Guardians outlast Orioles 10-8 for 7th consecutive victory, 5th straight loss for Baltimore

BALTIMORE (AP) — José Ramírez hit a three-run homer in the fourth inning, and the Cleveland Guardians slugged their way to a seventh consecutive victory, beating the slumping Baltimore Orioles 10-8 on Tuesday night.

Gunnar Henderson, James McCann, Colton Cowser and Anthony Santander hit home runs for Baltimore, but that wasn't enough to prevent a fifth straight loss for the defending AL East champions. Pitching injuries have caught up to the Orioles, who haven't had a skid this long since dropping six in a row from May 13-18, 2022, days before catcher Adley Rutschman made his big league debut.

Ramírez has gone deep in each of the first two games of this series, and with 237 homers he's now in sole possession of third place on the franchise's career list. His drive to center capped a five-run fourth that put the Guardians up 8-4 on a night when neither starting pitcher lasted past the fourth.

“I think that this ballclub is really good at adjusting to any situation — good, bad or ugly,” said Cleveland catcher Bo Naylor, who finished a homer shy of the cycle and scored three runs. “Everyone that’s in there has the utmost confidence in everyone else.”

Pedro Avila (2-1) worked 2 1/3 hitless innings of relief for the win. The AL Central-leading Guardians used five pitchers in relief of Logan Allen, who was removed with nobody out in the fourth.

Emmanuel Clase worked the ninth for his 25th save in 28 chances. Cleveland now has the best record in baseball at 51-26.

Cole Irvin (6-4) yielded eight runs and 10 hits in four innings, although four of those runs were unearned.

Several big choices worked out badly for Baltimore in the top of the fourth. With a man on first and one out, Gabriel Arias hit a dribbler in front of the plate. McCann, the catcher, tried to make a tough throw to retire the lead runner at second, but second baseman Jorge Mateo couldn't make the catch, and the error on McCann left men on second and third.

The Orioles then brought the infield in, which allowed Brayan Rocchio's grounder to slip through the left side for an RBI single. Steven Kwan followed with a run-scoring single of his own to give Cleveland a 5-4 lead, and when Anthony Santander's throw from right field went all the way to third in an unsuccessful attempt to get Rocchio, Kwan moved up to second.

A groundout to third failed to advance either runner, but then the Orioles decided to pitch to Ramírez with first base open, and he connected on a 1-0 pitch for his 21st homer of the season.

Cleveland's David Fry opened the scoring with an RBI double in the first, but Henderson answered with his 25th home run, a two-run shot.

Arias' two-run double in the second put the Guardians back ahead. Then McCann tied it with an RBI single in the bottom of the inning.

Jordan Westburg drove in a run with a third-inning double to put the Orioles ahead 4-3, but that lead was short lived.

After Cleveland's big fourth, McCann and Cowser hit consecutive homers to lead off the bottom of the inning, making it 8-6. But McCann's lack of speed cost the Orioles twice.

He was thrown out at home trying to score from first on Ryan Mountcastle's two-out double in the second. In the seventh, McCann came up with the bases loaded and one out and hit into a rare 5-4-3 groundout. Ramírez ranged to his right to field the grounder to third, and Cleveland whipped the ball around the infield, trying for a double play.

McCann was out at first, but second baseman Andrés Giménez came off the bag before catching and relaying the ball at second, so that runner was safe and a run scored to make it 8-7.

Cleveland immediately responded in the eighth. Naylor hit an RBI triple, and when Arias hit a one-out grounder toward second, reliever Yennier Cano made a desperate stab at the ball from the mound, accidentally knocking it out of Westburg's reach when it looked like the second baseman was in good position to field it. That RBI single made it 10-7.

Santander's solo shot in the eighth was his 12th homer of June, tying a franchise record.

UP NEXT

Cleveland tries for a three-game sweep Wednesday night. Grayson Rodriguez (8-3) starts for the Orioles against Carlos Carrasco (3-6).

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Cleveland Guardians' Jose Ramirez celebrates after hitting a double during the first inning of a baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles, Tuesday, June 25, 2024, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

Cleveland Guardians' Andres Gimenez, bottom, steals third against Baltimore Orioles third baseman Ramon Urias (29) during the first inning of a baseball game, Monday, June 24, 2024, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Baltimore Orioles' Gunnar Henderson, right, dives into home in front of Cleveland Guardians catcher Bo Naylor (23), to score on an RBI hit in by Baltimore Orioles' Jordan Westburg during the third inning of a baseball game, Tuesday, June 25, 2024, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

Baltimore Orioles' Jorge Mateo, right, slides into third base in front of Baltimore Orioles third baseman Jordan Westburg, left, after hitting a triple during the second inning of a baseball game, Tuesday, June 25, 2024, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

Cleveland Guardians third baseman Jose Ramirez (11) celebrates after hitting a home run during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles, Monday, June 24, 2024, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

THESSALONIKI, Greece (AP) — About 15,000 people attended the annual EuroPride parade Saturday, police said, in support of the LGBTQ+ community in the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki amid a heavy police presence.

The parade, whose motto is “Persevere, Progress, Prosper,” was staged on the ninth and last day of a series of events across the city. It was to be followed later Saturday by a concert and a series of parties.

“This participation from across Europe sends a message,” parade participant Michalis Filippidis told the Associated Press. “It is very very good. We are all united like a fist and, despite many things happening, we are all here to fight for our rights."

Participants marched through the city center, ending up at the city’s waterfront, at the statue of Alexander the Great, the most famous ruler of the ancient Greek Kingdom of Macedonia. The nearby White Tower, once part of the city’s fortifications but now a standalone monument, emblematic of the city, was dressed in the colors of the rainbow.

There was a heavy police presence to prevent counterdemonstrations. In the end, police said, 15 people were detained for shouting obscenities at parade participants and, in one case, trying to throw eggs at them. Police prevented them from getting too close to parade participants.

Some Greek participants in the parade chanted at the counterdemonstrators: “For every racist and homophobe, there is a place in Thermaikos,” the gulf on whose shores the city is built.

A 34-year-old man who had called for an anti-gay demonstration, despite the police’s ban on such an action, was arrested and will appear in court Monday on charges of inciting disobedience and disturbing the peace. He was visited in prison by the head of Niki, an ultra-religious political party, one of three far-right parties that elected representatives to the European Parliament in elections earlier in June.

Nationalism and religious fervor are more pronounced in Thessaloniki and other northern Greek areas than the rest of the country. The far right’s strong showing in elections was in part due to passage earlier in the year of a law legalizing same-sex marriage. The law, strongly backed by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, was opposed by nearly a third of the lawmakers from his conservative New Democracy party, and was backed by much of the left opposition, with the exception of the Communists, who voted against.

The EuroPride parade had strong official backing. The city was a co-sponsor and several foreign ambassadors attended.

“I am proud to be here ... for EuroPride 2024,” said U.S. Ambassador to Greece George Tsunis. “This is about human dignity, this is about acceptance, this is about love, this is about equality. And, frankly, we need more love, more acceptance, more kindness in this world.”

“I am here to show our support for diversity and equality for all. You are who you are and you can love who you love,” said Dutch Ambassador to Greece Susanna Terstal.

“I welcome the ambassadors ... and all the participants to Thessaloniki, a multicolored, friendly city that considers human rights non-negotiable,” said Mayor Stelios Angeloudis.

Next year's EuroPride will take place in Lisbon.

Associated Press writer Demetris Nellas contributed to this report from Athens. Greece

Revellers take part in EuroPride, a pan-European international LGBTI event featuring a Pride parade which is hosted in a different European city each year, in the northern port city of Thessaloniki, Greece, Saturday, June 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Giannis Papanikos)

Revellers take part in EuroPride, a pan-European international LGBTI event featuring a Pride parade which is hosted in a different European city each year, in the northern port city of Thessaloniki, Greece, Saturday, June 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Giannis Papanikos)

A reveller takes part in EuroPride, a pan-European international LGBTI event featuring a Pride parade which is hosted in a different European city each year, in the northern port city of Thessaloniki, Greece, Saturday, June 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Giannis Papanikos)

A reveller takes part in EuroPride, a pan-European international LGBTI event featuring a Pride parade which is hosted in a different European city each year, in the northern port city of Thessaloniki, Greece, Saturday, June 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Giannis Papanikos)

A reveller takes part in EuroPride, a pan-European international LGBTI event featuring a Pride parade which is hosted in a different European city each year, in the northern port city of Thessaloniki, Greece, Saturday, June 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Giannis Papanikos)

Revellers gather in front of the White Tower during EuroPride, a pan-European international LGBTI event featuring a Pride parade which is hosted in a different European city each year, in the northern port city of Thessaloniki, Greece, Saturday, June 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Giannis Papanikos)

A reveller takes part in EuroPride, a pan-European international LGBTI event featuring a Pride parade which is hosted in a different European city each year, in the northern port city of Thessaloniki, Greece, Saturday, June 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Giannis Papanikos)

Revellers take part in EuroPride, a pan-European international LGBTI event featuring a Pride parade which is hosted in a different European city each year, in the northern port city of Thessaloniki, Greece, Saturday, June 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Giannis Papanikos)

Revellers gather in front of the White Tower during EuroPride, a pan-European international LGBTI event featuring a Pride parade which is hosted in a different European city each year, in the northern port city of Thessaloniki, Greece, Saturday, June 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Giannis Papanikos)