Shane Bieber pitched well once again, throwing six scoreless innings for the second game in a row. His performance helped the Cleveland Guardians secure a 5-2 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday night.
Bieber, who won the AL Cy Young Award in 2020, was impressive on the mound. He struck out nine batters, didn’t walk anyone, and threw 55 of his 83 pitches for strikes. Despite allowing six hits, he didn’t let any Mariners advance past second base.
Cleveland’s manager, Stephen Vogt, praised Bieber’s performance, especially on a cold and windy night. Bieber’s dominance in back-to-back games was a sight to behold.
In what is his last season before he can become a free agent, the 28-year-old right-hander has given up only 10 hits in 12 innings, with an impressive 20 strikeouts and just one walk.
Emmanuel Clase closed out the game with a one-hit ninth inning, earning his second save of the season.
Offensively, Bo Naylor contributed with a two-run homer in the fifth inning off Luis Castillo, who struggled on the mound for the Mariners. Castillo allowed four runs and 10 hits in 5 2/3 innings, bringing his ERA to 6.75 for the season.
Naylor’s performance in the series has been , going 4 for 7 in the first two games.
Will Brennan added an RBI single in the fourth inning, while Steven Kwan’s bunt single in the fifth led to a throwing error by third baseman Josh Rojas, allowing Brayan Rocchio to score. Tyler Freeman’s sacrifice fly in the seventh extended Cleveland’s lead to 5-0.
Although Rojas and J.P. Crawford managed to drive in runs for the Mariners in the bottom half of the seventh, it wasn’t enough to overcome the Guardians’ lead.
