Major league batting leader Steven Kwan hit a solo home run and scored twice, while Jhonkensy Noel also homered and drove in two runs to help the AL Central-leading Cleveland Guardians defeat the San Francisco Giants 5-4 on Saturday.
The Guardians boast the best home record in baseball, winning 18 of their last 23 games at Progressive Field, and have moved into first place in the AL, surpassing Baltimore.
“There’s a clear mindset among the guys here,” Noel said via translator Agustin Rivero. “We play to win because winning matters to us.”
Kwan, who will start in the outfield at the All-Star Game, went 2 for 4 to raise his average to .365. He extended his streak of hitting safely against National League teams to 11 games, batting .413 in interleague play.
Noel hit his third home run in eight games since debuting on June 26. His towering solo shot in the sixth inning off Luke Jackson increased Cleveland’s lead to 5-3.
“As a power hitter, I know pitchers will come after me, so I need to stay disciplined, patient, and give my best effort,” Noel said.
Pedro Avila (3-1) earned the win with 1 1/3 innings of one-run relief. Emmanuel Clase notched his AL-leading 26th save, though he walked Matt Chapman in the ninth.
Tyler Fitzgerald contributed a two-run single, Michael Conforto added an RBI double, and Chapman scored on a double-steal for the Giants. Despite winning eight of their last 12 games, they fell short of reaching .500 for the first time since May 31.
Fitzgerald’s key hit came during the Giants’ three-run fifth inning, and he followed it by stealing second base, prompting Chapman to attempt to score on the return throw to the plate. It marked San Francisco’s first successful steal of home in seven years.
“I wasn’t supposed to go, but I saw the throw to second and took the chance,” Chapman said. “Cleveland has quality pitchers, so you have to seize opportunities like that in critical situations.”
