Travis Bazzana made sure the outcome was never in doubt. The Cleveland second baseman homered twice, drove in five runs and scored three times Saturday night as the Guardians rolled past the Houston Astros 8-1 at Daikin Park, handing Houston its first loss after a three-game winning streak.
Bazzana finished 4-for-4 with two home runs and five RBI, raising his season totals to 7 home runs and 23 RBI. He was matched in the lineup by Kyle Manzardo, who went 2-for-4 with a home run and 3 RBI, and Patrick Bailey, who was 3-for-4 with two runs scored. Joey Cantillo did the rest. The left-hander worked eight innings, allowing 1 run on 4 hits with 9 strikeouts and 1 walk on 98 pitches, earning his sixth win against three losses with a 4.28 ERA.
Bazzana opened the scoring in the first inning, homering to right center 382 feet to give Cleveland a 1-0 lead. Houston answered in the second when Yainer Diaz singled to right and Paredes scored to tie it at 1-1. The Guardians reclaimed the lead for good in the third: Manzardo homered 388 feet with Bazzana aboard, a two-run shot that made it 3-1. In the fifth, Bazzana connected again — a 406-foot blast to right center with Kwan and Bailey on base — scoring all three and pushing the lead to 6-1. Cleveland added two more in the seventh, as Bailey scored on a Bazzana single and Halpin scored on a Manzardo single, closing the book at 8-1.
Spencer Arrighetti absorbed the loss for Houston, falling to 7-3. He allowed 6 runs on 6 hits over 6 innings, striking out 8 without issuing a walk. His ERA stands at 3.13. The Astros managed only 5 hits on the night and could not build on their brief second-inning tie.
Cleveland moved to 40-36, sitting second in its division. Houston dropped to 36-41, fourth in its division, despite entering the night having won three straight.