Slade Cecconi dominant as Guardians sweep Astros

Angel Martinez and Jose Ramirez hit back-to-back home runs in the first inning in support of right-hander Slade Cecconi, who recorded a career-high nine strikeouts to lead the Cleveland Guardians to a 4-2 win over the host Houston Astros on Wednesday and a three-game series sweep.

The Guardians recorded their first series sweep of the Astros since May 19-21, 2017, and produced their first series sweep since April 18-20 against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The Astros suffered their second series sweep at home, the first coming against the San Francisco Giants during their first homestand. The Astros were swept for a second time overall.

Cecconi (4-4) carried a shutout into the eighth inning before the Astros finally broke through. He faced the minimum number of batters in the first, third, fifth and sixth innings, striking out the side in the bottom of the fifth. Cecconi induced Jose Altuve to ground into an inning-ending double play in the first inning and struck out Cooper Hummel and Taylor Trammell to cap the third after surrendering consecutive one-out singles to Victor Caratini and Yainer Diaz.

Cecconi retired 11 of 12 batters before Trammell worked a leadoff walk in the eighth and Mauricio Dubon followed with a run-scoring double to left-center field that pulled the Astros to within 4-1. Dubon later scored when Altuve doubled off Guardians reliever Jakob Junis.

Cecconi was charged with two runs on five hits and two walks over seven innings. He threw 98 pitches and recorded eight groundball outs to pair with his nine strikeouts. Before the Dubon double, the Astros managed to hit only three balls in the air, all to Guardians left fielder Steven Kwan.

Martinez, whose 10th-inning grand slam off Astros closer Josh Hader was the decisive blow in a 10-6 win on Tuesday, blasted his seventh homer with one out in the first off Astros left-hander Brandon Walter (1-2). His 374-foot shot to left field provided the Guardians a 1-0 lead, an advantage Ramirez doubled with his 17th homer and third of the series immediately thereafter.

Walter was impeccable after falling into that two-run hole. He retired the final 17 batters he faced and recorded seven strikeouts over six innings.

Jonathan Rodriguez produced a two-run single off Astros reliever Bennett Sousa in the seventh.

--Field Level Media