Despite falling behind early, the Cleveland Guardians’ offense was relentless on Saturday night and beat the Athletics 12-6 at Progressive Field in the second game of the series, following Friday’s 5-3 win. It was the Guards’ fourth consecutive victory, and it took their record to 80-75.
It was, without a doubt, the Angel Martinez game. The versatile switch-hitter homered from both sides of the plate and went 4-for-5 with three runs scored and four RBI in an amazing offensive display.
The Chicago White Sox also won on Saturday, which means they remain a game behind the Guardians for the top spot in the AL Central. The fight for the division will go down to the wire, especially considering that Cleveland needs to finish ahead of the Sox to secure the crown.
Big series win for the boys!#GuardsBall | #GuardiWWWWins pic.twitter.com/gSfTZHa5Bx
— Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) September 20, 2026
Tanner Bibee was subpar on Saturday, but the offense was so prolific that he didn’t really need to bring his A-game. He pitched just 4.2 innings and surrendered a whopping 12 hits and six runs, with no walks and two strikeouts.
The Athletics landed the first blow in the top of the first. Consecutive singles by Zack Gelof and Donovan Walton drove in Shea Langeliers and Lawrence Butler, respectively, to give the visitors a 2-0 lead.
Steven Kwan and Jose Ramirez led off the bottom of the inning with consecutive singles, setting up the scene for rookie Chase DeLauter’s 15th homer of the season, flipping the score for Cleveland just three hitters into the game.
That wasn’t all. Jo Adell hit another single, and Martinez drove in a couple more with a two-run shot before the Athletics’ Jacob Lopez recorded the first out.
Walton plated Butler with a single in the top of the third against Bibee, but the Guardians would have another huge outburst in the bottom of the inning. David Fry hit a two-run double, and, a couple of batters later, Austin Hedges brought Fry home with another two-bagger.
Later in the same inning, Rocchio contributed an RBI double for Cleveland’s ninth run, and Kwan brought him home with an RBI single to make it a 10-3 ballgame.
Henry Bolte’s base knock plated Alika Williams with the A’s fourth run in the fourth, but Martinez hit his second homer of the night, this time from the left side of the plate, in the bottom of the inning to reestablish Cleveland’s seven-run lead.
Walton homered with Gelof on board in the fifth, as the A’s tried to make it a ballgame by cutting the deficit to five runs, at 11-6. That long ball and a double he allowed to Carlos Cortes marked the end of Bibee’s horrendous outing before completing the fifth frame.
Martinez struck again in the bottom of the sixth with an RBI single, bringing home Ramirez and putting the final touches on the scoreboard, at 12-6.
Besides Martinez, DeLauter drove in three runs and also left the yard. Kwan, Ramirez, and Adell each racked up two hits, and Fry drove in a couple of runs. Matt Festa, Tim Herrin, and Slade Cecconi relieved Bibee and took the Guardians to the promised land, allowing no runs over 4.1 innings.
On a down note, Rocchio was removed from the game “for precautionary reasons with left leg tightness”, per the team.
The series will continue on Sunday, as the Guardians will go for the sweep behind Gavin Williams starting at 1:40 pm ET. Jack Perkins will take the ball for the A’s.
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