Ortiz Dominates on Mound as Guardians Defeat Athletics 4-2

Luis Ortiz delivered a commanding performance Saturday night, striking out ten batters over six scoreless innings while allowing just two hits. His efforts propelled the Cleveland Guardians to a 4-2 victory against the Athletics.

In a pivotal second inning, José Ramírez highlighted the scoring with his 900th career RBI, contributing to a four-run surge. Back-to-back doubles from Bo Naylor and Johnathan Rodríguez off Athletics starter Mitch Spence (2-2) set the tone, followed by run-scoring singles from Steven Kwan and Ramírez.

Ortiz (4-8) showcased his skills, walking two batters and matching his season-high strikeout total. This outing was a stark contrast to his previous two starts, where he allowed 14 hits and 10 earned runs across just 10 2/3 innings.

Emmanuel Clase closed the game with a flawless ninth inning, securing his 17th save in 20 opportunities.

The Athletics managed to score in the seventh inning when Austin Wynns hit an RBI double off reliever Cade Smith. Brent Rooker then led off the eighth with a triple against Hunter Gaddis, later scoring on a sacrifice fly from Max Muncy.

Spence, who had made 22 relief appearances prior to this game, struggled in his fourth consecutive start, yielding four runs and eight hits over 4 2/3 innings. In his earlier starts, he had only allowed two runs—both on solo home runs—while pitching five innings each time.

Cleveland improved to 38-37 with this win, marking their third victory on a nine-game road trip that concludes Sunday.

The Athletics fell to 32-47, struggling at their temporary home, Sutter Health Park, with a record of 15-26.

In a critical moment during the seventh inning, Smith struck out Denzel Clarke and then retired Jacob Wilson on a line drive to first base, maintaining the Guardians' lead at 4-1.

Despite scoring 335 runs this season compared to the Guardians' 283, the Athletics' pitching staff has been less effective, surrendering 459 runs—150 more than Cleveland's pitchers.

Looking ahead, Guardians right-hander Slade Cecconi (2-3, 4.15 ERA) is set to start Sunday against Athletics lefty JP Sears (5-6, 5.45) as the series wraps up.