A lot of teams seemed to need the All-Star break, and that included the Guardians , who limped into the extra days off but still have the best record in the American League as the second half gets underway Friday night at Progressive Field.
The Guardians (58-37) welcome the San Diego Padres (50-49) to town for a three-game, weekend series. The team has already announced the games Friday and Saturday are sellouts.
Tanner Bibee , one of the only bright spots in the rotation in 2024, will take the mound opposite Matt Waldron, one of the few knuckleballers left in baseball.
Here's how Friday night's game unfolded.
Guardians beat the Padres 7-0
This game was closer than the score indicates, but the Guardians opened the second half with a shutout win over the Padres Friday night. Nick Sandlin worked the ninth inning.
The Guardians gave themselves some breathing room in the eighth.
After Jose Ramirez's two-run single, David Fry walked in a run, Brayan Rocchio brought home two runs with a single and Tyler Freeman tacked on another run with a sacrifice fly, making it 7-0.
And with that, Emmanuel Clase, who was warming up, has sat back down. Nick Sandlin will pitch the ninth.
With two runners on, Angel Martinez popped up a bunt that Manny Machado fielded, but he then slipped, allowing Martinez to reach first base and load the bases for Jose Ramirez with nobody out.
Ramirez came through for the Guardians, singling back up the middle to score two runs and extend Cleveland's lead to 3-0. Ramirez is now at 79 RBIs, second in the AL behind only Aaron Judge.
It's sort of amazing that, if the season concluded tonight, Ramirez would likely earn his fourth MVP Finalist nod (top three) without winning once.
Emmanuel Clase has gotten all the accolades, which is perhaps deserved, but Hunter Gaddis' value to the Guardians bullpen almost couldn't be overstated.
Gaddis pitched another scoreless eighth inning, as he's often done this season, and the Guardians are still holding onto a 1-0 lead. Gaddis' ERA is now 1.17.
Tanner Bibee's day is done after 5⅔ innings and 102 pitches. Bibee allowed only two hits, though he walked three and struck out three. Cade Smith entered the game and finished the sixth inning with the Guardians still holding onto a 1-0 lead.
The deadlock has been broken.
In the fifth, Daniel Schneemann put the Guardians on top with an RBI double to right-center field, scoring David Fry.
With a runner on and two outs in the fifth, Luis Arraez drove a ball into the right-center gap. Will Brennan tracked it down and caught it while sliding, likely saving a run and keeping the game scoreless.
Knuckleballer Matt Waldron is keeping the Guardians at bay thus far, as he's matched Bibee with four scoreless innings, two hits allowed and three strikeouts.
Two very different styles, nearly an identical stat line.
Tanner Bibee has looked strong tonight, tossing four scoreless innings thus far with only two hits allowed and three strikeouts. While much of the Guardians rotation has been in disarray all season, Bibee has continued to be one of the only constants.
The Guardians and Padres remain scoreless.
They saw the double play is a pitcher's best friend, but in this case, a pitcher's best friend is reflexes.
Padres pitcher Matt Waldron nearly took a line drive off his head only a few pitches into his outing, as Angel Martinez lined a ball right back to the mound. Waldron somehow contorted himself to not only get out of the way, but catch the liner as well.
Below is some pregame information.
Guardians announce July 19, July 20 games are sellouts
The Guardians sold out both Friday's and Saturday's games, which will bring their total to 11 sellouts this season, the most since they had 13 in 2017.
Emmanuel Clase closes out 2024 All-Star Game; David Fry hits RBI single, Steven Kwan scores for American League
The Guardians sent five representatives to the All-Star Game Tuesday night. All five entered the game, including Emmanuel Clase , who earned his second career All-Star save.
Jose Ramirez advances to second round of Home Run Derby
Jose Ramirez fared better in his second swing at the Home Run Derby.
Cleveland Guardians trade deadline preview 2024
The Guardians are entering the deadline in first place in the American League Central and could be buyers ahead of July 30. Here's a breakdown of their top needs and targets .
Cleveland Guardians 2025 schedule
Major League Baseball released the 2025 schedules Thursday.
Guardians select Travis Bazzana with No. 1 overall pick in MLB Draft
The Guardians took Travis Bazzana with the first overall selection in the MLB Draft.
How can I watch, listen or stream the Cleveland Guardians game today?
The game will be televised on Apple TV+. It'll be broadcast on the radio by WTAM (1100-AM) and WMMS (100.7-FM).
Next game on Guardians schedule
The Guardians open the second half with a seven-game homestand that includes three games against the San Diego Padres and four against the Detroit Tigers.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cleveland Guardians vs. San Diego Padres score recap; Guards win series opener
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