CLEVELAND (AP) — Zach Eflin won his second straight start since joining Baltimore’s rotation and Gunnar Henderson had three hits and an RBI as the Orioles stopped Cleveland’s five-game winning streak, beating the Guardians 7-4 on Saturday night.
Eflin (7-7) cooled off the AL Central-leading Guardians, holding them to two runs and four hits in 6 1/3 innings. The right-hander was acquired from Tampa Bay on July 26 for three minor leaguers.
Baltimore’s Adley Rutschman had a pinch-hit, two-run triple in the eighth inning when the Orioles scored four times to take a 7-2 lead.
Henderson snapped a 2-2 tie with an RBI single in the fifth as Baltimore stayed tied with the New York Yankees atop the AL East.
José Ramírez and rookie Angel Martínez hit two-run homers for the Guardians, who still have the majors’ best record at 67-43.
Ramírez’s homer in the eighth was his 29th and Cleveland’s 125th this season, surpassing the club’s total in 2023.
The Orioles were leading 3-2 and had runners at first and third in the eighth, when Rutschman ripped a liner to right that fooled rookie Jhonkensy Noel. When Noel slipped and fell, the ball rolled to the wall, allowing both runners to score and Rutschman scrambled into third safely with a headfirst slide.
Pinch-hitter Ryan O’Hearn followed with an RBI single to make it 6-2 and rookie Jackson Holliday’s run-scoring hit capped the Orioles’ outburst.
Elfin was followed by Cionel Pérez and Seranthony Domínguez, who got it to thr ninth before Yennier Cano worked the ninth for his fifth save.
Rookie Joey Cantillo (0-1) started for Cleveland in place of Tanner Bibee, who had his outing pushed back a few days due to tightness in his right shoulder. Bibee leads the Guardians in innings and strikeouts.
Cantillo allowed three runs and six hits in four innings.
Down 2-0, the Orioles tied it in the fourth on Eloy Jiménez’s first RBI since coming over in a trade from the White Sox and a run-scoring single by Colton Cowser, who extended his hitting streak to 16 games.
WELCOME HOME
CC Sabathia made Cleveland’s Hall of Fame. Cooperstown could be next.
Sabathia, who won 251 career games before retiring in 2019, was inducted by the Guardians in a pregame ceremony. He was joined on the field by several former teammates, including Hall of Famer Jim Thome.
While the 2007 AL Cy Young winner played 11 seasons with the Yankees, Sabathia has a soft spot for his first baseball home.
“This place is always special to me because I was born and raised in California, but I grew up in Cleveland,” Sabathia said.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Guardians: Manager Stephen Vogt said he’s “not overly concerned” about Bibee, who dealt with shoulder discomfort earlier this season. … RHP Alex Cobb, acquired earlier this week in a trade from San Francisco, struck out five in 4 2/3 innings for Triple-A Columbus in possibly his last start before joining Cleveland’s rotation. The 36-year-old hasn’t pitched in the majors this season after undergoing hip surgery.
UP NEXT
Guardians RHP Gavin Williams (1.3, 2.72 ERA) starts the series finale against Orioles RHP Corbin Burnes (11-4, 2.47), who is 2-0 with a 1.83 ERA in three career starts against the Guardians. Burnes also leads the majors with 18 quality starts.
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