The Cleveland Guardians reached the eighth inning of Friday’s game against the Baltimore Orioles up 4-0, thanks in large part to an excellent outing by Tanner Bibee. A grand slam by Daniel Schneemann in the seventh put all four runs on the scoreboard.
However, the bullpen couldn’t do its job and lost the lead that the team had worked so hard to build. The O’s ended up winning 6-4 and tying the series after Cleveland took Thursday’s opener.
It was fun until it wasn't.#GuardsBall pic.twitter.com/8OKQENiuwf
— Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) April 18, 2026
Cleveland is now 11-10 in the season after the disappointing result.
Shawn Armstrong entered the game in that fateful eighth frame and immediately loaded the bases with two walks and a hit by pitch. Guardians manager Stephen Vogt decided to pull him, putting Erik Sabrowski to bail him out. It didn’t work.
The first batter that Sabrowski faced, former Guardian Johnathan Rodriguez, hit a sac fly to score Taylor Ward with the visitors’ first run. Then, Leody Taveras walked to load the bases again, setting up the scene for a two-run double by Weston Wilson. Cleveland still led at that point, but just by one run.
Vogt left Sabrowski for one more batter, and he struck out Coby Mayo for the second out. He then brought in Connor Brogdon, who immediately served up a go-ahead homer to Jeremiah Jackson. Just like that, Baltimore took a 6-4 lead and full control of the game.
Earlier in the evening, Orioles starter Chris Bassitt and Bibee traded zeroes in an exciting starting pitching duel. Baltimore’s bullpen cracked first in the bottom of the seventh, when Anthony Nunez surrendered the grand slam to Schneemann that appeared to put the Guardians close to a victory at that point. It just wasn’t meant to be.
Bibee gave the Guardians a magnificent outing, tossing six scoreless frames, in which he allowed four hits and three walks. He fanned five and lowered his ERA to a much more palatable 4.81. It’s still higher than it should be, but Friday represented a step in the right direction for him.
Hunter Gaddis pitched a scoreless seventh, striking out the side before the horror that took place in the eighth.
Cleveland and Baltimore will do it again on Saturday at 6:10 pm ET at Progressive Field. Gavin Williams will take the hill for the Guardians, facing Dean Kremer.
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