Angel Martinez homered from both sides of the plate and drove in four runs in the host Cleveland Guardians’ 12-6 win over the Athletics on Saturday night.
Martinez was also 4-for-5 with a double and three runs scored and Chase DeLauter also homered for the Guardians (80-75), who won their fourth straight and maintained their one-game lead atop the A.L. Central.
Donovan Walton hit a home run and was 3-for-3 with a four RBIs for the Athletics (61-64), who have lost five in a row.
Slade Cecconi (5-7) got the win in relief with two scoreless innings.
Athletics’ starter and loser Jacob Lopez (6-5) was blitzed for 10 runs and 10 hits in 2 2/3 innings.
Guardians’ starter Tanner Bibee lasted 4 2/3 innings and surrendered six runs on 12 hits.
The Guardians scored five runs before Lopez retired a batter in the bottom of the first to go up 5-2. After singles by Steven Kwan and Jose Ramirez, DeLauter drove a pitch over the right-centerfield fence for his 15th home run. Jo Adell followed with a single and Martinez launched his first blast, which just cleared the wall in left center.
Walton brought the Athletics to within 5-3 with a run-scoring single in the bottom of the third.
Cleveland added five in the third to extend its lead to 10-3. David Fry hit a two-run double and with two out Austin Hedges and Brayan Rocchio doubled in a run each and Kwan added an RBI single.
Henry Bolte’s run-scoring single for the Athletics brought the score to 10-4.
Martinez’s second homer made it 11-4 in the fourth. His 17th home run went into the right-field stands.
Walton’s two-out, two-run blast in the fifth pulled the Athletics to within 11-6.
But Martinez’s RBI single in the sixth pushed the Guardians’ lead to 12-6.
The Athletics used four consecutive two-out singles in the top of the first to take a 2-0 lead. Zack Gelof and Walton drove in the runs.
Rocchio left the game in the sixth with lower leg tightness.
