The Cleveland Guardians needed every bit of help they could get to avoid losing yet another series.
They got that with a walk-off hit by Kyle Manzardo, securing a 4-3 win over the Tampa Bay Rays.
However, none of that would’ve been possible without Slade Cecconi.
The Guardians’ hurler had another strong outing for Stephen Vogt’s team, reaching a notorious career milestone in the win:
“Cecconi passed the 100-inning mark (102) for the first time in his big-league career,” Hoynes wrote.
Unfortunately, Cecconi didn’t factor in the decision.
He was out there for six innings and gave up three earned runs on six hits, striking out four hitters and not issuing a single walk.
This was his second consecutive quality start, tossing 63 strikes on 99 pitches.
Cecconi is trending in the right direction at the right time, logging five quality starts in eight games since the All-Star break.
He hasn’t necessarily been sharp when he hasn’t been able to go deep in games, but he’s shown that he can be a reliable hurler when he’s at his best.
The Guardians have seemingly found another star in Parker Messick, and John Means is inching closer to making his debut after recovering from Tommy John surgery, so Cecconi needs to keep this going in his next start to make a case for keeping his spot in the rotation.
He will get the ball next week in the series against the Boston Red Sox, and he will have to emulate what he did on Wednesday to put Stephen Vogt in a real predicament to determine his rotation for the remainder of the season.
NEXT: Kyle Manzardo Joins Elite Guardians Company With Walk-Off Hit
