Guardians’ Logan Allen strikes out 8, wins MLB debut
CLEVELAND — Cleveland’s Logan Allen held the Miami Marlins to a solo homer and struck out eight over six innings to win his major league debut Sunday, a 7-4 victory that kept the Guardians from being swept.
Allen ended the day with the game’s lineup card and several baseballs. And the requisite beer bath mixed with shaving cream.
“It was a little cold, but it was awesome,” he said with a smile. “Anytime we’re celebrating something like that, it’s amazing.”
Allen’s performance came in front of his parents, brother, girlfriend, agent and other family members. He admitted he had trouble sleeping Saturday night.
“There was definitely a lot of nerves going into the game, but once I got to the bullpen and started throwing it felt normal,” Allen said. “I took it all in and appreciated what it was.”
Called up from Triple-A Columbus before the game, the 24-year-old left hander gave up a two-out homer to Jon Berti in the third. Otherwise, he allowed five hits and walked one, and finished with a flourish by striking out three around a one-out walk in the sixth.
Allen pounded his fist into his glove after Avisaíl García took a called strike three to end the inning. He received a loud ovation as he walked off the field and was greeted by his teammates when he reached the dugout.
He’s the third rookie to start a game for the Guardians, whose rotation is missing the injured Triston McKenzie and Aaron Civale.
“He had poise,” Cleveland manager Terry Francona said. “He threw three pitches. He attacked. He did really well.”
Allen struck out Berti on a 3-2 pitch and whiffed Garrett Cooper on three pitches to start the game. Jorge Solar doubled off the left-field wall, but Bryan De La Cruz grounded out.
“Getting the first out in any inning is big, but especially for the first time it was nice,” Allen said.
“He worked quick,” Miami manager Skip Schumaker said. “The second, third and fourth innings we wanted to disrupt him a little bit. It didn’t work. Credit to him with his composure out there. It didn’t matter what we did.”
Amed Rosario sparked Cleveland’s slumbering offense by going 4 for 5 with two singles, a triple and double while scoring three runs. José Ramírez, who had four RBIs, and Josh Bell hit back-to-back homers in the third.
Needing a home run for the cycle in the eighth, Rosario’s line drive to left hooked foul and he settled for an infield hit.
“I’d be lying to you if I said I wasn’t thinking about it, but my mindset was just to get a good pitch,” he said through a translator.
Garcia hit a three-run homer off James Karinchak in the eighth, but Emmanuel Clase pitched the ninth for his seventh save.
The Guardians had scored nine runs over their past 47 innings and had lost five of six going into Sunday.
Jesús Luzardo (2-1) allowed four runs in 4 1/3 innings. Miami has won 11 of 16.
PIRATES 2, REDS 0
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Vince Velasquez struck out 10 in seven innings and the Pittsburgh Pirates blanked the Cincinnati Reds 2-0 on Sunday for their seventh consecutive victory.
The surprising Pirates moved into first place in the NL Central and improved to 16-7 — the top record in the National League — for the franchise’s best start since its last division title in 1992.
It was the most strikeouts for Velasquez (3-2) since May 10, 2018, when he had 12 for the Phillies against the Giants. He allowed two hits and walked two.
David Bednar struck out two in the ninth for his eighth save, finishing a four-hitter.
Hunter Greene (0-1) pitched six innings of one-run ball for the Reds, who have dropped six in a row.
RED SOX 12, BREWERS 5
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Masataka Yoshida homered twice during Boston’s nine-run outburst in the eighth inning against Milwaukee.
Justin Turner and Yoshida started the eighth with back-to-back homers off Matt Bush (0-1) that gave the Red Sox a 5-4 lead. Yoshida then capped the inning with a grand slam off Javy Guerra.
Yoshida also had a sacrifice fly in the first and finished with six RBIs. He became the fifth Red Sox player to homer twice in one inning, and first since Hall of Fame slugger David Ortiz in August 2008.
Yoshida is the fourth rookie in major league history to hit two home runs in an inning and the first since Joe Pepitone for the New York Yankees in 1962, according to ESPN Stats &Info.
Boston bounced back after blowing an early 3-0 lead to move above .500 and win the weekend series. Kaleb Ort (1-0) got the victory.
Brian Anderson went deep twice for the Brewers.
RAYS 4, WHITE SOX 1
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Zach Eflin pitched five effective innings in his return from the injured list and Tampa Bay hit two more home runs, beating slumping Chicago for its 13th consecutive home win to begin the season.
Tampa Bay (19-3) tied the 2009 Los Angeles Dodgers for the second-longest home winning streak to start a season since 1901. The 1907 New York Giants opened with 15 straight wins at home.
Luke Raley and Harold Ramirez went deep for the Rays, who have homered in each of their first 22 games — extending their major league record. Tampa Bay has 48 home runs, second-most in big league history through 22 games behind the 2000 St. Louis Cardinals (52).
Eflin (3-0) allowed one run and three hits in a game that took only 2 hours, 2 minutes. Yonny Chirinos followed with three perfect innings. Peter Fairbanks worked a 1-2-3 ninth to get his third save and run his team-record scoreless streak to 29 innings.
Eloy Jiménez had an RBI double for the White Sox, who have lost nine of 11 and are 7-15 overall. Lucas Giolito (1-2) gave up four runs in seven innings.
BLUE JAYS 5, YANKEES 1
NEW YORK (AP) — Kevin Gausman struck out 11 in seven shutout innings, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Daulton Varsho hit back-to-back homers following an error by rookie shortstop Anthony Volpe, and Toronto handed New York its first series loss this season.
The Blue Jays won for the 12th time in 18 games, taking two of three in the Bronx. The Yankees had won or split their first six series, their longest streak to start a season since 2003.
New York had been 11-0 when facing a series loss and was the only major league team that hadn’t dropped a series this year.
Gausman (2-2) bounced back nicely from allowing eight runs Monday at Houston and held the Yankees to three hits.
Guerrero hit a two-run drive in the sixth off Clarke Schmidt (0-2) for his second homer of the series.
Anthony Rizzo homered in the ninth as the Yankees avoided being shut out for the first time this year.
RANGERS 5, ATHLETICS 2
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Jacob deGrom struck out 11 in six innings, showing no ill effects from the right wrist soreness that forced an early exit from his prior start, as AL West-leading Texas beat major league-worst Oakland.
Robbie Grossman hit a three-run homer and finished with four RBIs.
DeGrom (2-0) allowed three hits and walked none, giving up a two-run homer to Shea Langeliers. Will Smith worked a scoreless ninth to complete the five-hitter and earn his second save.
Kyle Muller (0-2) gave up four runs in five innings.
ASTROS 5, BRAVES 2
ATLANTA (AP) — Yordan Alvarez tied the game with a two-run single in the eighth inning, pinch-hitter Corey Julks had a go-ahead single in the ninth and Houston won its fourth straight.
Atlanta’s skid reached four games for the first time since August 2021.
Alvarez’s two-out, bases-loaded hit off A.J. Minter (1-2) made it 2-all. Julks singled to left-center off Minter in the ninth.
Hector Neris (2-1) worked a scoreless eighth and Bryan Abreu pitched the ninth for his second save.
GIANTS 5, METS 4
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Joc Pederson scored from first base on Mike Yastrzemski’s one-out double in the eighth inning, sending San Francisco past New York.
Activated off the injured list before the game, Pederson drove in the Giants’ first run with a single in the first and then started the winning rally with a walk against Drew Smith (1-1).
Thairo Estrada hit his fourth home run for the Giants, who won their second straight to split the four-game series.
Touted rookie Francisco Álvarez homered for the Mets.
