Rafael Devers thrilled his new fans with an early RBI double, but Gabriel Arias’ sixth-inning tiebreaking home run spoiled the slugger’s San Francisco Giants debut and delivered the visiting Cleveland Guardians a 3-2 win in the opener of a three-game interleague series Tuesday night.
Emmanuel Clase pitched out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the bottom of the ninth, allowing the Guardians to win for the first time in four outings on a nine-game Western swing.
Acquired over the weekend from the Boston Red Sox, Devers went 2-for-5, including a rocket into Oracle Park’s “triples alley” in right-center field in his second Giants at-bat. The DH coasted into second with a double that scored Willy Adames from first base to give San Francisco a 2-1 lead in the third.
Devers sandwiched that hit with a pair of strikeouts and later tapped back to the pitcher before a one-out single in the ninth, sending Jung Hoo Lee to second.
After Heliot Ramos walked, Clase got Dominic Smith to fly out to shallow left field and then struck out Casey Schmitt for his 15th save.
Arias’ homer, his fifth of the season, came off Giants starter Robbie Ray (8-2) after the Guardians had rallied into a 2-2 tie two innings earlier on an RBI single by Carlos Santana.
Ray was pulled after the sixth, charged with all three Cleveland runs on five hits. He walked two and struck out five.
Guardians starter Slade Cecconi (2-3) went five innings, during which he allowed two runs and four hits. He walked three and struck out six.
The Giants put the potential tying run in scoring position in each of the sixth, seventh and eighth innings. They were denied all three times, including when pinch hitter Wilmer Flores lined into a double play with two on and no outs in the eighth, with Guardians left fielder Steven Kwan catching the line and nailing Schmitt off second base.
Ramos, playing left field, threw out Arias at the plate on a fly ball to end the top of the ninth, setting up the dramatic finish.
Arias’ double and homer were two of the Guardians’ six hits.
Mike Yastrzemski collected a double and two singles for the Giants, who had won their last five home games, all by one run. Adames joined Devers with two hits in a 10-hit attack for San Francisco, which has lost three straight.
