The Cleveland Guardians staged a dramatic comeback on Wednesday afternoon, scoring five runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to secure a 7-4 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers and avoid a series sweep. Angel Martínez delivered the decisive blow with a three-run home run, helping Cleveland erase a late deficit in the final game of the three-game interleague series.
The Dodgers entered the game as slight favorites, with most oddsmakers listing them at -125 on the moneyline, while the Guardians were underdogs at around +105. The total for the game was set at nine runs, which was surpassed after the eighth-inning rally.
Los Angeles built a 4-1 lead through six and a half innings, aided by run production from Will Smith, Andy Pages, and Freddie Freeman, along with a wild pitch that allowed Kiké Hernández to score. Dodgers starter Clayton Kershaw made his third appearance of the season and turned in a solid outing, pitching five innings and giving up just one run. The left-hander struck out three and exited with the lead, though he was ultimately denied a win.
Cleveland began to chip away in the seventh inning. Carlos Santana, who finished the game 3-for-4, delivered an RBI single off Lou Trivino to cut the Dodgers’ lead to two. The Guardians broke the game open in the eighth when Nolan Jones tied the score at four with a two-run single off reliever Tanner Scott. Martínez followed by launching a 394-foot home run off Alex Vesia, giving Cleveland its first lead of the game.
The offensive surge gave Cleveland’s bullpen enough cushion to close the door. Matt Festa earned the win with a scoreless eighth inning, and Emmanuel Clase recorded a clean ninth for his 11th save of the season.
José Ramírez continued his strong offensive performance, extending his career-best hitting streak to 21 games with an RBI single in the first inning. The hit also moved him into eighth place on the franchise’s all-time list with 1,564 hits.
For the Dodgers, Shohei Ohtani went hitless in three at-bats but drew a walk. Ohtani had entered the game on a streak of three consecutive games with a home run and remains the major league leader with 20 on the season.
Cleveland was forced to make a pitching adjustment with Kolby Allard making a spot start. The left-hander allowed two runs over four innings before handing the game off to the bullpen. The Guardians scored five runs on eight hits against Trivino and Scott in the 2 1/3 innings following Kershaw’s departure.
Steven Kwan exited the game early due to inflammation in his right wrist, a development that will be monitored heading into Cleveland’s next series.
The Dodgers will return to Los Angeles to begin a seven-game homestand, starting Friday with right-hander Tony Gonsolin (2-1, 4.68 ERA) scheduled to face the New York Yankees. Cleveland is set to host the Los Angeles Angels, with right-hander Luis Ortiz (2-5, 4.73 ERA) tentatively listed as the starter for Friday’s opener.
