In the game between the Cleveland Guardians and the Kansas City Royals, the Guardians emerged victorious with a 3-0 win. Aaron Civale, the starting pitcher for the Guardians, had an impressive performance, striking out a season-high nine batters over seven innings. He allowed only two hits and did not issue any walks. Civale’s strong outing lowered his earned run average (ERA) to 2.56. This was his seventh start since returning from a two-month absence due to a strained left oblique.
The Guardians’ offense was propelled by Josh Bell, who hit a two-run homer in the fourth inning off Royals starter Daniel Lynch. This extended the Guardians’ lead to 3-0. Bell has hit nine home runs so far this season. Another key contributor to the Guardians’ offense is Josh Naylor, who singled home Amed Rosario in the first inning and also scored on Bell’s home run.
The game was notable for its brevity, as it was completed in just 1 hour and 51 minutes. This made it the shortest nine-inning contest in the history of Progressive Field, the home stadium of the Guardians, which opened in 1994.
Defensively, Trevor Stephan pitched the eighth inning for the Guardians, and Emmanuel Clase closed the game in the ninth to secure his 25th save of the season. The Guardians limited the Royals to just two hits, resulting in a two-hitter.
With the win, the Cleveland Guardians improved their record to .500 (44-44) for the first time since April 28, when they had a 13-13 record. The Royals, on the other hand, have been struggling on their current road trip, losing all five games and being outscored 31-8.
In Saturday’s game three of the series, the Royals’ right-handed pitcher Brady Singer (5-7, 5.52 ERA) is set to face the Guardians’ top prospect, right-handed pitcher Gavin Williams (0-1, 3.79 ERA). Williams has performed well in his first three starts in the majors, holding opponents to a .185 batting average.
MLB scores from Friday, July 7, 2023:
Atlanta 2, Tampa Bay 1
Chicago (NL) 3, New York (AL) 0
Texas 7, Washington 2
Chicago (AL) 8, St. Louis 7
Los Angeles (NL) 11, Los Angeles (AL) 4
Toronto 12, Detroit 2
Boston 7, Oakland 3
Cleveland 3, Kansas City 0
Baltimore 3, Minnesota 1 (10)
Seattle 10, Houston 1
Philadelphia 4, Miami 3
Milwaukee 7, Cincinnati 3
New York (NL) 7, San Diego 5 (10)
Arizona 7, Pittsburgh 3
Colorado 5, San Francisco 2
