Game Recap 6/21/23 | Guardians Win 7-6 vs. A’s

Observations from the Game

3 things about Guardians’ victory over A’s:

1 – Naylor Bros!

What a night for the Naylor brothers as Josh Naylor had a huge night going 4 for 4 with a home run, and his little brother Bo Naylor got his first hit in 2023, scoring the game-winning run in the bottom of the 8th. 

2 – Gavin first start
In his first MLB start, Gavin Wiliams pitched 5 2/3 innings, giving up 4 earned with 4 K’s.  Emmanuel Clase saved the game in the 9th for his 22nd save on the season. 

3 – Brennan catch
Right fielder Will Brennan made a fantastic catch in the top of the 4th inning to save a hit.  Brennan left the game with reported left shoulder soreness.

Game Summary

In the eighth inning, rookie Bo Naylor crossed the plate to score the go-ahead run for the Cleveland Guardians, capitalizing on a throwing error. Making his major league debut, Gavin Williams delivered an impressive performance on the mound, pitching 5 2/3 innings. The Guardians emerged victorious with a 7-6 win over the Oakland Athletics on Wednesday night.

Naylor ended his 0-for-19 slump with his first hit in the majors, a single, and later scored on Steven Kwan’s double with one out. Myles Straw had already scored earlier on Kwan’s hit, which turned into a two-run play due to an errant throw by right fielder Ramón Laureano.

As the top prospect and first-round pick of the Guardians in 2021, Williams showcased his talents, allowing four runs on four hits during the third inning, while striking out four batters. Throughout the game, the right-hander consistently reached high velocities, with his pitches peaking at 98 mph, with 18 of his 84 pitches clocking in above 96 mph.

Standing tall at 6-foot-6 and weighing 250 pounds, Williams had an impressive minor league record, going 9-6 with a 2.10 ERA in 37 starts across Single-A Lake County, Double-A Akron, and Triple-A Columbus. In his nine starts with the Columbus Clippers this year, he achieved a 3-2 record with a 2.93 ERA.

Eli Morgan (3-1) secured the win for the Guardians by pitching a scoreless eighth inning, while Emmanuel Clase completed the game, earning his MLB-leading 22nd save. Austin Pruitt (1-5) surrendered two runs, one of which was earned, in one inning of work for the Athletics.

The Athletics, plagued by the lowest batting average and highest ERA in the majors, suffered their seventh consecutive loss, resulting in the worst record in baseball at 19-57.

Oakland took a 6-4 lead in the seventh inning with run-scoring singles from rookie Esteury Ruiz and Seth Brown off Trevor Stephan. Ruiz had an impressive performance, going 3 for 5 with two RBIs and two stolen bases, bringing his MLB-leading total to 39.

The scoring began for Oakland in the third inning, as they accumulated four runs, highlighted by Ryan Noda’s 358-foot home run to right field off Williams.

The Guardians narrowed the deficit to 4-3 in the bottom of the third. Naylor, Kwan, and Amed Rosario all reached base to start the inning and eventually came around to score. Rosario and Andrés Giménez each contributed RBIs, while a fielding error by Laureano allowed Kwan to cross the plate.

Cleveland equalized the score at 4 in the fifth inning when Naylor singled off Athletics starter Paul Blackburn, bringing home Ramírez. They pulled even closer at 6-5 in the seventh inning when Josh Naylor blasted a solo home run. Josh Naylor had an outstanding game, going 4 for 4 at the plate.

With three hits in the game, José Ramírez reached a career total of 1,236 hits, surpassing Larry Doby to claim 17th place in Cleveland’s history books.

TRAINER’S ROOM

OF Will Brennan (left shoulder soreness) exited in the fifth inning, shortly after landing hard on his left side while making a diving catch on a liner by Jace Peterson. Brennan was in obvious pain after slowly getting up from the grass.

Up Next

Thursday 6/22 1:10 PM EST – Series Finale vs. Oakland A’s