Cleveland Guardians right-hander Gavin Williams was nearly untouchable on Wednesday night, leading a 4-1 win over the Dodgers to clinch the series at Dodger Stadium.
Williams struck out 10 batters over seven scoreless innings, allowing only two hits, both singles to Andy Pages, and three walks while throwing 85 pitches. He induced 16 swings and misses and limited hard contact to just three balls.
It was a milestone performance for the 26-year-old, who became just the third pitcher in franchise history to record double-digit strikeouts against the Dodgers, joining CC Sabathia (2008) and Corey Kluber (2017).
Aside from Pages, Dodger hitters went 0-for-18 against him. Williams' outing was his fifth career game with 10 or more strikeouts and came after improving his command from six walks in his season debut.
The Guardians' offense supported Williams with contributions from the bottom of the order. Daniel Schneemann doubled to lead off the third inning, stole third, and scored on a throwing error by Los Angeles catcher Will Smith. Gabriel Arias followed with a solo home run, his first of the season, giving Cleveland a 2-0 lead. Jose Ramirez added a two-run homer in the eighth off Tanner Scott, providing insurance runs. Both Arias and Ramirez became the first Guardians besides rookie Chase DeLauter to hit home runs this season.
Dodgers starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto pitched six innings, allowing two runs on four hits, but Los Angeles' offense failed to click, with Shohei Ohtani, Kyle Tucker, and Mookie Betts hitting under .200. Freddie Freeman’s two-out solo homer in the ninth prevented a Cleveland shutout. Relievers Shawn Armstrong, Erik Sabrowski, and Cade Smith closed out the game, with Smith recording his second save.
The Guardians closed out their season-opening road trip 4-3, taking two of three from the two-time defending NL champions. Cleveland returns home on Friday to face the Chicago Cubs at Progressive Field.
