Gavin Williams great again as Guardians beat Mariners

CLEVELAND — The Big Rig was running on high octane Saturday. Right-hander Gavin Williams, quickly becoming the Guardians' ace, pitched seven strong innings in Cleveland's 4-3 victory over the Seattle Mariners before 33,203 at Progressive Field. Williams (9-5, 3.26) allowed one run, four hits and a walk. He struck out eight and threw 95 pitches, 68 for strikes. It was his best outing since his near no-hitter Aug. 6 against the New York Mets. The only blemish was a 382-foot homer by designated hitter Jorge Polanco in the seventh. His second long ball in as many nights pulled the Mariners within 3-1. "I felt like I commanded all the quadrants of the (strike) zone tonight," Williams said. It was his career-high 27th start of the season. "I feel the same as start No. 1," Williams said. "I feel as strong as I ever have." Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said Williams might have been better than he was when he came within two outs of a no-hitter. "It was the best Gavin as we've seen," he said. "He's been solid for us for the last 2½ months. He was really consistent." Seattle has lost seven consecutive games on the road. The Guardians have won four in a row and have pulled within three games of the final American League wild card spot. They rallied for a key insurance run in the seventh when Steven Kwan's single drove in Nolan Jones for a 4-1 lead. Jones, who has shown a late-season flurry, singled and stole second base. Reliever Hunter Gaddis allowed a colossal, two-run blast to Julio Rodriguez in the eighth. The 407-foot homer narrowed Seattle's deficit to 4-3 and brought in closer Cade Smith, who earned his ninth save with 11/3 innings of perfect relief. He struck out the side in the ninth. "I wouldn't say (getting four outs) is any more taxing," Smith said. The Guardians got their first hit off Logan Gilbert in the fourth inning when Jose Ramirez's slow roller found daylight. He advanced to second on a wild pitch and went to third on a groundout. Bo Naylor lined an RBI single into right-center field for the first run of the game. Kwan showed why he might be the best defensive left fielder in baseball in the sixth. He chased down a line drive from former teammate Josh Naylor with a fully extended, diving catch for the third out. "That saved a run," Kwan said. "It was just instincts. I made a direct beeline to the ball." Guardians first baseman Kyle Manzardo said off the bat he didn't think Kwan had a chance to catch up with the ball. "He Supermanned it," he said. Vogt said the catch was "unbelievable." "It stopped all their momentum. He ran a long way for it. He's a Gold Glover for a reason," he said. Ramirez coaxed a two-out walk off Gilbert in the sixth and Manzardo unloaded on a two-run homer, his 23rd of the season. It traveled an estimated 356 feet into the right-field seats for a 3-0 advantage. Manzardo has homered in back-to-back games. "I'm growing and learning my swing," Manzardo said. "There are peaks and valleys. I'm trying to keep a level head." The Guardians refuse to die in the playoff race. "We're exactly where we want to be," Smith said. "We have a chance to make another deep run." Vogt said Cleveland has faced adversity all season. "We've been kicked in the gut all year," he said. "I'm proud of our guys. They are resilient and strong. They don't go away." Gilbert (4-6, 3.73) pitched six innings and allowed three runs (all earned), three hits, two walks and struck out six. Bob Finnan can be reached at rfinnan30@gmail.com.