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CLEVELAND (AP) -- Gavin Williams struck out 11 over 5 2/3 innings, José Ramírez had an RBI single in the three-run first and the Cleveland Guardians beat the San Francisco Giants 5-2 for their first home series victory in seven weeks on Thursday.
The Guardians hadn’t won a series at Progressive Field since June 26-28 against Seattle. They are 11-20 overall since the All-Star break.
Williams (12-7) fell one strikeout short of his career high, but moved into a tie for the AL lead in the category with Toronto’s Dylan Cease at 201. Cade Smith worked a scoreless ninth for his 32nd save in 37 opportunities as Cleveland won two of three in the interleague set.
Ramírez’s single was the 1,751st hit of his career, tying Charlie Jamieson for fifth place in franchise history. Former Giants catcher Patrick Bailey and Nathaniel Lowe also drove in runs in the inning against Landen Roupp (7-13), who lost his fifth straight start.
Willy Adames hit a two-run homer in the fourth -- the 200th of his career -- to pull San Francisco within 3-2. It also was Adames’ 20th of the year, making him the sixth shortstop in MLB history to have six straight 20-homer seasons.
Steven Kwan and Brayan Rocchio added RBI singles in the sixth and eighth, respectively, for the Guardians.
The Giants dropped their eighth consecutive road series and matched their low-water mark of 23 games below .500.
Cleveland outfielders Jo Adell (left kneecap bruise) and Chase DeLauter (left hamstring strain) were not in the lineup, but Adell went 0-for-2 after entering as the designated hitter in the sixth.
Guardians LHP Joey Cantillo (9-7, 3.80 ERA) pitches tonight at Colorado.
REDS DROP ONE
CINCINNATI (AP) -- Cincinnati’s Dane Myers dropped a fly ball with two outs in the ninth, opening the flood gates in a six-run inning to give the St. Louis Cardinals a 10-9 win over the Reds.
The Reds held a 5-4 lead going into the ninth before things fell apart in the final inning. Masyn Winn and Jose Fermin scored on Myers’ error, giving St. Louis a 6-5 lead. Alec Burleson’s single drove in another run and a bases-loaded walk scored another to make it 8-5. Fermin came up for the second time in the inning and singled home two more runs to make it 10-5.
But it was far from over.
Cincinnati’s Eugenio Suárez singled home Matt McLain and Sal Stewart drove in two more runs to make it 10-8. St. Louis reliever Riley O’Brien walked Tyler Stephenson with the bases loaded and two outs, scoring Elly De La Cruz to make it a one-run game before Matt McLain lined out to end the wild back-and-forth contest.
McLain hit his second career grand slam to cap a five-run sixth inning and put Cincinnati up 5-4.
Jordan Walker hit a three-run home run and drove in another run on a ground out to give the Cardinals an early 4-0 lead. Walker’s 26th home run was his second home run in two games. He temporarily tied Stewart for the major league lead with 94 RBI before Stewart’s single in the bottom of the ninth plated two, giving him 96 on the season.
Cardinals’ starter Michael McGreevy was solid through five innings, but struggled in the sixth, giving up an RBI single and leaving the game with the bases loaded. Ryan Stanek (2-3) relieved McGreevy, giving up an RBI single to JJ Bleday and the grand slam to McLain to take the loss.
Peter Strzelecki (1-1) pitched two scoreless innings to get the win for St. Louis.
Suárez drove in the 1,000th run of his career.
The Cardinals won the series 3-2, moving to 2 1/2 games behind the last wild card spot. The Reds fell to seven games out of the wild card.
Up Next
Reds LHP Nick Lodolo (3-2, 4.52) takes the mound Friday as Cincinnati opens a weekend series at Arizona and LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (12-4, 2.71).