Tyler Freeman's go-ahead two-run single in the sixth sends Guardians past Giants 3-1

Updated Sep. 13, 2023 12:45 a.m. ET

Associated Press

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — For the first few months of the season, Cal Quantrill's nagging shoulder kept him from feeling quite right physically. It affected just about everything.

So it sure is nice to nice to be back to pitching like he wants to be in September.

Quantrill (3-6), the former Stanford pitcher who missed 72 games total this year over two stints on the injured list with inflammation in his pitching shoulder, allowed one run on five hits over six innings to win for the first time in nine starts since beating Minnesota on May 7.

Three double plays behind him helped, too.

Tyler Freeman hit a go-ahead two-run single in the sixth moments after San Francisco starter Sean Manaea exited with the bases loaded, and Quantrill and the Cleveland Guardians beat the Giants 3-1 on Tuesday night.

“First three, four months of the season I feel like I was kind of trying to overcome some shoulder stuff and not throwing the ball the way I know how to throw the ball,” Quantrill said. “At this level if you're not doing it the way you want to do it it's pretty hard. It's not an excuse. I think that other people have dealt with injuries better than I did. ... I kept trying to go, go, go, but it's nice to finally feel like myself again and throw the ball the way I know I'm capable.”

Cleveland closer Emmanuel Clase reached 40 saves for a second straight season, getting a huge catch from center fielder Myles Straw on the wall to steal an extra-base hit from Blake Sabol — with manager Terry Francona saying, “Myles is one of the best, I don't think that's overstating.”

“Coming out and playing good defense, that's kind of what we show as a whole,” Straw said.

After giving up the run in the first, Manaea retired 15 straight batters before a one-out single in the sixth by José Ramírez. Josh Naylor reached on a groundout then Manaea hit David Fry with a pitch before Kole Calhoun got aboard on first baseman LaMonte Wade Jr.'s fielding error. Manaea left to a standing ovation, acknowledged the crowd with a tip of his cap then Ryan Walker relieved and surrendered the hit to Freeman.

Manaea (5-6) returned to the rotation following a nearly four-month stint pitching out of the bullpen. He struck out five and walked two pitching into the sixth in his first start since May 10 against Washington, having previously been unbeaten in five career games against Cleveland.

Sabol had tied the game with a home run in the fifth for San Francisco. Giants third baseman Wilmer Flores took a foul tip off his left inner foot in the first but stayed in the game.

San Francisco had won four in a row following a six-game losing streak and a win in Wednesday afternoon's series finale would give them consecutive series victories for the first time since winning three straight series at home from July 25-Aug. 3 against Oakland, Boston and Arizona.

TRAINER’S ROOM

GUARDIANS: OF Ramón Laureano was out of the Guardians lineup for a third straight game nursing the jammed thumb on his glove hand he hurt on the RF wall on Saturday. He’s hopeful of playing Wednesday and took swings in the cage. ... Ace Shane Bieber (right elbow inflammation) threw 50 pitches, 32 strikes, with four strikeouts and a walk over 3 2/3 hitless innings in a rehab start for Double-A Akron. ... RHP Triston McKenzie, recovering from a sprained elbow on his pitching arm, is scheduled to pitch for Akron on Wednesday.

Giants: INF J.D. Davis was out of the lineup after exiting with lower back tightness in the seventh inning Monday. ... C Patrick Bailey is expected to return Wednesday from a concussion.

UP NEXT

Rookie LHP Logan Allen (7-7, 3.68 ERA) pitches the series finale for Cleveland trying to win back-to-back starts for the first time since May 29 and June 3, while the Giants send rookie LHP Kyle Harrison (1-1, 4.87) to the mound for his fifth career start.

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