Guards close in on ChiSox

 And just like that, the Guardians are just 1/2 game out of first place in the American League Central.

Brayan Rocchio’s two-run single in the ninth inning gave the Guardians a three-run lead in what became a 5-2 win over the Minnesota Twins on Sept. 11.
Cleveland improved to 75-73 with the win, while Chicago dropped to 75-72 after getting walloped by the St. Louis Cardinals, 7-3.
Angel Martinez hit a two-run homer to give the Guardians a brief 2-1 lead in the seventh inning.
Travis Bazzana scored the go-ahead run in the ninth. The rookie Aussie has been on a tear in September and has gotten stronger as the season has worn on. He walked to lead off the ninth inning and advanced to third base before scoring the go-ahead run on a wild pitch.
Bazzana went 2-for-2, walked twice, and scored a pair of runs on the night. In September, he’s hitting .391 with two home runs, 8 RBI, and five walks.
Cade Smith worked a scoreless ninth inning to record his 36th save.
Martinez’s home run was his 15th of the year and leads Cleveland hitters who have been with the team the entire season. Jo Adell has 20 dingers this year, but not all of those in a Cleveland uniform.
So today brings us game number 149. The Guardians will go with an opener in Daniel Espino. They’ll face Yoendry Gomez, a 6-foot-3, 212-pound right-hander who is 2-3 with a 3.92 ERA. Jose Ramirez had another brutal night at the plate, going 0-for-5 with two strikeouts. Tom Hamilton noted how off-balance Jose appears.
In the win, Hunter Gaddis picked up the rare blown save/win combination. He came on in the seventh inning and gave up the tying run in the bottom of the seventh inning, but also pitched a scoreless eight inning to earn the win.  Gaddis improved to 4-3 with the win, and the blown save was his third of the year. That’s a lot to right about the guy,  but he has been a stud out of the bullpen.
Rocchio's clutch hit continues his trend of peaking toward the end of the season. Guardians TV announcer Chris Giminez called Rocchio the best No. 9 hitter in the game last night after his big hit. I don't disagree. He's had some very big hits this year, the two home-run walk-off homer day against the Tigers, the walk-off home run against the White Sox. The guy has been big time. 

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