Fry's sizzling first career homer sparks Guardians

SAN DIEGO -- The Guardians had been searching for answers in their first two games in San Diego. To avoid a series sweep against the Padres, Cleveland was looking for somebody to step up and provide a spark. It found one in an unlikely source in David Fry.

Fry’s first career MLB home run was a three-run shot that capped off a five-run first inning against Padres starter Ryan Weathers. That early offensive eruption was just what the Guardians needed to secure a thrilling 8-6 win in the series finale. With the victory, they avoided a sweep and found the offensive success that they recently unlocked on their last homestand.

When Fry’s home run traveled 347 feet over the left-field wall at Petco Park, it was both a huge personal milestone and a much-needed shock to the system for the Guardians. He nearly did so again in the eighth inning on a 395-foot double that Padres center fielder Trent Grisham batted down at the wall that likely prevented it from going over the fence.

“I was just trying to get something to hit, hopefully keep the inning going and get it to the next guy,” Fry said about his approach in his first plate appearance. “[Off the bat], I thought it had a good chance. Luckily, we’re playing at Petco Park, where it’s pretty short down the line. Mine got out by like a foot.”

After appearing in 10 previous games at catcher, appearing as a late-game replacement across 24 combined innings, Fry made his first career MLB start at the position on Thursday. It was the perfect storm of a player taking advantage of an opportunity and providing a timely contribution to a team looking for it.

“They told me yesterday that there was a chance I would start today,” Fry said when asked about getting penciled into Thursday’s starting lineup. “I just tried to get some rest. My wife and I got some breakfast [this morning]. I just tried to get ready for the day and come ready to play.”

Thursday’s performance was a good encapsulation of Fry’s abilities and why the now-27-year-old was intriguing to the Guardians in the first place. Acquired from the Brewers in March 2022, Fry has a career .811 OPS in the Minors and has played every defensive position outside of pitcher in professional ball. That includes time spent at catcher, third base and first base with the Guardians this year.

Fry’s contributions came at a position that has been offensively-starved this season for the Guardians. Cleveland’s catchers have an MLB-worst .511 OPS. With a home run and double, Fry snapped a two-plus-month stretch of a Guardians catcher not recording multiple extra-base hits in a game. Mike Zunino was the last to do so on April 10.

“Boy, he sure helped us,” Guardians manager Terry Francona said about Fry’s performance. “He made some good throws. He played in a long, arduous game. And he helped us offensively. That was good for him, and it helped us a lot.”

It certainly wasn’t an easy win after that top of the first inning though. The Padres immediately fired back with a three-run home run from Manny Machado in the bottom of the inning to make it a 5-3 game. The two teams went back and forth with run-scoring innings, with the Guardians scoring in the second, fourth and eighth innings and the Padres scoring in the third and fifth innings. Things slowed down after the fifth inning -- Andrés Giménez’s RBI single in the eighth inning was the only run after that -- but the scoring was rampant to start.

Amidst all the scoring came contributions from key members of the Guardians' offense at the top of the lineup. Padres pitchers only retired José Ramírez once, with Cleveland’s superstar recording three hits, a walk and two runs batted in. Amed Rosario chimed in with a 3-hit game. Giménez had two hits, scored a run and drove one in out of the leadoff spot. Josh Naylor collected two more hits, which included a two-run single in the first inning to kick off the scoring and extend his MLB-best 14-game active hitting streak.

Padres hitters certainly did their best to match their counterparts. A night after they carried them to a 5-0 win, the Padres' superstars once again showed up in a big way. Machado homered for the second time in as many nights. Juan Soto and Fernando Tatis Jr. each recorded three walks, with Soto adding a double and Tatis swiping yet another base. Xander Bogaerts and Ha-Seong Kim both had two-hit performances.

While the scoring slowed down after the fifth inning, the tense moments did not. With both starters -- Logan Allen and Ryan Weathers -- pitching just 4 2/3 combined innings and allowing 11 runs, it was a bullpen-heavy performance from each team. With a narrow Guardians lead for most of the game, it felt like every pitching change and pitch from each new pitcher carried extra weight.

Guardians relievers combined to throw six innings of one-run ball. The combination of five pitchers -- Nick Sandlin, Eli Morgan, Cody Morris, Trevor Stephan and Emmanuel Clase -- more than held their own by holding and maintaining a slim lead. While they flirted with trouble throughout, allowing five hits and four walks, they did their part in chewing up huge innings in a game that felt like a must-win.

Up next for the Guardians is a matchup with the D-backs, who currently hold the top spot in the NL West and have one of the best records in the Majors. While Arizona has lost three straight entering the series, the Guardians will have their hands full with a roster that has produced 41 wins thanks to star performances from players such as Corbin Carroll and Zac Gallen.

The series opener on Friday is shaping up to be a dandy of a pitching matchup. Triston McKenzie, who started the season on the IL, will make his third start of the season. He dominated the Twins in his first outing with 10 strikeouts and no earned runs in five innings, but he allowed five earned runs in five innings in his last outing against the Astros. He’ll face off against Gallen, who leads all MLB starting pitchers with 3.2 WAR and has a 3.09 ERA.