Jhonkensy Noel homered for the second straight game and Matthew Boyd pitched six effective innings for his first win in more than a year, helping the Cleveland Guardians beat the Texas Rangers 4-2 on Sunday.
Noel hit a solo shot in the second against Cody Bradford (4-2), a towering 413-foot drive to center. It was the 12th homer for the 23-year-old rookie since his June 26 debut, matching Russell Branyan for the most by a Cleveland player in his first 41 games.
“I just follow the advice of the best player in the world, (teammate) José Ramírez,” Noel said through an interpreter. “I know the type of hitter that I am, but I’m still adjusting and learning and trying to put the ball in play.”
The 6-foot-3, 250-pound Noel also ran hard on the bases for an insurance run in the seventh, reaching on a third-strike wild pitch and scoring on a throwing error by reliever Jose Leclerc.
“If you hustle down the line and do things like that, it makes it easier for the team and shows the right thing,” he said.
The Guardians extended their AL Central lead to three games over Kansas City and Minnesota. The Royals begin a four-game series in Cleveland with a doubleheader on Monday.