 29 — and it was a brief one. He had been on the injury list for nearly two months with thoracic spine inflammation before being reinstated to face the Guardians.

The AL Central leaders took advantage of an outfield misplay, five walks and an error to open a 7-0 lead in their second at-bat.

Naylor led off with a catchable shot to the gap in left centre that dropped between two Toronto outfielders for a double.

Rodríguez then made it easy for Cleveland, throwing nine straight balls and walking three straight to force in a run. The right-hander struck out Brayan Rocchio before Hedges ripped a two-run single down the third-base line, ending Rodríguez’s outing after just 1 1 /3 innings.

Things got worse for reliever Bowden Francis as Martinez booted a grounder for an error and the reliever dropped a relay throw at first, helping the Guardians score four unearned runs in their biggest inning this season.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Blue Jays: SS Bo Bichette (calf strain) is on track to return from the injury list when his 10-day stint ends on June 25. He fielded ground balls, took batting practice and ran the bases before the game. Bichette is scheduled to do a little less Saturday and then ramp it back up Sunday. “He’s feeling good,” manager John Schneider said.

Guardians: RHP Gavin Williams (elbow) pitched five innings for Double-A Akron in a minor league rehab appearance. He allowed one run and struck out four while throwing 66 pitches against Binghamton.

UP NEXT

In an encore of a matchup last week, Blue Jays RHP José Berríos (6-5, 3.13 ERA) faces Guardians RHP Ben Lively (6-3, 3.02). Toronto snapped Lively’s five-game winning streak with a 7-6 win on June 16.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

Tom Withers, The Associated Press