CLEVELAND -- The most resistance Guardians starter Gavin Williams faced on Sunday was a one-hour, 34-minute rain delay that prematurely ended his outing against the D-backs. Before that, he was nearly perfect.
Lately, the big right-hander has been clinical.
Williams struck out 10 batters over 5 2/3 scoreless innings on Sunday to lead the Guardians to a 5-0 win over the D-backs at Progressive Field. He allowed just one hit and one walk and threw 89 pitches (60 strikes) and carried a perfect-game bid into the sixth inning. D-backs center fielder Tim Tawa snapped it with a leadoff single.
Sunday marked the fifth consecutive start in which Williams has struck out 10-plus batters and allowed one or fewer walks. That’s tied for the second-longest streak in the Majors since at least 1900 with Chris Sale (2018). It trails only Clayton Kershaw’s six-start streak in ‘16.
Williams has struck out 55 batters and walked just three over his past five starts, which is the most by a Cleveland pitcher over a five-start span since Shane Bieber (57) from April 7-30, 2021.
Williams struck out six of the D-backs’ first nine hitters, including five straight batters across the second and third innings. He was perfect through five innings on 67 pitches with the bottom of Arizona’s order coming up in the sixth.
Tawa led off the sixth with a single which came one pitch after he fouled off a bunt attempt that appeared to draw the ire of the Guardians, which played into an ensuing benches-clearing fracas.
Williams nearly worked out of the inning unscathed, but his two-out walk to Corbin Carroll gave way to the rain delay. Given the lengthy layoff, Hunter Gaddis replaced Williams and finished the sixth inning.
The Guardians (57-56) improved to 6-10 since the All-Star break with Sunday’s win, which also kept them from falling under .500 for the first time since May 5 (18-19).