Guardians hit three HRs, pile up 14 runs to beat Athletics

Light-hitting backup catcher Austin Hedges smacked two doubles and his first homer of the year to pace the visiting Cleveland Guardians to a 14-6 victory over the Athletics on Saturday afternoon in West Sacramento, Calif.

David Fry and Kyle Manzardo also went deep for the Guardians, who bashed 14 hits to set up a chance for the three-game sweep on Sunday. Starter Slade Cecconi (1-4) allowed five runs in 5 1/3 innings.

Shea Langeliers had a banner day for the A's, hitting his team-high ninth and 10th home runs of the season. Starter Jacob Lopez (2-2) gave up six runs and eight hits over 5 1/3 innings.

The Athletics took a 2-0 lead on the first of Langeliers' long balls, a two-run shot off Cecconi in the first.

Hedges responded with a solo shot in the third before the Athletics answered with a run in the fourth on a Jeff McNeil RBI single.

Hedges started the Guardians' four-run rally in the fifth with a double. He scored on Steven Kwan's bloop single, Angel Martinez followed with another single and then Jose Ramirez's double scored Kwan and Martinez to give Cleveland its first lead. Rhys Hoskins' sacrifice fly pushed the score to 5-3.

After Langeliers and Fry traded solo shots, McNeil got his second RBI of the game with a sac fly in the sixth and the A's threatened to tie or take the lead with runners on the corners. Hedges came up with the defensive play of the game to end the inning, a perfectly executed back-pick of Lawrence Butler at first base.

Cleveland poured it on in the later innings. In the seventh, Fry drew a bases-loaded walk and Travis Bazzana knocked in two with a single up the middle. It was the perfect time for Bazzana's first major league hit after he was 0-for-12 at the plate to begin his career.

Manzardo added on with a pinch-hit three-run homer in the eighth. Colin Holderman gave up an RBI single to Nick Kurtz in the bottom of the inning, but he forced Langeliers to pop out to leave the bases loaded.

Cleveland plated two more in the ninth to complete the blowout win.

Kurtz went 2-for-5, but failed to walk to end his streak of 20 games with at least one free pass. That shares second on the all-time list with Barry Bonds (2002-03). The Detroit Tigers' Roy Cullenbine set the record with 22 straight games in 1947.

--Field Level Media