Dylan Cease allowed only one hit and struck out 10 batters over seven innings, while Jake Cronenworth hit a home run and drove in three runs to help the San Diego Padres defeat the AL Central-leading Cleveland Guardians 7-0 on Saturday night.
Jeremiah Estrada pitched a perfect eighth inning, and Yuki Matsui closed out the game with a flawless ninth, securing a combined one-hitter as San Diego climbed back above .500 at 51-50.
“This was a great rebound, exactly what we needed,” Cronenworth commented. “Dylan was really impressive tonight, and it looks like he’s hitting his stride.”
Cease (9-8) allowed just two baserunners all game — Tyler Freeman’s triple in the third inning and Andrés Giménez’s walk in the fifth. His scoreless streak extended to 13 innings, and his 10 strikeouts pushed his total to a major league-leading 159 for the season.
“Cease was outstanding tonight; he had everything working for him,” remarked Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt. “Other than the pitch Freeman capitalized on, we couldn’t touch him.”
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This marked Cease’s fourth game of the season with double-digit strikeouts and the 21st of his career. Acquired in a trade from the White Sox in March, he has already pitched two one-hit shutouts for San Diego.
“It’s really enjoyable when you’re in control and executing at a high level like tonight,” Cease said. “I feel like I’m in a good rhythm, and hitters are struggling to pick up my pitches.”
The Guardians, who have the best home record in the majors at 31-12, suffered only their sixth loss in their last 26 games at Progressive Field. This was their first one-hit game since September 23, 2023, against Baltimore.
San Diego’s offense was also effective, with Luis Campusano driving in two runs with singles and David Peralta adding a solo home run.
“Dylan was dominant; he couldn’t have been much better,” praised Padres manager Mike Shildt. “He gets an A-plus-plus for tonight’s performance.”