TAMPA, Fla. (Interstat) — Nick Martinez pitched six strong innings and the Tampa Bay Rays used a two-run fifth inning to defeat the Cleveland Guardians 3-0 on Saturday at George Steinbrenner Field.

Martinez, who improved to 10-2 on the season, allowed four hits, walked none and struck out five while lowering his earned run average. The right-hander retired the side in order in the second, third and fourth innings and faced only one serious threat, which he snuffed out with a double play in the first. Bryan Baker earned his 27th save by pitching a perfect ninth inning, striking out one.

Tanner Bibee took the loss for Cleveland, dropping to 4-10. Bibee went six innings, allowing nine hits and three earned runs while striking out five. He worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the fourth but could not escape the fifth unscathed.

The game was scoreless through four innings. Cleveland put a runner on base in each of the first three innings but could not push a run across. Steven Kwan led off the game with a single but was erased on a double play when Travis Bazzana grounded into a 3-6-3 twin killing. In the third, Gabriel Arias singled with one out but was left stranded.

Tampa Bay broke through in the fifth. Yandy Díaz led off with a double to center field, his 18th two-bagger of the season. Jonathan Aranda followed with a single to left, putting runners at the corners. Junior Caminero then ripped a double to right field, scoring Díaz and sending Aranda to third. Cedric Mullins lifted a sacrifice fly to left, scoring Aranda and giving Tampa Bay a 2-0 lead. Chandler Simpson lined out to right to end the inning.

The Rays added an insurance run in the sixth. Victor Mesa Jr. walked to lead off, and Richie Palacios singled to center, moving Mesa to third. After Ben Williamson popped out, Hunter Feduccia executed a safety squeeze bunt down the first-base line, scoring Mesa and advancing Palacios to second. Díaz struck out to end the inning, but Tampa Bay led 3-0.

Cleveland mounted a minor threat in the eighth when David Fry walked with two outs, but Kwan lined out to center field to end the inning. The Guardians went down in order in the ninth, with Bazzana collecting his second hit of the game, a single to left, before Brayan Rocchio and Angel Martínez both flied out to right.

Bazzana, the Guardians’ designated hitter, finished 2 for 4. Kwan also had two hits for Cleveland, which managed only five hits overall. Yandy Díaz went 2 for 4 for Tampa Bay, which collected nine hits.

Will Dion pitched two scoreless innings of relief for Cleveland, striking out four and allowing no hits. Cole Sulser, Garrett Cleavinger and Baker combined for three perfect innings of relief for Tampa Bay, striking out four between them.

The victory improved Tampa Bay’s record to 61-43, while Cleveland dropped to 54-52. The sellout crowd of 24,100 saw the game completed in 2 hours, 24 minutes.

Cleveland had won four of its previous seven games before dropping the series opener Friday night, but could not solve Martinez or the Tampa Bay bullpen. The Rays have now won four of their last five and seven of their last 10.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Cleveland 5, Tampa Bay 4. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Tampa Bay with a 54.60 percent probability to win. Tampa Bay had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of minus 1.5. The total score of 3 went over the over/under line of 7.5.