Thomas and Ramírez hit HRs, Cantillo pitches 5 scoreless innings and Guardians beat Rays 6-1

CLEVELAND (AP) — Lane Thomas and José Ramírez hit back-to-back homers in the eighth inning and rookie Joey Cantillo pitched five scoreless innings as the AL Central-leading Cleveland Guardians beat the Tampa Bay Rays 6-1 on Saturday night.

The Guardians remained three games ahead of second-place Kansas City in the division with 13 games remaining. Cleveland has the best home record in the AL at 44-27 and is 85-64 overall, second in the league to the New York Yankees.

Cantillo (2-3) gave up three hits, walked one and struck out six in just his second start at Progressive Field. The left-hander threw 6 2/3 perfect innings — and worked a career-high seven — in earning his first win Monday at the White Sox.

“Every game, you’ve obviously got to do different things, but it comes down to executing your pitches,” Cantillo said. “I was just glad to throw in front of the home crowd, honestly. It’s been about a month since I’ve done that, so it was a lot of fun.”

Thomas and Ramírez hit solo homers off Hunter Bigge. They also scored two runs apiece, while cleanup hitter Josh Naylor had a two-RBI single in the sixth that extended the Guardians’ lead to 4-0.

Naylor’s single through a drawn-in infield ignited a three-run inning against Tyler Alexander (6-5). David Fry added a sacrifice fly to plate Ramírez, who had been intentionally walked for a franchise-record 88th time.

“Some of our aggressive at-bats today worked out and we scored a lot of runs out of it,” said center fielder Thomas, who also threw out Josh Lowe at home in the fifth. “You’ve just got to go have fun out there. It’s a fun game.”

Junior Caminero had a career-high three doubles for the Rays, driving in their only run in the eighth. Tampa Bay is six games out of the final AL wild-card berth and fell to 4-5 on a 10-game trip through Baltimore, Philadelphia and Cleveland.

“Junior is super impressive and he’s going to continue to show everyone his tools for years to come,” Rays shortstop Taylor Walls said. “He’s going to have a long career here.”

Tampa Bay appeared to go in front in the fifth on Jose Siri’s single, but a replay review overturned the safe call at home on Lowe. Thomas’ throw and Austin Hedges’ tag just beat Lowe’s left hand to the plate.

“Lane saved my butt there,” Cantillo said. “That was huge.”

Alexander pitched five innings and gave up four runs in relief of Drew Rasmussen, who went two innings.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Rays: 2B Christopher Morel (right Achilles discomfort) was held out of the lineup one day after being removed in the third inning in Cleveland. Manager Kevin Cash said Morel “feels better now than he did when he came out of the game.”

Guardians: OF Steven Kwan (mid-low back tightness), who was a late scratch Friday, is considered day to day and will not be placed on the injured list. The All-Star left fielder underwent medical tests that revealed no structural damage.

UP NEXT

Rays RHP Taj Bradley (6-10, 4.40 ERA) takes on Guardians RHP Ben Lively (11-9, 4.01 ERA) in the four-game series finale. Lively was struck on his right leg by Dominic Fletcher’s liner in his last start Tuesday against the White Sox, exiting after 1 2/3 innings.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

Tampa Bay Rays' Drew Rasmussen pitches in the first inning of a baseball game against the Cleveland Guardians, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Tampa Bay Rays' Josh Lowe, left, is tagged out by Cleveland Guardians catcher Austin Hedges, right, in the fifth inning of a baseball game Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Tampa Bay Rays' Josh Lowe (15) steals second base under a tag by Cleveland Guardians second baseman Andres Gimenez, front left, in the fifth inning of a baseball game Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Tampa Bay Rays' Jose Caballero tosses his bat after striking out in the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Cleveland Guardians, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Cleveland Guardians' Jhonkensy Noel, left, is tagged out at home plate by Tampa Bay Rays catcher Logan Driscoll, right, in the fifth inning of a baseball game, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Tampa Bay Rays' Tyler Alexander pitches in the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Cleveland Guardians Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Cleveland Guardians' Joey Cantillo pitches in the first inning of a baseball game against the Tampa Bay Rays, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Tampa Bay Rays' Junior Caminero, left, gestures from second base after hitting a double in the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Cleveland Guardians, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024, in Cleveland. Guardians second baseman Andres Gimenez, right, looks on. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Cleveland Guardians' Jose Ramirez, left, scores behind Tampa Bay Rays catcher Logan Driscoll, right, in the sixth inning of a baseball game Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Cleveland Guardians' Lane Thomas, left, gestures from second base in front of Tampa Bay Rays second baseman Jose Caballero (7) after hitting a double in the sixth inning of a baseball game Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Cleveland Guardians' Josh Naylor, right, hits a single in front of Tampa Bay Rays catcher Logan Driscoll, left, in the sixth inning of a baseball game Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

LISBON, Portugal (AP) — More than 100 wildfires stretched thousands of firefighters to the limit in northern Portugal on Wednesday, with seven deaths since the worst spate of fires in recent years spread out of control over the weekend.

Portuguese Prime Minister Luís Montenegro declared a state of calamity for the hardest-hit areas late on Tuesday, invoking powers to mobilize more firefighters and civil servants. He also called on police investigators to redouble their efforts to find those who started the fires and pledged help for those who have lost their homes or have been evacuated.

“We are well aware that these difficult hours are not over yet,” Montenegro told the nation in a televised address. “We have to continue to give everything we have and ask for help from our partners and friends so that we can reinforce the protection of our people and property.”

The European Copernicus satellite service said that over 15,000 hectares (37,000 acres) had been scorched and a combined 13 kilometers (8 miles) of fire fronts had been detected as on Tuesday night. It added that an area home to 210,000 people was exposed to the fire risk.

The hot, dry conditions behind the outbreaks in Portugal coincided this week with flooding in central Europe. The European Union said Wednesday that the juxtaposed extreme weather phenomena are proof of a “climate breakdown. ”

Fellow European Union members Spain, France, Italy and Greece have committed two water-dropping aircraft each to help Portuguese firefighters.

Spain’s military is also sending 240 soldiers and vehicles from its emergency response battalions specialized in combating fires to its neighbor.

Thick grey smoke and the smell of burnt wood reached some 85 kilometers across the border into northwest Spain.

Montenegro made a special call for security forces to pursue both arsonists and any individuals who started a fire out of negligence. Portuguese national police said that they have arrested seven men suspected of having started wildfires in recent days. Authorities have prohibited the use of heavy farming equipment to reduce the risk of inadvertently starting a blaze.

Among the hardest hit areas is the district of Aveiro, south of the northern city of Porto, but several major blazes were also raging out of control in other wooded areas.

Authorities have yet to release figures for property damage or the number of evacuees, but Portuguese state broadcaster RTP has shown charred houses in rural villages and local residents trying to battle flames with buckets of water, hoses, and even large tree branches. Other televised images showed visibility reduced to a few meters as orange smoke enveloped the terrain.

Three firefighters died in their vehicle on Tuesday, while another had succumbed to what authorities called a “sudden illness” while on duty over the weekend. Three civilians have also perished, according to civil protection authorities.

Portugal was devasted by massive fires in 2017 that killed over 120 people.

Experts link the fires to both climate change and the abandonment of traditional farming and forestry professions that helped keep rural areas clear of underbrush that is now fuel for fires.

Joseph Wilson wrote from Barcelona, Spain. Teresa Medrano contributed from Pontevedra, Spain.

Clouds of smoke drift with the strong wind as fires rage on the hills around Sever do Vouga, a town in northern Portugal that has been surrounded by forest fires, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Bruno Fonseca)

A fire burns on a hillside near Sever do Vouga, a town in northern Portugal that has been surrounded by forest fires, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Bruno Fonseca)

Fires rage on the hills around Sever do Vouga, a town in northern Portugal that has been surrounded by forest fires, Tuesday night, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Bruno Fonseca)

A fire rages on the hills around Sever do Vouga, a town in northern Portugal that has been surrounded by forest fires, Tuesday night, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Bruno Fonseca)

Wildfire advances near Sever do Vouga, a town in northern Portugal that has been surrounded by forest fires, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Bruno Fonseca)

A woman tries to extinguish the flames near Sever do Vouga, a town in northern Portugal that has been surrounded by forest fires, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Bruno Fonseca)

Firefighters work to control a fire next to warehouses in Sever do Vouga, a town in northern Portugal that has been surrounded by wildfires fires, Monday, Sept. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Bruno Fonseca)

A car drives past a road closed by police as a wildfire burns close to it, near Sever do Vouga, a town in northern Portugal that has been surrounded by forest fires, Monday night, Sept. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Bruno Fonseca)

Vehicles drive past a fire burning by the road near Sever do Vouga, a town in northern Portugal that has been surrounded by forest fires, Monday night, Sept. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Bruno Fonseca)