Trio of homers helps Cleveland stop slide

 Houston may be a problem this weekend. But for now, the Guardians have stopped the bleeding.

Thanks to home runs by David Fry, Kyle Manzardo and Travis Bazzana, Cleveland beat Milwaukee 4-2 on June 18 and avoided a three-game sweep.
Cade Smith pitched 1 1/3 innings and picked up his 24th save. Parker Messick allowed two runs over six innings and struck out nine Milwaukee hitters to pick up the win and improve his record to 9-3. The White Sox also won, beating the Yankees, so the teams remained tied for first in the American League Central. Chicago is 39-34, and Cleveland is 40-35.
Cleveland is playing without Jose Ramirez, Angel Martinez and Chase DeLauter. Those three had been providing the power for the Guardians' offense before the entire trio landed on the injured list earlier this week.
Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt was happy to get the power surge in the final game of the series in Milwaukee.
“I’d love three homers a night,” Vogt told Cleveland.com. “Our guys had good at-bats. We got on base a ton.”
The Guardians next face Houston. Tanner Bibee, winner of two straight, gets the start in the series opener tonight. Joey Cantillo will start on June 20 and Slade Cecconi on June 21, Father’s Day.
Then it’s off to the Windy City for a three-game series against the White Sox.

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