CLEVELAND — Rookie Jhonkensy Noel hit a two-run homer and Andrés Giménez followed with a solo shot in the fifth inning, leading the Cleveland Guardians to a 10-8 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday night.
Emmanuel Clase became Cleveland's career saves leader, notching his 150th — and 40th this season — by working the ninth. Clase gave up a leadoff homer to Andrew McCutchen before getting three outs and passing Cody Allen on the club list.
Clase has a legitimate Cy Young case with a 0.71 ERA and by converting 27 straight save opportunities since May 20. He's allowed only five earned runs all season.
“What he’s done in the short spurt here is truly special,” said Guardians manager Stephen Vogt. “I’m only here for five months of it. It's just remarkable.”
Noel's 450-foot blast off Carmen Mlodzinski (2-5) came after the Pirates had scored six in the fifth to take a 6-4 lead.
Josh Naylor added four RBIs for Cleveland, which extended its lead in the AL Central over Kansas City to 2 1/2 games and 3 1/2 ahead of Minnesota. The Guardians will visit the Royals for three games starting Monday.
Naylor had to be assisted from the field in the eighth after getting an RBI single. He appeared to turn his left ankle following his swing and hobbling down the line. Vogt said Naylor suffered only a bruise.
“He told me he wants to play tomorrow, in true Nails form,” Vogt said. “He’s going to be sore. He's going to be playing through some soreness, but Nails, the hockey player wants to play.”
After Naylor's RBI single in the fifth brought the Guardians within 6-5, Noel, the burly man nicknamed “Big Christmas,” sent an 0-1 pitch from Mlodzinski into the left-field bleachers at 111.2 mph for his 13th homer.
Noel joined Russell Branyan as the only Cleveland players to hit 13 homers in their first 45 games.
Giménez hit the next pitch into the right-field seats, and his first homer since June 20 — and 210 at-bats — gave Cleveland an 8-6 lead. He's batting .338 in his last 18 home games.
Oneil Cruz drove in three runs and Rowdy Tellez hit a two-run homer for the Pirates, whose bullpen let them down again. Pittsburgh was coming off a 14-10 loss on Wednesday, when the Chicago Cubs scored 11 runs in the last three innings.
“We gotta finish innings,” said Pirates manager Derek Shelton, who was ejected in the fourth. "We gotta execute. We didn’t do that today. Our offense did a really good job. That’s a really good club over there.
"We were down 4-0, scored six runs in the fifth, had really good at-bats and then you get in a bullpen game with them it’s really challenging because their bullpen is really good.”
Tellez's 12th homer highlighted Pittsburgh's six-run fifth inning, when the Pirates tagged Guardians starter Ben Lively for the homer, two doubles and two singles.
Cruz and McCutchen each got two-run singles in the outburst.
In the aftermath of the bullpen collapse against the Cubs, Shelton said David Bednar has been taken out of the closer's role.
Bednar was charged with his sixth blown save — and third in his last six chances — when he allowed five runs with three hits and two walks against Chicago. Pittsburgh led that game 10-3 in the seventh.
Shelton intends to implement a closer-by-committee approach for now.
Pirates: RHP Ben Heller (shoulder inflammation) was placed on the 15-day injured list. ... RHP Daulton Jefferies (right elbow inflammation) began a rehab assignment with Triple-A Indianapolis. He's currently on the 60-day IL.
Guardians: RHP Alex Cobb (broken fingernail) will likely be activated from the injured list and start Sunday's series finale. Vogt said barring a setback, the 36-year-old will make his third start for Cleveland, which acquired him in a trade from San Francisco on July 30.
Pirates RHP Luis Ortiz (5-4, 3.36 ERA), who threw six scoreless innings in his last outing, will start against Guardians LHP Matt Boyd (1-0, 2.70).