The San Diego Padres pitching staff was marvelous on Saturday and Sunday.
After the Cleveland Guardians won the series opener on Friday, the Padres hurlers limited them to one run over the rest of the weekend, which was capped off with a 2-1 victory on Sunday.
For the second consecutive game, the Guards had no answer to Padres pitching.
Regroup.#ForTheLand pic.twitter.com/A96VtrZLzL
— Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) July 21, 2024
Dylan Cease handled them with ease on Saturday, and Michael King did it on Sunday with seven innings of just one run.
Cleveland infielder Angel Martinez broke a perfect game with a walk in the bottom of the fourth, and then he ended the no-hitter in the seventh frame with a single.
King was able to complete the seventh, conceding a single run.
In the afternoon, he surrendered two hits and a walk, striking out six.
Unlike Saturday, the Guardians pitching was actually competitive on Sunday’s finale, with Ben Lively throwing 5.1 frames and allowing two runs on six hits and two walks.
He fanned two Padres hitters and took the loss.
This time, Cleveland’s bullpen kept the game within reach, giving the offense a chance to come back in the late innings.
The Padres, however, sent their two best relievers to close out things: Jeremiah Estrada and closer Robert Suarez.
The former got two outs and the latter came in for a 1.1-inning save to secure the win for San Diego.
Fortunately for the Guardians, the Minnesota Twins lost again at the hands of the Milwaukee Brewers and remain five games behind in the AL Central standings.
NEXT: Guardians Offense Has An Off Night As Padres Avenge Friday's Defeat
