Logan Allen was solid through six innings in a 2-0 win for the Cleveland Guardians over the visiting Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday.
Allen (2-2) struck out six and allowed three hits and one walk for the Guardians, who shut out Milwaukee for a second straight game. Emmanuel Clase tossed a perfect ninth for his ninth save of the season.
Right-handers Matt Festa and Hunter Gaddis each pitched one hitless inning of middle relief for the Guardians, whose pitchers combined to strike out 10 batters.
Brewers starting pitcher Quinn Priester (1-2) gave up one run on three hits and two walks and fanned three in five innings.
Cleveland took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first. With two outs, Jose Ramirez connected on a sinker down the middle and sent it into the right field deck for his seventh home run of the season.
Kyle Manzardo's RBI triple made it 2-0 in the eighth inning, scoring Ramirez, who had reached on an infield single. Milwaukee center fielder Jackson Chourio tried to catch Manzardo's shot on his backhand but missed, leaving the ball to roll deep as Christian Yelich came over from left to retrieve it.
Allen held the struggling Milwaukee offense at bay through the first four innings. After Chourio led off the game with a single, the lefty retired 13 straight batters before Brice Turang grounded a one-out single into center field in the fifth.
Chourio doubled to lead off the sixth, but the Brewers couldn't capitalize. Allen struck out Daz Cameron and William Contreras grounded out before Allen fanned Yelich to end the inning.
The Guardians didn't fare much better at the plate after Ramirez's homer, with just one hit -- a double from Steven Kwan in the third -- through the next four frames.
But they finally got their bats to connect in the bottom of the sixth inning off left-handed reliever Tyler Alexander. Angel Martinez led off with a single to center and, after Kwan struck out, Daniel Schneemann singled to give Cleveland two on with one out.
That ended Alexander's brief outing, with Milwaukee manager Pat Murphy opting to bring in righty Nick Mears to put the switch-hitting Ramirez on his left side, where he's batting .266 compared .379 on the right. Ramirez popped out to shortstop and Manzardo followed with a flyout to end the threat.
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