PITTSBURGH — What are the Guardians going to do with closer Emmanuel Clase?
Clase turned a 4-1 lead into a 4-4 tie in the ninth inning Sunday against the Pirates. The Guardians still managed to pull out a 5-4 win on Kyle Manzardo’s sacrifice fly in the 10th inning that scored automatic runner Jhonkensy Noel after Jose Ramirez had moved him to third with a groundout.
The victory completed a three-game sweep for the Guardians and gave them a 4-2 record on this trip through Baltimore and the Steel City that started by losing two out of three to the Orioles.
After saving the first two games of the series, Clase walked Emmanuel Valdez to start the ninth. Tommy Pham followed with double, and Adam Frazier brought them home with a double past third to make it 4-3.
Clase retired Isiah Kiner-Falefa on a fly ball to left, but Frazier stole third and scored on Ke’Bryan Hayes’ single to tie the score at 4-4.
Bryan Reynolds kept the rally going for the Pirates when he bounced a grounder off Clase’s body. Clase had a chance to pick it up and flip to first for the second out, but overran the ball to put runners on first and second.
Clase finally ended the inning by getting Andrew McCutchen to ground into a double play.
“I haven’t watched the replays, but anytime they’re finding barrels against Clase it’s because the ball is in the middle of the plate,” said manger Stephen Vogt. “He had the walk (to start the ninth) and some bad counts. The ball is just over the middle right now.”
Joey Cantillo pitched the 10th for his first career save. Clase backed into the victory.
Cantillo walked Joey Bart to start the 10th with the automatic runner already on second base. But Oneil Cruz grounded into a 4-6-3 double play and Valdez lined out to Noel in right field to end it.
“I had no idea if it was an out or not,” said Cantillo. “Thank God, Jhonkensy was there. It was a good day for that.”
Until the ninth, the game had gone the Guardians way. Manzardo’s two-run homer in the seventh gave the Guardians a 4-1 lead.
It was Manzardo’s team-high sixth homer, four of which have come against lefties. He finished with three RBI to give him the team lead with 16.
On Saturday, Manzardo became the first Cleveland player to homer into the Allegheny River that runs behind the right field bleachers at PNC Park. Sunday’s homer was hit in the same direction, but didn’t have the carry.
“I knew I got enough of it off the bat,” said Manzardo. “Then I remembered the wind was blowing in pretty hard today so I put a little pep in my step and hustled down the line until I saw it leave.”
Steven Kwan struck earlier, giving the Guardians a 2-0 lead in the third with his second homer of the trip and fourth of the season. Last year when Kwan hit a career-high 14 homers, he didn’t hit No. 4 until June 8.
Guardians shortstop Brayan Rocchio, batting ninth, started the inning with a single to right. Kwan ambushed Pittsburgh starter Mitch Keller’s first-pitch sinker and sent it into the right field bleachers.
Kwan has been experimenting with a torpedo bat on this trip as opposed to the hockey-puck handled bat he’s used since 2022. His first homer on the trip came on Tuesday against the Orioles at Camden Yards.
“I’m still experimenting,” said Kwan.
The Guardians missed a great chance to extend the lead in the sixth.
Carlos Santana drew a leadoff walk against Keller. Gabriel Arias doubled off the right field wall to send Santana to third. Santana hesitated for a moment on his way to second because he thought right fielder Bryan Reynolds was going to catch the ball, but he still made it to third.
Angel Martinez sent a grounder to first baseman Jared Triolo, who threw to third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes to catch Santana in a rundown as he tried to score on contact. Santana stayed in the rundown long enough to get Arias to third and Martinez to second.
Austin Hedges followed with another grounder to Triolo, who threw home to get Arias on a close play at the plate.
The inning ended when Rocchio sent a liner to center that Alexander Canario turned into the third out with a sprawling catch.
The Pirates made is 2-1 in the sixth on McCutchen’s double past third base. Reynolds, who had reached on a one-out single, scored from first. Cleveland starter Logan Allen raised the tension by walking Bart to bring right-hander Paul Sewald into the game to face Valdez, who was pinch-hitting.
Sewald’s first act of the inning was to make an errant pickoff attempt of McCutchen at second. McCutchen and Bart advanced a base. Sewald preserved the lead, however, by striking out Valdez.
Hunter Gaddis, Jakob Junis, Clase and Cantillo closed the game for Cleveland. Everyone except Clase pitched scoreless ball.
Allen allowed one run on five hits in 5 2/3 innings. He struck out five and walked one.
“Logan attacked the strike zone, got quick outs and was really efficient,” said Vogt.
In his last three starts, Allen has allowed one earned run in 21 innings. In two career starts against the Pirates, Allen has allowed one earned run in 10 2/3 innings.
Keller allowed two runs on five hits in five innings.
Next
The Guardians open a three-game series against the Yankees on Monday night at Progressive Field. RHP Gavin Williams (1-1, 4.58) will face the Yankees and right-hander Clarke Schmidt (0-0, 4.76) at 6:10 p.m. EDT.
