CLEVELAND (AP) — Rookie Bo Naylor scored the go-ahead run in the eighth inning on a throwing error, Gavin Williams pitched 5 2/3 innings in his major league debut and the Cleveland Guardians beat the Oakland Athletics 7-6 on Wednesday night.
Naylor singled for his first hit in the majors — snapping an 0-for-19 drought — and came home on Steven Kwan’s one-out double. Myles Straw was the first to score on Kwan’s hit, which turned into a two-run play when right fielder Ramón Laureano wildly flung the ball back to the infield.
Williams, the Guardians’ consensus top prospect and 2021 first-round pick, allowed four runs on four hits — all in the third — while striking out four. The right-hander maxed out at 98 mph, topping 96 mph on 18 of his 84 pitches.
The 6-foot-6, 250-pound Williams went 9-6 with a 2.10 ERA in 37 minor league starts between Single-A Lake County, Double-A Akron and Triple-A Columbus. He was 3-2 with a 2.93 ERA in nine starts this year with the Clippers.
Eli Morgan (3-1) pitched a scoreless eighth for the win, and Emmanuel Clase finished for his MLB-leading 22nd save. Austin Pruitt (1-5) gave up two runs, one earned, in one inning for Oakland.
The Athletics, who have the lowest batting average and highest ERA in the majors, lost their seventh straight and have the worst record in baseball at 19-57.
Oakland took a 6-4 lead in the seventh on run-scoring singles from rookie Esteury Ruiz and Seth Brown off Trevor Stephan. Ruiz went 3 for 5 with two RBIs and stole two bases to increase his MLB-best total to 39.
Oakland opened the scoring with four runs in the third, highlighted by Ryan Noda’s 358-foot blast to right field off Williams.
The Guardians cut it to 4-3 in the bottom half when Naylor, Steven Kwan and Amed Rosario reached to open the third and came around. Rosario and Andrés Giménez each drove in runs, while a fielding error by Laureano allowed Kwan to score.
Cleveland tied it at 4 in the fifth when Naylor singled off Athletics starter Paul Blackburn, plating Ramírez, then pulled to 6-5 in the seventh on Josh Naylor’s solo homer. Josh Naylor was 4 for 4.
José Ramírez had three hits, giving him 1,236 in his career and passing Larry Doby for 17th place in Cleveland history.
REALITY CHECK
The Guardians’ top three pitching prospects have made their big league debuts this season in Williams, right-hander Tanner Bibee and left-hamder Logan Allen. With 2020 AL Cy Young winner Shane Bieber in the final year of his contract and likely to be traded, the rookies’ development is paramount.
“For us to remain competitive, we need to produce these pitchers because that’s the one thing we probably can’t go out and get,” manager Terry Francona said. “You see what they get on the (free agent) market, so we’ve got to stay in our lane and develop starting pitching.”
TRAINER’S ROOM
Athletics: RHP Zach Jackson (right flexor strain) was transferred to the 60-day injured list in order to clear a 40-man roster spot for RHP Angel Felipe, who was claimed off waivers from San Diego. Manager Mark Kotsay said Jackson has not suffered a setback.
Guardians: OF Will Brennan (left shoulder soreness) exited in the fifth inning, shortly after landing hard on his left side while making a diving catch on a liner by Jace Peterson. Brennan was in obvious pain after slowly getting up from the grass.
UP NEXT
Athletics LHP JP Sears (1-4, 4.24 ERA) takes on Guardians LHP Logan Allen (3-2, 3.95 ERA) on Thursday in the series finale.
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