After having Thursday, April 3 off, the Cleveland Guardians were back in action against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. The Guardians looked to bounce back from a disappointing sweep to the San Diego Padres earlier in the week. After scoring four runs in three games, the visitors were hoping to take a game or two versus the Angels who have started the season 4-2. The Angels’ home opener was on Friday, April 4 with Gavin Williams taking the start for the Guardians while Jose Soriano began for the home side. The Guardians snapped the three-game skid with an 8-6 win over the Angels.
Williams is coming off his first outing in Kansas City where he threw five innings of work striking out two and walking one. He only gave up two runs on four hits. His ERA after the one start sits at 3.60 and carries a WHIP of 1.00. He was looking for his first win of the very young 2025 season for the Guardians. Williams had a 2024 record of 3-10 and an ERA of 4.86. He looked to turn the ship around and be on the winning end of things and hopes to eclipse 100 strikeouts this season after only having 79 in 76 innings pitched last year.
Jose Ramirez got things started for the Guardians in the top of the first inning when he hit a solo home run off of Soriano to right field. It was his second home run of the season to get Cleveland out front early. His last home run was back in the 7-2 loss in game one of the series against the San Diego Padres. That’s two first game of the series homers for Ramirez.
Bryan Rocchio had a clutch two-out RBI double in the top of the second to score Gabrial Arias from first base. The Guardians caught the Angels off guard as they sent Arias home who beat the bang-bang relay. He barely beat Logan O’Hoppe’s tag, which gave the visitors a one-run lead again.
Ramirez in the top of the fifth inning had a clutch two-run home run to tie the game 4-4 for his second of the game. He has three home runs this season within the last four games. He scored three of the Guardians’ four runs in the game’s first five innings.
Similar to Ramirez, Rocchio had a clutch hit for the Guardians after coming in with the bases loaded and two outs when Arias walked the at-bat before. He was able to get the bat on the ball and it somehow got through the infield as a single scores Kyle Manzardo and Bo Naylor. Another two RBIs from the number nine hitter made it a 6-4 Guardians lead in the top of the sixth inning. Rocchio went two for four with three RBIs.
Manzardo with Steven Kwan on third and Carlos Santana on first with one out in the top of the seventh was able to lift the ball to left field. It was unfortunately caught, however, he was able to score Kwan on the SAC Fly to extend the Guardians’ lead to 7-4 over the Angels. Disgusting baseball at its finest for the guys from Cleveland.
In the top of the ninth inning, once again it was Ramirez going with the long ball as his third home run of the game – another solo shot – made it a 9-4 Guardians lead. Ramirez went three-for-four with four RBIs. Have a night Jose.
When it came to the pitching, Williams struggled for the most part outside of striking out five batters in his second start of the season. He only managed to pitch three innings of work giving up four runs – two earned – on five hits and walked three in the process. His night was done early as Jakob Junis came in to pitch in the fourth.
Junis pitched one inning striking out two. Another great performance by him to keep his ERA at 0.00 after four innings pitched in four appearances this season. Tim Herrin came on to relieve him in the bottom of the fifth. Herrin saw the bases get loaded after a called three strike was instead called a ball somehow and then hit the next batter to load the bases. Thankfully, a Jo Addell fly out to Lane Thomas saw him get out of the insane jam with the game tied. Herrin pitched one inning giving up one hit, a walk, and striking out two to lower his ERA to 2.70.
Cade Smith comes in to pitch in the bottom of the sixth inning and continues to dominate early in the 2025 season. Just like in 2024, he pitched an inning, allowing no hits, no walks, and struck out two keeping his ERA at 0.00. Death, taxes, Cade Smith is dialed in for the Guardians.
In the bottom of the seventh, Paul Sewald came into pitch for the Guardians. He almost gave up a tying three-run home run but thankfully the ball died on the warning track with a catch from Kwan. In his one inning of work, Sewald gave up two hits and struck out one seeing his ERA drop to 5.40 after it was over 7+.
Hunter Gaddis came in to pitch for the Guardians in the bottom of the eighth looking to keep his ERA at 0.00 after pitching 2 1⁄3 before coming into the game. He ended up finishing the inning of work allowing a leadoff single and then striking out two. Furthermore, Gaddis keeps his ERA at a perfect zero point zero-zero.
Emmanuel Clase came in for the bottom of the ninth for the Guardians looking to get some work in. Unfortunately, he did give up a solo home run to see his pitching struggles continue early in the 2025 season for Clase. In the one inning of work, he allowed two runs on three hits to see his ERA go up to 6.75. It’s still early, however, you have to hope he locks it in soon and be somewhat near the 2024 Clase. Not a great start to the season for a guy who had a sub .70 ERA one season ago.
