Logan Allen, Guardians pursue sweep of struggling Orioles

A make-or-break homestand for the Guardians has been the former, allowing Cleveland to claw its way back into the American League wild-card hunt.

Cleveland won two of three against the Athletics last weekend and is now looking for a four-game series sweep of the Baltimore Orioles in the Thursday finale.

Guardians left-hander Logan Allen (6-8, 4.06 ERA) will take on Orioles right-hander Charlie Morton (5-8, 5.58) in an afternoon contest. Temperatures in the mid-90s and a heat index of 100 degrees or higher are expected.

“You don’t want to jinx it, of course, but yeah, we’ve been playing some good baseball,” Cleveland left fielder Steven Kwan said. “I know the day’s going to be real hot and things will be real tough, but if we just rely on each other, we’ll be in a good spot.”

The Guardians have won 11 of 13 contests since July 7, when they beat the Houston Astros to snap a 10-game losing streak. They are within 2 1/2 games of both the Seattle Mariners and Boston Red Sox for the final two wild-card berths.

Emmanuel Clase has three saves during the homestand, including a perfect ninth inning Wednesday in Cleveland’s 3-2 win. Orioles reliever Colin Selby gave up a RBI single to Kwan with two outs in the eighth, plating Bo Naylor with the decisive run.

“When (Clase) walks onto the field, you know we’re going to win the game,” Guardians pitcher Slade Cecconi said. “He’s the most dominant closer in the big leagues. It’s scary.”

Clase, a three-time All-Star, was temporarily replaced in the role by Cade Smith in April, when his struggles carried over from the 2024 AL Championship Series against the New York Yankees.

The right-handed fireballer resumed closing duties on April 30 and has since registered 18 saves in 20 chances with a 1.38 ERA in 32 games. Overall, Clase is 5-2 with 23 saves and a 2.74 ERA for the season, and he owns a major-league-high 156 saves since the start of 2022.

“I do not want to be a hitter in the box with a guy like that on the mound,” Cecconi said, chuckling. “He’s a man on a mission, so it’s awesome to have a guy like that on your team.”

The Orioles went 6-1 from July 4-11 but have since lost seven of eight since to tumble into 13th place in the 15-team AL. It’s not a matter of if but when their front office will begin trading veterans to playoff contenders in advance of the July 31 deadline.

Zach Eflin is almost certain to be one of the players on the move. The veteran right-hander tossed five quality innings and allowing two runs Wednesday in his return from lower back soreness. Eflin had given up 17 runs and 27 hits in a nine-inning span before being hurt on June 28 against the Tampa Bay Rays.

“Being on the injured list is never fun and nobody wants to do it,” said Eflin, who is 6-5 with a 5.78 ERA in 13 starts. “It feels like you’re separated from the team. But I felt healthy and executed some pitches (on Wednesday).”

Jackson Holliday homered off Cecconi in the sixth inning, extending his hitting streak against the Guardians to eight games. He is batting .414 with three home runs and nine RBIs in that period, and he is undoubtedly one of the talents Baltimore is building around.

“I think this experience will be an incredible acceleration of maturity for our young players,” Orioles interim manager Tony Mansolino said. “It’s not easy when you’re going through it, though.”

Allen enters his Thursday start with a 1-4 record in his past five starts despite pitching to a 3.72 ERA in that span.

In three career starts against the Orioles, Allen is 2-0 with a 3.45 ERA. He earned a win at Baltimore on April 15, when he threw 5 2/3 shutout innings.

Morton had won five consecutive decisions before struggling in a loss at Tampa Bay on Friday. The Rays bashed him for seven runs on eight hits in 5 1/3 innings.

Morton lost to Allen and the Guardians on April 15, when he permitted five runs on seven hits in five-plus innings. He owns a career 4-3 mark with a 3.21 ERA in eight starts against Cleveland.

–Field Level Media