CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Guardians closed out a dominant three-game sweep of the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday afternoon at Progressive Field, winning 4-2 behind a strong start from Parker Messick and a clutch performance from their bullpen. Cleveland has now won all three games of the series by identical margins, outscoring Los Angeles 14-6 across the week.

Messick Deals, Bullpen Slams the Door

Parker Messick earned the win after working 6⅔ innings, allowing 2 runs on 4 hits while striking out 7 and throwing 104 pitches. The left-hander was in command for most of the afternoon, navigating around a Zach Neto solo home run in the fifth that briefly made things interesting.

When Messick exited, the bullpen took over without a hiccup. Erik Sabrowski was electric in relief, punching out all three batters he faced in a clean inning. Cade Smith then locked it down in the ninth with three more strikeouts to earn the save, finishing off a combined 13-strikeout performance for the Cleveland staff on just 144 pitches.

Reid Detmers took the loss for Los Angeles, surrendering 4 runs on 6 hits over 5⅔ innings.

Ángel Martínez Provides the Early Spark

Cleveland wasted no time getting on the board. Ángel Martínez launched a solo home run in the first inning to stake the Guardians to an early lead, and the offense built from there. Cleveland plated two runs in the first, added another in the third, and cushioned the lead with a sixth-inning run to push the final margin to 4-2.

Travis Bazzana went 2-for-4 at the top of the order, and Chase DeLauter added a 2-for-4 day with an RBI. Daniel Schneemann also chipped in with an RBI single as Cleveland spread the offense across the lineup. The Angels managed just 4 hits on the day and went 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position, a theme throughout the series.

The Bigger Picture

The sweep extends what has been a strong stretch for Cleveland. The Guardians held the Angels to a .143 batting average over the three-game set and allowed just two runs per game on average. With the Cincinnati Reds coming to town starting Friday, Cleveland will look to carry the momentum into an important AL-NL matchup at Progressive Field.

The Guardians' next game is Friday, May 15 vs. the Cincinnati Reds, 7:10 PM EDT.