It’s hard to say that the Cleveland Guardians have played a better game this season.
Following back-to-back losses and back-to-back series losses, the Guardians responded with a win over the Baltimore Orioles.
On Thursday, April 16, the Guardians played host to the Orioles to begin a four-game series at Progressive Field, downing them in a dominant showing, 4-2. Not only was starting pitcher Parker Messick dealing, striking out nine batters and going through eight innings, but the bats answered the call alongside him, contributing eight total hits.
With the win, the Guardians bounce up to 11-9 on the campaign and start the series with a 1-0 edge.
The Near No-Hitter… And Then Cade Smith
If it weren’t for Messick, the game probably wouldn’t have gone as smoothly as it did.
“He pushes the tempo. He dictates how quick that game’s going to go,” Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said about Messick’s day. “He taxes the strike zone. Works quick. We talk about it I feel like every five days. That was very special that we got to watch tonight. That’s an unbelievably talented lineup that he took a no-hitter into the ninth. [He] just continued to attack, continued to give them different looks throughout the whole game….
“That arsenal and the way they just, that was a beautiful, beautiful game.”
In the first inning, Messick trotted out onto the mound and allowed a walk immediately. However, from there, he forced a pop out and then struck out two batters relatively quickly, one of which was power-hitting veteran Pete Alonso.
He then built upon the momentum he established, striking out one in the second, one in the third and two in the fourth. As he hit the halfway point in the game, the atmosphere inside of Progressive Field began to change.
“Honestly, I can’t pick out a specific time,” Messick said about when the chance to make history started to set in for him. “The crowd got pretty loud, and that’s an awesome feeling when everybody gets into it. So at that moment, it was kind of like I was really trying to lock in every pitch.”
In the fifth, he forced two groundouts and struck out another.
Then in the sixth, he allowed his second walk, putting a body on the bags. He would then strike out Blaze Alexander, before forcing Taylor Ward to ground into a double play, ending the inning.
Messick tossed through both the seventh and eighth innings with ease, striking out one batter and sending the other five down with a mix of groundouts and lineouts.
Unfortunately, Messick’s historical moment would come to an end on the first pitch of the ninth inning. He tossed a 90.5 mph cutter right down the heart of the zone, and Leody Taveras singled it into right field. Immediately, Messick put his hands atop his head, more so in disappointment than frustration.
He then gave up another hit before being pulled for closer Cade Smith, who would end up allowing two runs, but closed the game out and earned a save.
The Bats… Were a Bit Spotty
Ramírez was the man of the hour at the plate, as he started off the game with a two-run home run to get the Guardians on the board.
From there, they would cool off quite a bit until the fourth and fifth innings of play.
George Valera singled on a pop-up in the fourth and Brayan Rocchio doubled an inning later, which brought in the game’s third run.
They would eventually string together the fourth run in the sixth, where Ramírez drew a walk, Kyle Manzardo singled and then Valera singled to bring Ramírez home.
While the Guardians did end up putting a few more on the base paths, it’s hard to imagine many of the players were too focused on their respective at-bats when Messick was on the verge of history. Even Vogt admitted he sat back and began watching.
“I’m a fan every night,” he said. “Yeah, I know I have to manage the game, and I do, but I love watching our guys work. I love watching baseball. But a game like that tonight, when the pitch count’s low and you have a little bit of a cushion, you get to sit back and watch it.
“The game will tell you when you need to lock it back in, but that was a lot of fun to watch tonight.”
The Guardians and Orioles will be right back in action tomorrow, Friday, April 17, from Progressive Field for game two of the series.
Add us as a preferred source on Google
