CLEVELAND (AP) — After Terry Francona got done railing at the umpires, the Guardians rallied without their manager.
Andrés Giménez drove in the go-ahead run with a single in Cleveland’s four-run eighth inning, and the Guardians scored six runs after Francona was ejected for an 8-4 win Thursday night over the Oakland Athletics, who dropped their ninth straight.
Giménez looped a single into left field off Lou Trivino (1-5) and rookie Richie Palacios delivered a pinch-hit, two-run double in the eighth as the Guardians went over .500 for the first time since May 9, when they were 15-14.
Cleveland was down 4-2 in the sixth before scoring six runs after Francona got tossed for arguing.
“I was excited watching it,” Francona said of the comeback.
Rookie Oscar Gonzalez got four hits, Steven Kwan added three and José Ramírez and Josh Naylor homered for Cleveland, which has won eight of 10 and stayed competitive despite seven rainouts at home.
“It’s a testament to our team culture,” said Kwan, who is batting . 429 (9 of 21) in June. “We’ve always stayed positive kind of moving through these weird times.”
Christian Bethancourt hit a two-run homer — and nearly had two more homers — for the young A’s, who now have two nine-game losing streaks in the same season for the first time since 1978.
Kwan’s two-out RBI single tied it for Cleveland in the seventh, an inning after he was involved in the play that got Francona thrown out.
Kwan beat out an infield single and stole second with a headfirst slide. When the throw sailed into center, Kwan tried to get up but Oakland shortstop Elvis Andrus was sprawled on top of him.
Francona came out and argued with second-base umpire Jeremie Rehak that Kwan should get third. The umpires convened,…
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