Guardians stay hot, beat Orioles 6-3 for 10th win in 12 games

CLEVELAND — Jose Ramirez didn't waste any time. Some of the 22,714 fans in Progressive Field on Tuesday weren't even in their seats when he blasted a solo homer in the first inning for a 1-0 lead for the Guardians. Left-hander Joey Cantillo and the Cleveland bullpen did the rest in a 6-3 victory over the Baltimore Orioles. The Guardians (50-50) have won 10 of their last 12 games and reached the .500 mark for the first time since June 27. They are starting to resemble a real offense and are averaging 6.25 runs per game, second-most in the majors, during their surge. "It's a 62-game season left," Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt said. "I love where we're at." Cleveland is nine games behind first-place Detroit (60-42) in the AL Central Division. Ramirez unloaded on his 21st home run of the season on the first pitch he saw from losing pitcher Brandon Young (0-5). It traveled an estimated 384 feet into the right-field seats. It was the seven-time All-Star's seventh home run since July 7 and his 700th career extra-base hit (he trails only Hall of Famer Earl Averill's 725 in club history). The Guardians have homered in 12 consecutive games and have gone deep 21 times over the span. "We want to strike first," Vogt said. "We feel good right away." He said he's lucky to have a player the caliber of Ramirez on his team. "I love Jose in the three-hole," Vogt said. "We get to watch one of the best players in the game every night." Ramirez said the relaxation he received during the All-Star break was crucial. He's responded by hitting four homers in his last five games. "Rest is very important when you play every day," he said through an interpreter. Cleveland extended its lead to 2-0 in the third on Kyle Manzardo's run-scoring single that drove in Angel Martinez. A defensive gem by second baseman Daniel Schneemann in the fifth snuffed out a rally by the Orioles, who loaded the bases with no outs. He went far to his right to field a grounder by Baltimore's Jacob Stallings and flipped it to shortstop Brayan Rocchio, who completed the double play. Orioles third baseman Ramon Urias scored on the play to narrow the deficit to 2-1. "That double play was huge," Cantillo said. "It was one of the nicest double players we've turned all season." The Guardians pushed across an insurance run in the fifth on a sacrifice fly by Manzardo that scored Bo Naylor. The Cleveland catcher walked and moved to third on Martinez's double for a 3-1 advantage. Martinez, who was 3-for-5, is batting .345 with 13 extra-base hits in his last 13 games since July 6. It was short-lived, however, as reliever Erik Sabrowski gave up a mammoth blast to Baltimore's Ramon Laureano, his 13th of the season. The homer traveled an estimated 398 feet into the bleachers in left, which left the score 3-2 in the sixth. Laureano, a former Guardians outfielder, had a home run and four RBIs in Monday's 10-5 loss to Cleveland. The Guardians came right back in the sixth with a two-run rally to extend their lead to 5-2. Rocchio's run-scoring single plated Scheemann and the hot-hitting Martinez drove in Rocchio with another single, his third hit of the game. All-Star left fielder Steven Kwan gunned down Urias to lead off the seventh. Urias' high drive caromed off the wall and Kwan threw him out at second, his AL-leading ninth assist of the season. Baltimore roughed up Guardians reliever Matt Festa in the seventh. He allowed a walk and back-to-back singles, the last by Jackson Holliday to drive in Coby Mayo. Cleveland manufactured a run in the seventh when Nolan Jones walked, moved to third on Schneemann's single and scored on Rocchio's squeeze bunt. "His safety squeeze was huge," Vogt said. "You can't defend it. He looks under control to me. He's not overswinging." Rocchio said he's "100 percent" more comfortable since returning from Triple-A Columbus. Vogt said Cantillo is coming into his own. He improved to 2-0 on the season with his five-inning stint. He allowed two hits, one earned run and walked four. He struck out five batters and threw 95 pitches, 57 for strikes. "We're starting to see a lot more consistency," he said. "His change-up and curveball are two of the best pitches in all of (baseball). Those are great pitches. (His) fastball command is much better. His command and strike quality have been really good since he came back (from Columbus)." Cantillo said he wanted to last longer than five innings. "Those walks hurt me," he said. "I didn't get as deep into the game as I wanted to. I need to fill up the zone more. I want six or seven innings every time out there." Closer Emmanuel Clase earned his 22nd save with a scoreless ninth for Cleveland. Bob Finnan can be reached at rfinnan30@gmail.com.