ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) Ben Lively pitched seven innings of two-run ball, and the Cleveland Guardians beat the Los Angeles Angels 5-4 on Sunday for their ninth consecutive win.

Itā€™s the longest win streak for Cleveland since it won an AL-record 22 in a row from Aug. 24 to Sept. 14, 2017. It matched the franchiseā€™s best 53-game start at 36-17, also accomplished in 1920, 1954 and 1995. The team reached the World Series in all three of those seasons, winning in 1920.

ā€œItā€™s fun. Itā€™s what these guys do. I havenā€™t done anything,ā€ first-year Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt said. ā€œItā€™s all about the guys in there. This team, they believe in each other. We play all 13 guys. They all chip in. Coming off the bench, weā€™ve been getting big hits. The pitching has really stepped up. Itā€™s been a fun week and a half, and we hope to keep it going.ā€

Lively (4-2) allowed four hits, struck out five and walked two. Emmanuel Clase got three outs for his 17th save in 20 chances.

ā€œItā€™s awesome,ā€ Lively said of the win streak. ā€œLetā€™s keep it going, see how far we can go. Keep on the same.ā€

Matt Thaiss homered for the Angels, who lost for the fourth time in five games. Reid Detmers (3-5) struck out eight in five innings, but he was charged with three runs and four hits.

Cleveland star JosƩ Ramƭrez walked twice and drove in a run after going deep three times in the first two games of the series. He was robbed of a homer when Jo Adell made a leaping catch in right in the eighth.

The Guardians scored three runs in the sixth to take a 5-2 lead.

With one out and Johnathan Rodriguez aboard after a leadoff single, Austin Hedges and Brayan Rocchio walked before Tyler Freeman was hit by a pitch from Adam Cimber - forcing in a run. AndrƩs GimƩnez hit an RBI single and Ramƭrez walked against Matt Moore, bringing home another run.

ā€œThat sixth inning was the one that killed us," Los Angeles manager Ron Washington said. "We just couldnā€™t get out of it.ā€

The Angels closed to 5-4 on RBI singles by Luis Rengifo and Kevin Pillar in the eighth. But the rally stalled when Adell struck out swinging, ending the inning.

Rodriguez hit a two-run single in the third for Cleveland, but Thaiss tied it with a two-out drive in the fifth for his first homer of the season.

GimƩnez was hit in the head by a Detmers pitch in the third. His helmet came off, and he was checked by an athletic trainer. But he stayed in the game.

ā€œThis was the first one to my head, and I hope itā€™s going to be the last one,ā€ said GimĆ©nez, who has 32 RBIs on the season.

The Angels fell to 6-19 at home.

TRAINERā€™S ROOM

Guardians: RHP Carlos Carrasco (neck spasm) threw an up-down bullpen session.

Angels: INF Miguel Sano, who already is on the 10-day IL, left a heat pack on his leg too long and suffered a burn while on a rehab assignment, according to Washington. But itā€™s not thought to be serious.

UP NEXT

Guardians: RHP Xzavion Curry (2-0, 1.93 ERA) makes his third start of the season on Monday in Colorado.

Angels: RHP Griffin Canning (2-4, 5.05 ERA) starts on Tuesday night in the opener of a three-game set against the New York Yankees.

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