CLEVELAND (AP) — José Ramírez hit a tiebreaking two-run homer in the eighth inning, and the Cleveland Guardians beat the Los Angeles Angels 5-3 on Wednesday for their sixth consecutive victory.
Oscar Gonzalez and Andrés Giménez each had three hits as AL Central-leading Cleveland (76-65) moved 11 games over .500 for the first time since September 2020. Trevor Stephan (5-4) got three outs for the win, and James Karinchak worked the ninth for his third save.
With Amed Rosario aboard after a leadoff single, Ramírez drove a 3-1 slider from Ryan Tepera (4-3) deep to right-center for his 27th homer. Ramírez also leads the Guardians with 111 RBIs.
Cleveland improved to 22-13 since Aug 6, strengthening its hold on the division over the White Sox and Twins. The six straight wins match a season high.
Luis Rengifo hit a leadoff double for Los Angeles in the ninth, but Karinchak retired his next three batters.
Mickey Moniak hit a two-run homer for the Angels, and Mike Trout had an RBI single in the team's fourth straight loss. Shohei Ohtani went 1 for 4 with an eighth-inning double.
Los Angeles opened a 3-1 lead when Moniak scored on Trout's base hit in the fifth.
Cleveland got one back in the bottom half when Giménez singled and scored on Austin Hedges' double-play ball. Giménez singled again in the seventh and scored the tying run on Tyler Freeman's double against Jimmy Herget.
Cleveland right-hander Cal Quantrill, who is 12-0 in his career at Progressive Field, allowed three runs and eight hits in seven innings.
Moniak went deep in the third for his third homer since he was acquired in an Aug. 2 trade with Philadelphia. Moniak was selected by the Phillies with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 amateur draft.
Gonzalez opened the scoring with a solo shot in the second for his second homer in two days. He has four homers and 11 RBIs over his last nine games.
Angels starter Patrick Sandoval pitched 5 1/3 innings of two-run ball. The left-hander has not allowed more than two earned runs in eight straight starts.
The Angels are 1-21 against the Guardians on the road since 2015, losing 11 straight.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Angels: SS Andrew Velazquez (right knee) will miss the rest of the season after tearing his right meniscus in the fourth inning Tuesday while fielding a grounder. Velazquez was placed on the 10-day injured list and will require surgery.
Guardians: LHP Anthony Gose (left triceps strain), who has been on the IL since July 3, will have his status addressed later in the day by manager Terry Francona. The converted outfielder was shut down six weeks ago after feeling discomfort throwing.
UP NEXT
Angels: RHP Michael Lorenzen (6-6, 4.70 ERA) works the opener of a four-game set Friday against Seattle. Lorenzen went 5 2/3 innings, allowing an earned run, at Houston last week in his return from a two-month absence with a strained right shoulder.
Guardians: RHP Hunter Gaddis (0-1, 21.60 ERA) will be recalled from Triple-A Columbus to start a makeup game Thursday against the White Sox. Gaddis lost his only big league appearance on Aug. 5 against Houston, giving up eight runs in 3 1/3 innings.
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