David Fry and José Ramírez homer, Guardians blast Orioles 10-3 in series opener between AL leaders

CLEVELAND (AP) — David Fry hit a three-run homer, José Ramírez had a two-run shot and the Cleveland Guardians hammered the Baltimore Orioles 10-3 on Thursday night in a matchup of two of the AL's division leaders.

Bo Naylor added a three-run blast as the Guardians outhomered the Orioles, who lead the majors with 172 homers.

“We played a really good game,” Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt said. “We got to their starter and then added on with the bullpen and that’s a great recipe to win any game.”

Cleveland's 66-42 record is tops in baseball and the club's best mark through 108 games since the 1995 AL title team started 73-35.

Fry homered in the third off Trevor Rogers (2-10), who went 4 1/3 innings in his debut for the Orioles after being acquired in a trade Tuesday from Miami. The left-hander allowed five runs and six hits.

“It was definitely a whirlwind today, something I haven’t been through before," said Rogers, who only had a brief conversation with catcher Adley Rutschman before taking the mound. “But I’m not going to sit here and make excuses. I've still got to execute the game plan.”

Ramírez hit his 28th homer in the seventh, giving him homers in three straight games for the first time since 2021.

“You’ve got to watch every single at-bat he’s up there,” Vogt said. “You better be watching because he’s going to do something special.”

Naylor's eighth homer capped a five-run seventh when the Guardians blew it open.

Ben Lively (10-6) gave up two runs and four hits in six innings to become Cleveland's first 10-game winner. He's 6-1 with a 2.70 ERA in eight home starts.

“Ben has taken this role, really the first time he’s been a stable source in any rotation and he’s not letting it go,” Vogt said.

It was the first of four straight games between the Orioles and Guardians, who could see each other again in the postseason. Baltimore began its longest trip this season, an 11-day, 10-game swing through Cleveland, Toronto and Tampa Bay.

Lane Thomas doubled twice in his home debut for the Guardians after coming over in a trade from Washington this week. He's reached base in 27 straight games.

Thomas played with the Nationals in Cleveland earlier this season and could sense something special about the Guardians.

“I just felt like they played the game hard and kind of how we thought we played,” he said. “I thought they had a really good bullpen. I just thought they’ve got a complete team, so it was fun to watch across the field. I’m glad to be a part of it.”

Anthony Santander hit his 32nd homer for Baltimore, which got just five hits.

Fry connected for his ninth homer — and first since May 31 — to give the Guardians a 5-1 lead.

Ramírez doubled with two outs in the third and Josh Naylor walked before Fry crushed a 3-2 pitch from Rogers 407 feet into the left-field bleachers.

“I wasn't sure I could still do it,” Fry joked about ending his homer drought. “It was nice to see it go over the fence, but we had a bunch of ’em today. It was really fun.”

BACKED UP

Guardians right-hander Tanner Bibee will have his scheduled start Saturday pushed back at least a couple days due to shoulder tightness.

Bibee, who is 9-4 in his second season with Cleveland, allowed two runs and seven hits in six innings at Detroit on Monday. Vogt said Bibee's shoulder stiffened following the outing.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Guardians: Newly acquired RHP Alex Cobb will make a rehab start for Triple-A Columbus on Saturday. Cobb, who came over in a deadline trade from San Francisco, hasn't pitched in the majors this season following hip surgery last October. He was set to rejoin the Giants' rotation last week before developing a finger blister.

UP NEXT

Guardians RHP Carlos Carrasco (3-9, 5.68 ERA) was set to start Friday against Orioles RHP Dean Kremer (4-7, 4.20).

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

Cleveland Guardians' Josh Naylor (22) greets catcher Bo Naylor, left, as Nick Sandlin, right, stands by at the end of a baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles in Cleveland, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Phil Long)

Cleveland Guardians' Josh Naylor heads to first base after hitting a single off Baltimore Orioles relief pitcher Albert Suarez during the seventh inning of a baseball game in Cleveland, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Phil Long)

Cleveland Guardians' Lane Thomas heads to first base after a walk off Baltimore Orioles relief pitcher Burch Smith during the eighth inning of a baseball game in Cleveland, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Phil Long)

Cleveland Guardians' Josh Naylor (22) greets Lane Thomas, center, and Jhonkensy Noel, right, at the end of a baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles in Cleveland, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Phil Long)

Baltimore Orioles' Colton Cowser (17) heads for home plate on an RBI double by Gunnar Henderson during the first inning of a baseball game against the Cleveland Guardians in Cleveland, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Phil Long)

Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Trevor Rogers, right, hands the ball to manager Brandon Hyde, left, as catcher Adley Rutschman, center, looks away, during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Cleveland Guardians in Cleveland, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Phil Long)

Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Trevor Rogers, left, reacts after giving up a three-run home run to Cleveland Guardians' David Fry as Gurdians' Josh Naylor, back right, heads to home plate during the third inning of a baseball game in Cleveland, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Phil Long)

Baltimore Orioles' Anthony Santander, center, reacts after hitting a solo home run off Cleveland Guardians' Ben Lively as Guardians' Bo Naylor, left, and umpire John Bacon, right, stand by during the fourth inning of a baseball game in Cleveland, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Phil Long)

Cleveland Guardians' Steven Kwan, front left, scores on a sacrifice fly by Jose Ramirez as Baltimore Orioles' Adley Rutschman, right, stands by during the first inning of a baseball game in Cleveland, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Phil Long)

Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Ben Lively delivers against the Baltimore Orioles during the first inning of a baseball game in Cleveland, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Phil Long)

Cleveland Guardians' David Fry watches his three-run home run off Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Trevor Rogers during the third inning of a baseball game in Cleveland, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Phil Long)

Cleveland Guardians' Josh Naylor (22) and Jose Ramirez, second from left, congratulate David Fry, front right, after Fry's three-run home run off Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Trevor Rogers as Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman, back right, stands behind during the third inning of a baseball game in Cleveland, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Phil Long)

NEW YORK (AP) — The longtime host of “The Late Show with David Letterman” found himself answering questions rather than asking them when a federal judge in New York City put the entertainer through an audition of sorts on Monday for a possible role as a juror in a criminal trial.

It was the serious setting of a criminal trial over a cryptocurrency fraud when Judge P. Kevin Castel confronted the famous bearded comedian, identified in court only as “Juror 16,” with questions just as he did three dozen other potential jurors to determine who would be on a panel of 12 jurors and four alternates.

The prospective jurors had already survived a general round of questioning in which individuals are dismissed for hardship reasons, such as medical issues or jobs from which they cannot be spared. The trial is expected to last less than two weeks.

When Letterman, who stepped down from his show in 2015, made it to what could be the final round for admittance on the jury, the judge lobbed a softball: “Where do you live?”

“Hartford,” Letterman responded, proving that he couldn't make it through a single word without delivering a joke.

“No, it's a joke,” Letterman quickly let the judge know. Hartford is in Connecticut, which would have disqualified him from the jury because it is outside the area where jurors are drawn from.

“Nice try,” the judge responded, adding, “You figured you would forgo Queens,” another location outside the area covered by the Southern District of New York. Queens is located in the Eastern District of New York.

After Letterman revealed his true area of residence — Westchester County — the pair began a volley of questions and answers totaling nearly three dozen exchanges.

Along the way, the judge, lawyers and three dozen or so prospective jurors learned a lot that the world already knows about Letterman. He was born in Indianapolis, obtained a degree from Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana, and has a 20-year-old son in college in Massachusetts.

Asked what he does for a living, Letterman said he was currently “working for a company called Netflix.”

“Spouse or significant other?” Castel asked.

“I've had both. Currently I just have the spouse,” Letterman responded.

Asked how he gets his news, Letterman gave a nod to the past, saying: “Every morning I used to pick up the paper off the front porch. Now, I turn on the computer and it's an aggregation of news sources from all over the United States and around the world.”

Asked what he likes to watch besides any Netflix programs he's involved with, Letterman said, “I like sports.”

“I'm happy football is here. I'm happy it's this time in the baseball season. I like motor sports. I like pretty much what most Americans watch on TV,” he said.

The judge asked him if he's an Indianapolis Colts football fan.

“Big Colts fan. 0 and 2, but still a fan,” he said, referring to the fact that the Colts have lost their first two games this season.

For hobbies, Letterman said he likes to fish, ski and be outdoors.

“Ever called as a juror?” the judge asked.

“Been called many times. Just couldn't make it happen,” Letterman answered.

“You know, this may be the charm,” Castel said, aware that Letterman had a 50-50 chance to make it onto the panel.

“It would be a pleasure,” Letterman said.

In the end, shortly before the jury was sworn in, Letterman was ejected when a prosecutor exercised what is known as a “strike,” which allows lawyers on either side to release a certain number of potential jurors from the panel for any reason at all. It was the third of four strikes exercised by prosecutors. No reason was given.

David Letterman arrives at federal court in New York, Monday Sept. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)

David Letterman arrives at federal court in New York, Monday Sept. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)

David Letterman arrives at federal court in New York, Monday Sept. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)

David Letterman arrives at federal court in New York, Monday Sept. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)

David Letterman arrives at federal court in New York, Monday Sept. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)