PHILADELPHIA (Interstat) — Kyle Manzardo hit a pinch-hit homer off Jhoan Duran in the ninth inning to give the Cleveland Guardians a 1-0 win over the Philadelphia Phillies on Friday night at Citizens Bank Park. The shot preserved a brilliant outing from Gavin Williams, who pitched eight shutout innings, allowing four hits and striking out 11. Philadelphia’s Cristopher Sánchez matched him with eight scoreless frames of his own, yielding four hits and fanning six. Cade Smith worked a scoreless ninth for his 17th save. The game, played before 38,092 fans, lasted 2 hours, 5 minutes. Williams improved to 7-3; Duran fell to 1-2. Cleveland’s record rose to 31-22, while Philadelphia dropped to 25-26.

PHILADELPHIA (Interstat) — Kyle Manzardo hit a pinch-hit homer off Phillies closer Jhoan Duran in the ninth inning to preserve a terrific outing for starter Gavin Williams and lead the Cleveland Guardians to a 1-0 win over Philadelphia on Friday night. Cade Smith worked a scoreless ninth for his 19th save in a game that needed just 2 hours, 5 minutes. Cristopher Sánchez and Williams matched up in a classic pitchers’ duel where each tossed eight shutout innings in front of 38,092 fans on a rainy night at Citizens Bank Park. They were the first opposing starters to each pitch at least eight scoreless innings since Miami’s Ryan Weathers and Detroit’s Reese Olson on May 14, 2024. Williams, who improved to 7-3, allowed four hits, struck out 11 and walked none. He was dominant from the outset, retiring the first two Phillies in the bottom of the first before Bryce Harper lined a double to right field. Williams then struck out Alec Bohm to end the inning. After a fielding error by third baseman José Ramírez put Adolis García on base in the second, Williams induced a force out from J.T. Realmuto to escape trouble. The only other threats came in the fifth, when Bryson Stott singled with one out, and in the seventh, when Brandon Marsh singled. But Williams struck out García and catcher Austin Hedges threw out Marsh trying to steal second to end that inning. Sánchez, who fell to 5-4, matched Williams pitch for pitch. He gave up four hits, walked two and struck out six. The left-hander faced his only real jam in the second when David Fry singled with one out, but Sánchez got Travis Bazzana to ground into a force out and then struck out Brayan Rocchio. In the fourth, Sánchez walked Rhys Hoskins but then induced a double play from Fry. He retired the side in order in the third, fifth, sixth and seventh innings. Cleveland put two runners on in the eighth when Hedges singled with one out, but Sánchez got Petey Halpin to pop out and Angel Martínez to ground out. The game remained scoreless until the top of the ninth. Philadelphia manager Rob Thomson turned to his closer, Duran, who entered with a 1-1 record and one save. José Ramírez led off with a single to right field but was thrown out trying to stretch it into a double by right fielder García. Manzardo, batting for Chase DeLauter, then crushed a 1-0 pitch over the left-field wall for his fifth home run of the season. Duran struck out Travis Bazzana to end the inning but had already allowed the only run of the game. Smith came on for the bottom of the ninth and faced the heart of the Phillies order. He got Trea Turner to fly out, struck out Kyle Schwarber and induced a groundout from Harper to first baseman Manzardo for his 17th save. The Guardians thus stretched their winning streak to five games and improved to 31-22. They had swept a four-game series at Detroit earlier in the week, winning 3-1 on Thursday, 3-2 in 10 innings on Wednesday, 4-3 on Tuesday and 8-2 on Monday. Before that they took three of four from Cincinnati at home and won three of four against the Los Angeles Angels. For Philadelphia, the loss snapped a brief two-game winning streak and dropped the Phillies to 25-26. They had lost three of four to Cincinnati earlier in the week before winning two straight at Pittsburgh over the weekend. Williams’ performance was especially notable given his recent outings. On May 17 against Cincinnati he allowed two earned runs in six innings in a 10-3 win, but on May 10 against Minnesota he gave up five earned runs in six innings in a 5-4 loss. Friday night he was at his best, relying on a fastball that touched 97 mph and a sharp breaking ball that kept Phillies hitters off-balance. Sánchez was equally impressive. He had not allowed an earned run in 13 innings over his previous two starts combined, and he extended that streak to 21 innings before Manzardo’s homer. He also kept the Guardians off the board despite a few scattered hits and walks. Key offensive contributions for Cleveland came from Fry, who went 2 for 3 with two singles, and Ramírez, who had a single in the ninth. For Philadelphia, Harper went 1 for 4 with a double, Stott was 1 for 3 and Realmuto singled in the eighth. But the Phillies could not string together hits against Williams, who allowed only one extra-base hit. The game featured several defensive highlights. In the second inning, shortstop Brayan Rocchio made a nice play to start a force out. In the seventh, catcher Hedges threw out Marsh attempting to steal second, a critical play that ended the inning. In the eighth, second baseman Bazzana and Rocchio turned a double play on Justin Crawford’s grounder, erasing a Realmuto single. Philadelphia had chances but could not capitalize. In the first, Harper’s double went for naught as Bohm struck out. In the fifth, Stott’s single was followed by a strikeout of Realmuto and a groundout from Crawford. In the seventh, Marsh singled but was caught stealing. The Guardians bullpen, which entered the game with a 3.45 ERA, was perfect in Smith’s one inning. The game was the first of a three-game interleague series between the two clubs. Cleveland visits Philadelphia again Saturday and Sunday before returning home to host Washington on Monday for a three-game set. After that, the Guardians welcome Boston for a weekend series and then travel to New York to face the Yankees. Philadelphia hosts Cleveland again Saturday and Sunday, then embarks on a road trip to San Diego and Los Angeles. The Phillies face the Padres for three games starting Monday, then the Dodgers for three games over the weekend, before returning home to host San Diego again. Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Cleveland Guardians 7, Philadelphia Phillies 6. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Philadelphia with a 53.30 percent probability to win. Philadelphia had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of minus-1.5. The total score of 1 went over the over-under line of 7.

PHILADELPHIA (Interstat) — Gavin Williams takes the mound for the Cleveland Guardians as they open a three-game series against the Philadelphia Phillies on Friday night at Citizens Bank Park. First pitch is scheduled for 6:40 p.m. under a forecast of rain and 58 degrees. Williams (6-3) leads a Guardians team that owns the best record in the American League Central at 30-22. The right-hander will oppose Phillies left-hander Cristopher Sánchez (5-2), who anchors a Philadelphia club that sits at .500 (25-25) and trails the first-place Mets by 3 ½ games in the National League East. Cleveland enters on a four-game winning streak, capped by Thursday’s 3-1 victory at Detroit. Left-hander Joey Cantillo was the story in that win, tossing 5 2/3 scoreless innings while allowing three hits and striking out six. Cantillo has been dominant of late, winning five consecutive starts since April 25, posting a 2.11 ERA over that span with 21 strikeouts in 25 2/3 innings. The Phillies are looking to snap a two-game skid after dropping the series finale to Cincinnati 9-4 on Wednesday. Right-hander Aaron Nola, who allowed four runs on eight hits over five innings in that loss, remains a key arm for Philadelphia despite not starting Friday. Edmundo Sosa provided the only offensive spark Wednesday with a two-run homer. Interstat’s game simulator projects a 7-6 final in favor of Cleveland, though the Phillies hold a 53.3% win probability per the ELO system. Philadelphia has been installed as a -1.5 favorite, with the over/under set at 7 runs. The series continues Saturday afternoon with the same pitching matchups reversed before wrapping up Sunday. The Guardians then return home for a six-game homestand against Washington and Boston, while the Phillies embark on a West Coast trip to face the Padres and Dodgers.