Gabriel Arias and the Guardians spoil Devers’ debut with the Giants

San Francisco.- Venezuelan Gabriel Arias hit a decisive home run in the sixth inning and added a double in the ninth, leading the offense of the Cleveland Guardians in their 3-2 victory over the San Francisco Giants, on a night in which Cleveland gave a bitter welcome to Dominican Rafael Devers, who debuted with his new team after being acquired from Boston.

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Arias, who finished 4-2 with a run and an RBI, punished the lefty Robbie Ray (8-2) with his fifth home run of the season, breaking a 2-2 tie. Ray allowed three runs and five hits in six innings, with five strikeouts and two walks. The Dominican Carlos Santana tied the game earlier with a run-scoring single in the fourth inning, while Austin Hedges contributed a sacrifice fly for the Guardians’ first run. By San Francisco, Devers shined early by connecting a run-scoring double in the third inning to open the scoring, but his impact was not enough. He finished his 5-2 debut with two strikeouts and one RBI. The Giants’ offensive threatened in the ninth against Dominican closer Emmanuel Clase, who despite allowing two singles and loading the bases with a walk to Heliot Ramos, managed to get out of the jam with a fly out and a strikeout, achieving his 15th save of the season. The Venezuelan Wilmer Flores also had a key opportunity as a pinch hitter in the eighth inning, but his line drive was caught by Steven Kwan, who made an accurate throw to second to complete a crucial double play that stopped the local momentum. Right-handed pitcher Slade Cecconi (2-3) earned the win after throwing five solid innings with six strikeouts for Cleveland, who continues to fight in the American League Central.