Cleveland Guardians beat up Blue Jays to keep the good times rolling

Cal Quantrill gave up just one hit over seven innings, José Ramírez clubbed a three-run homer, and the Cleveland Guardians opened their weekend series against the Toronto Blue Jays in big fashion with an 8-0 victory.

The win, which saw Josh Naylor hit a home run as well and Amed Rosario collect two RBIs of his own, pushed the Guardians record to 60-52 and allowed them to maintain their 1.5-game lead in the AL Central.

Cleveland knocked around Toronto starter José Berríos, who has struggled this season to a 5.61 ERA in 23 starts. This also continues Berríos’s struggles against the Guardians, as he now holds a 4.73 ERA against the team in 17 career starts, dating back to his time with the Twins.

The Guardians put five on the board in the third inning, thanks to Rosario’s two-run single, Naylor’s home run, and a sacrifice fly from Ramírez. Ramírez also golfed out a three-run home run to essentially put the game away in the fourth, and the Guardians cruised from there.

Oh yeah, and Steven Kwan not only got another hit, but made a spectacular leaping catch in left early in the game. Ever since his 18-game hitting streak was snapped, Kwan has just picked up where he left off, as he’s now working on a new five-game hitting streak in which he’s hitting .389 with five walks and just one strikeout.

But we’ve talked plenty about this young, new-look Guardians lineup that continues to impress. Cleveland’s pitching staff is really starting to find its rhythm as well, and it couldn’t be coming at a better time. With Quantrill’s shutout, his season ERA now sits at 3.67, but most importantly, he hasn’t given up a run in his last 15 innings of work. He’s also just pitched consecutive shutouts against two of the best offenses in baseball in the Houston Astros and Blue Jays, striking out 11 and walking just one.

With Shane Bieber and Triston McKenzie also pitching well, the Guardians are beginning to fire on all cylinders, which is ultimately how the youngest team in baseball currently finds itself atop the division standings.