Steven Kwan hit a go-ahead solo homer in the seventh inning, and Jhonkensy Noel had a three-run blast in the fourth to help the Cleveland Guardians secure a 4-3 win over the Philadelphia Phillies on Sunday.
Kwan’s 11th homer of the season came off left-handed reliever José Alvarado (1-5), and it helped Cleveland win two out of three games in Philadelphia. With their 63rd win, the Guardians lead the American League and are only behind the Phillies (65) for the most wins in the majors.
“Home runs help,” Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said. “It’s not part of who we are, necessarily. But we have been able to hit them in big moments.”
Kyle Schwarber hit two homers for the Phillies, including a leadoff shot and a two-run homer in the fourth inning to give Philadelphia a 3-0 lead.
Tim Herrin (4-0) got one out in the sixth inning. Emmanuel Clase closed out the game with a scoreless ninth for his 33rd save. Cleveland’s six relievers pitched one-hit shutout ball and struck out six over the final 5 2/3 innings.
“That’s the beauty of this bullpen,” Vogt said. “They’ve done whatever we’ve asked of them. We needed to go to the pen early today and they came through.”
A potential World Series preview?
Maybe — though not with the matchup of Cantillo vs. Philadelphia’s Kolby Allard. Neither starter lasted beyond the fourth inning. Allard was called up from Triple-A Lehigh Valley to replace the injured Ranger Suárez in the rotation.
The Phillies are struggling after having their best start in franchise history. They have lost six of nine games since the All-Star break and eight of their last 12 games overall.
“We’ve got to straighten some things out, for sure,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said. “We’ve got to get back to winning series. Get back to winning the first game of the series, which is critical.”
