Josh Naylor’s RBI single, lifts Guardians past Tigers 2-1

CLEVELAND (AP) – Josh Naylor singled with two outs in the eighth inning, scoring younger brother Bo Naylor with the go-ahead run, as the AL Central-leading Cleveland Guardians edged the Detroit Tigers 2-1 on Wednesday night.

Bo Naylor drew a walk against Beau Brieske (1-1), then stole second base. Following an intentional walk to José Ramírez, Josh Naylor lined a ball up the middle that second baseman Colt Keith could only deflect into center field.

Hunter Gaddis (4-2) struck out all three batters in the eighth, and Emmanuel Clase pitched the ninth for his AL-high 31st save to complete a combined two-hitter.

Guardians ace Tanner Bibee left after five innings with leg cramps. The right-hander winced while walking onto the field to begin the sixth and spent several minutes stretching his legs, to no avail.

Bibee gave up one run on Matt Vierling’s homer in the first, striking out four. Vierling’s opposite-field shot to right was his career-high 13th home run.

Cleveland improved to 33-14 at Progressive Field, the second-best home mark in the majors.

Tigers starter Jack Flaherty – a prime candidate to be moved before the July 30 trade deadline – worked six innings, allowing one unearned run with six strikeouts. The right-hander is 2-0 with a 1.02 ERA in three July starts.

Cleveland tied the score at 1 in the fifth on Steven Kwan’s RBI single. Bo Naylor came home after hitting a single, then advancing to second on a passed ball by Carson Kelly.

Kwan, who leads the majors in hitting, went 1 for 4, dropping his batting average to .345.

Tigers shortstop Javier Báez, who is hitting .178, batted ninth for the first time this season and was 0 for 3. Detroit manager A.J. Hinch said the decision “is not a slap in the face to him. We’re just trying to construct a lineup to give Cleveland different looks.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Guardians: LHP Matthew Boyd (Tommy John surgery) threw a bullpen at Progressive Field in preparation for his third rehab appearance. The 33-year-old Boyd will start for Triple-A Columbus or Double-A Akron this weekend.

UP NEXT

Guardians RHP Gavin Williams (0-2, 4.50 ERA) makes his fifth start of the season in the series finale, five days after pitching a season-low 3 2/3 innings in a loss to San Diego. The Tigers had not announced a scheduled starter, and Hinch said multiple relievers will be used.

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