Game Recap 3/31/24 | Guardians Lose to the Oakland A’s 4-3

Post-Game Recap

3 Things Around The Game

1 – 9th inning missed opportunity

The Guardians missed an opportunity to win on Sunday in the 9th inning. Cleveland had runners on first and third with nobody out when Gabriel Arias missed a bunt, throwing off Bo Naylor at third, throwing off his timing, and getting him picked off third. Naylor has to do a better job not getting picked off, but at the same time, Arias has to get the bunt down in that situation if you are going to make that play. Cleveland never got the run across.

2 – More 9th inning woes

At the bottom of the 9th, Scott Barlow came out for his second inning and relief, but he could not get an out, allowing the bases to be loaded.  Eli Morgan entered the game but followed up with four straight balls, causing the winning run to be walked to home plate.

3 – Welcome Back

Carlos Carrasco returned to Cleveland’s rotation on Sunday, going five innings, giving up three runs, and scattering six hits with three strikeouts. 

Game Summary

Pinch-hitter Abraham Toro clinched the game-winning run as he patiently drew a four-pitch bases-loaded walk from Eli Morgan, sealing a 4-3 victory for the Oakland Athletics against the Cleveland Guardians on Sunday, marking their inaugural win of the season.

Despite their impending relocation to Las Vegas in 2028, the A’s only attracted 4,118 fans to the Coliseum on a bright and sunny afternoon. Throughout the opening four-game series, total attendance amounted to 26,902.

Oakland, under the leadership of manager Mark Kotsay, struggled, losing three out of four games to the Guardians. Kotsay’s managerial tenure has seen the A’s post disappointing records, with a 60-102 season in 2022 followed by a dismal 50-112 performance last year.

Carlos Carrasco made his return to Cleveland’s rotation after a stint with the New York Mets, conceding three runs and six hits over five innings. The veteran right-hander, aged 37, had previously amassed an 88-73 record for Cleveland from 2009 to 2020.

On the mound for Oakland, Paul Blackburn delivered an impressive performance, holding Cleveland to three hits across his shutout innings. However, Cleveland managed to level the score in the eighth inning, courtesy of Josh Naylor’s RBI single, with two runs being unearned due to an error by shortstop Nick Allen.

The decisive ninth inning saw Scott Barlow (0-1) falter as he issued a walk to Ryan Noda, followed by Shea Langeliers reaching base on an infield hit, confirmed after a video review overturned the initial call by umpire Marvin Hudson. Lawrence Buter took over on the mound, leading to Toro’s pivotal pinch-hit appearance against Morgan, who entered the game and delivered a mix of inside sliders and high fastballs.

Dany Jiménez (1-0) closed out the game with a scoreless ninth inning, securing his first major league win since August 20, 2022.

Offensively, JJ Bleday contributed significantly, notching an RBI triple in the first inning and adding a run-scoring single in the third, while Seth Brown chipped in with an RBI single in the second inning.

Up Next

RHP Triston McKenzie (1-2, 3.07 ERA in 2023) starts Monday at Seattle, which has RHP Emerson Hancock (0-0. 4.50 ERA in 2023) on the mound.

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