Bieber’s gem fuels Guardians’ victory
CLEVELAND — Shane Bieber pitched a threehitter for his first complete game this year, and Jose Ramirez and Amed Rosario drove in two runs apiece, sending the Cleveland Guardians over the Chicago White Sox 4-1 on Tuesday in a doubleheader opener.
Bieber (4-5) struck out seven and walked none in just the 17th complete game in the major leagues this season. He had been 0-2 in six starts since winning at Baltimore on June 3, the longest winless streak of his big leage career.
The 2020 AL Cy Young Award winner carried a one-hit shutout into the seventh en route to his first complete game since Aug. 4, 2019.
It was the fourth complete game of Bieber’s career and the first by a Cleveland pitcher since 2020. The 27-year-old righthander required only 95 pitches to wrap up the 2-hour, 9-minute game.
Rosario had a pair of RBI doubles off Davis Martin (1-3), driving in Austin Hedges in the third and Myles Straw in the fifth. The Guardians took a 3-0 lead in the third, when Ramirez’s two-run single scored Steven Kwan and Rosario.
Ramirez, selected for his fourth All-Star Game, leads the American League with 68 RBIs, three more than Yankees slugger Aaron Judge.
Eloy Jimenez singled home Andrew Vaughn in the seventh, cutting Chicago’s deficit to 4-1. The White Sox had two on with one out before Gavin Sheets bounced into an inning-ending double play.
Martin worked a season-high six innings, giving up four runs while striking out three after being recalled from Class AAA Charlotte. The 25-year-old righthander made his big league debut May 17 at Kansas City.
Nolan Jones of the Guardians went 0-for-3, going hitless for the first time in the majors. He hit .538 with seven hits and eight RBIs over his first four games.
Pirates 3, Marlins 2: Rookie Oneil Cruz hit a tiebreaking RBI triple and Jake Marisnick homered for the second straight game, helping Pittsburgh win at Miami. Diego Castillo had two hits for the Pirates in their fourth straight victory. Pittsburgh is 14-6 against Miami since 2018. Dillon Peters (5-2) got the win with 22 ⁄3 innings of one-run relief.
Rays 3, Red Sox 2: Chris Sale worked five scoreless innings in his season debut, but the Boston bullpen couldn’t hold a two-run lead in a loss at Tampa Bay. Sale, out all season with a fracture in his right rib cage, allowed three hits with one walk and struck out five. The lefty reached 97 mph on his fastball during a 78-pitch, 53-strike outing.