'When we smell blood, we go': Guardians ride 8-run sixth to series victory

WASHINGTON -- The Guardians on Wednesday wrapped up a grueling stretch in which they played 22 games in 23 days, with two doubleheaders included. But you wouldn’t have known it watching their offense go to work at Nationals Park.

Cleveland scored eight times in the sixth against Washington to secure an 8-6 win in the rubber match of the three-game series -- and a 14-8 record over the stretch that began on April 15 in Baltimore.

“It was a long stretch of games. I think a lot of us are pretty worn out,” Guardians utility man Daniel Schneemann said. “Coming out of this series, winning the series, taking the last two games is really big going into the off-day.”

Wednesday’s outburst in the sixth marked the Guardians’ most runs scored in a single inning since Sept. 17, 2023, when they scored nine times in the bottom of the fourth against the Rangers. It was Cleveland's third time scoring five or more runs in an inning this season. The club scored six in the seventh inning in Game 1 of Tuesday’s doubleheader and five in the seventh inning on April 18 vs. the Pirates.

It was a full team effort on Wednesday with contributions up and down the lineup.

The Guardians trailed 3-0 entering the sixth and had gotten little going against Nationals starter Michael Soroka, who limited them to a base hit and two walks through five. But Steven Kwan led off the sixth with a single, and he was the first of seven consecutive Guardians hitters to reach base.

All told, Cleveland sent 13 men to the plate in the inning and tallied six hits, three walks and one hit-by-pitch to erase a 3-0 deficit. The inning also featured Kwan stealing second and a pair of wild pitches -- one each by Nationals relievers Jorge López and Andrew Chafin. The latter allowed Bo Naylor to score from third.

“I think it's just when we smell blood, we go, and our guys really feed off each other,” Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said. “When you put pressure on the other team's pitcher and you constantly have baserunners, they know that they're going to run. So when we get on base, we make really good things happen. That’s all we try to do.

“We try to get on base and then keep the line moving.”

That was evident in Cleveland’s approach throughout the inning. Only one of the Guardians' hits went for extra bases. Carlos Santana got the club on the board with a game-tying three-run double that drove in Kwan, Schneemann and José Ramírez.

They took a similar approach in the seventh inning of Game 1 on Tuesday. The Guardians sent 10 batters to the plate that inning and tallied six hits (five singles) and one walk.

“It just shows that we trust each other,” Kwan said. “I think it's really easy to want to be the hero and try to hit the big home run. Move the line, take your walk, take your singles and trust that somebody is going to get the big hit. I think it just shows that we really trust each other.”

Thursday marks the Guardians’ first off-day since April 15. In their busy 22-game stretch, they won five out of seven series (wins over the Pirates, Yankees, Twins, Blue Jays and Nationals; losses to the Orioles and Red Sox).

The Guardians know they’re not a finished product; no team is one week into May. But early this season, they’ve shown an ability to find a way to win. It’s no coincidence they’re 8-2 in one-run games. They’re 13-4 in games decided by two runs or fewer, good for a .765 winning percentage that ranks first in MLB (the Royals rank second at .733).

Cleveland will enjoy its day off on Thursday before welcoming the Phillies and Brewers to Progressive Field for a six-game homestand starting Friday.

“I’m really proud of our guys,” Vogt said. “... We played really good baseball [this series]. Weren't the prettiest games at times, but we found ways to win. Our guys are playing really good right now. We want to find more consistency. We want to find a way that we can become the team we want to be consistently. But I couldn't be more proud of us getting the results we are and coming up big when we need to.”