Mariners beat Guardians 3-2, hand Quantrill rare home loss

CLEVELAND (AP) — Eugenio Suárez drove in two runs and the Seattle Mariners got to Cal Quantrill early before handing Cleveland’s starter his first home loss since 2019 with a 3-2 win over the Guardians on Saturday night.

Seattle Mariners 3, Cleveland Guardians 2: Box Score

Suárez hit RBI singles in the first and second innings off Quantrill (0-1), who came in 14-0 in 34 regular-season starts at Progressive Field. The right-hander hadn’t lost a home start since Sept. 9, 2019, when he was with San Diego.

Quick start 👊 pic.twitter.com/3me8H9kFcr

— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) April 8, 2023

Marco Gonzales (1-0) allowed one run in 5 2/3 innings, and Seattle’s bullpen came through again as the Mariners won their sixth straight in Cleveland. The Mariners’ relievers combined for five scoreless innings in Friday’s win.

Paul Sewald put two on in the ninth before getting his second save in two days.

Seattle’s hitters wasted no time in jumping on Quantrill, scoring two runs in the first inning off the right-hander, who needed 35 pitches to get three outs but avoided more extensive damage by leaving the bases loaded.

Suárez and Jarred Kelenic hit RBI singles in the first as Seattle played from in front after rallying to win Friday.

Suárez had another run-scoring single in the second to bring in Ty France, who doubled with one out.

Ty's getting his steps in today 😅 pic.twitter.com/eiIiYy5xP0

— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) April 8, 2023

Cleveland got a run back in the fifth on Myles Straw’s RBI double, and the Guardians threatened for more.

But with runners at first and second, Mariners center fielder Julio Rodríguez ran down Amed Rosario’s shot toward the right-field gap and shortstop J.P. Crawford snagged a José Ramírez line drive to end the inning.

The Guardians closed within 3-2 in the seventh on Ramírez’s bloop RBI single off Gabe Speier, who worked out of a bases-loaded jam by retiring Josh Naylor on a fly ball and Oscar Gonzalez on a grounder.

ELITE COMPANY

Rodríguez is one of just three players in history to hit 30 homers and steal 20 bases in his first 140 career games.

The others to do it: Darryl Strawberry and Fernando Tatis Jr.

PITCH IMPERFECT

Shane Bieber had a bad feeling about Travis Kelce’s ceremonial first pitch before it was even thrown.

As Bieber took the field before Friday’s home opener to catch Kelce, the Super Bowl-winning tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs, Cleveland’s ace warned Slider, the team’s furry mascot, that they could be targets.

“I told him, ‘Slider, if he spikes it, I’m going to try and pick it, but I need you to body up in front of me,’” Bieber said Saturday.

That’s what happened as Kelce fired his pitch into the grass with the hard one-hopper whizzing past a startled Bieber, who was still chuckling about it a day later.

“I wish I would have put a glove on it for the boys,” said Bieber, who won a Gold Glove last season. “I looked around for Slider. He bailed.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Guardians: The team is hoping for a positive report on starting RHP Triston McKenzie, who will be reevaluated Sunday. McKenzie has been sidelined with a strained teres major (shoulder) muscle, and it’s possible he could be out two months. “By his account he’s doing good,” managerTerry Francona said, “which is probably the biggest thing of all.” McKenzie went 11-11 with a 2.96 ERA in 30 starts last season.

UP NEXT

Mariners RHP George Kirby (0-1) starts the series finale against Guardians RHP Zach Plesac (0-0), who lasted just one inning in his season debut last week.

Julio Rodríguez homers as Mariners wreck Guardians’ home opener