CLEVELAND – Cleveland’s Logan Allen held the Miami Marlins to a solo homer and struck out eight over six innings to win his major league debut Sunday, a 7-4 victory that kept the Guardians from being swept.
Allen ended the day with the game’s lineup card and several baseballs. And the requisite beer bath mixed with shaving cream.
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“It was a little cold, but it was awesome,” he said with a smile. “Anytime we’re celebrating something like that, it’s amazing.”
Allen’s performance came in front of his parents, brother, girlfriend, agent and other family members. He admitted he had trouble sleeping Saturday night.
“There was definitely a lot of nerves going into the game, but once I got to the bullpen and started throwing it felt normal,” Allen said. “I took it all in and appreciated what it was.”
Called up from Triple-A Columbus before the game, the 24-year-old left hander gave up a two-out homer to Jon Berti in the third. Otherwise, he allowed five hits and walked one, and finished with a flourish by striking out three around a one-out walk in the sixth.
Allen pounded his fist into his glove after Avisaíl García took a called strike three to end the inning. He received a loud ovation as he walked off the field and was greeted by his teammates when he reached the dugout.
He’s the third rookie to start a game for the Guardians, whose rotation is missing the injured Triston McKenzie and Aaron Civale.
“He had poise,” Cleveland manager Terry Francona said. “He threw three pitches. He attacked. He did really well.”
Allen struck out Berti on a 3-2 pitch and whiffed Garrett Cooper on three pitches to start the game. Jorge Solar doubled off the left-field wall, but Bryan De La Cruz grounded out.
“Getting the first out in any inning is big, but especially for the first time it was nice,” Allen said.
“He worked quick,” Miami manager Skip Schumaker said. “The second, third and fourth innings we wanted to disrupt him a little bit. It didn’t work. Credit to him with his composure out there. It didn’t matter what we did.”
Amed Rosario sparked Cleveland’s slumbering offense by going 4 for 5 with two singles, a triple and double while scoring three runs. José Ramírez, who had four RBIs, and Josh Bell hit back-to-back homers in the third.
Needing a home run for the cycle in the eighth, Rosario’s line drive to left hooked foul and he settled for an infield hit.
“I’d be lying to you if I said I wasn’t thinking about it, but my mindset was just to get a good pitch,” he said through a translator.
Garcia hit a three-run homer off James Karinchak in the eighth, but Emmanuel Clase pitched the ninth for his seventh save.
The Guardians had scored nine runs over their past 47 innings and had lost five of six going into Sunday.
Jesús Luzardo (2-1) allowed four runs in 4 1/3 innings. Miami has won 11 of 16.
MARLINS UPDATE
RHP Sandy Alcantara, the reigning NL Cy Young Award winner, expects to start Wednesday against Atlanta. He was pushed back from his scheduled start Saturday with biceps tendinitis.
“It’s nothing where I would have to worry about it,” Alcantara said. “They just wanted to give me time to recover. Everything is good right now. "
Alcantara is 1-2 with a 5.47 ERA in four starts.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Marlins: INF Joey Wendle (strained right intercostal) took ground balls Sunday and could start a rehab assignment later in the week.
Guardians: RHP Daniel Espino, another highly regarded prospect in Cleveland’s system, will meet with a specialist May 1 after again experiencing shoulder soreness while playing catch. Espino, 22, hasn’t pitched in a minor league game since April 2022.
UP NEXT
Marlins: RHP Edward Cabrera (1-1, 4.08 ERA) will start Monday in Atlanta. He allowed two runs and struck out eight over six innings in a win over the Giants on April 18.
Guardians: RHP Cal Quantrill (1-1, 4.15 ERA) will face Colorado on Monday at Progressive Field. He threw six shutout innings against Detroit on April 19. Quantrill was pulled after being hit on the leg by a line drive.
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