San Francisco Giants at Cleveland Guardians

The first-inning drive by outfielder Jo Adell on Tuesday left teammate Austin Hedges’ jaw agape and his hands on his head. It kick-started a career night for Adell, got Progressive Field rocking and the Guardians rolling as they began one of their most critical stretches of the season. Adell’s Statcast-projected 455-foot three-run homer sent the Guardians on their way to an 8-1 win over the Giants in the opener of a three-game series. The 27-year-old finished 3-for-4 with a career-high six RBIs, and he set a new career high for his longest home run. However, Adell’s performance was somewhat overshadowed by concerns over his premature exit from the game. The Guardians pulled him in the eighth inning due to lingering soreness in his left knee, which he fouled a pitch off of moments before his home run. The club later said Adell has a left knee contusion, but his status will be an ongoing situation. “Jo obviously fouled that ball off his knee pretty hard,” Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said. “He was feeling some pretty good pain as the game went on. We’re going to have to evaluate him day to day.” That development put a bit of a damper on the night, but Cleveland (61-65) needed a complete and convincing win like this after it entered the day 9-19 since the All-Star break. The Guardians are still alive in an American League postseason picture full of parity, but it’s no secret they need to halt this slide and turn the tide.