Tyler Naquin, who spent eight years in the big leagues as an outfielder, tossed a scoreless inning for High-A Lake County.

CHICAGO — Cleveland Guardians first baseman Kyle Manzardo rejoined the team on Thursday after missing three games to be with his family while his mother underwent a heart transplant.

HOUSTON — Baseball fans know what an intentional walk is. For a refresher, just look at what happens when Jose Ramirez comes to the plate in a game-deciding situation. He’s waved to first base on a free pass. Pitchers don’t even have to throw four pitches off the plate anymore.

The Guardians claimed a surprising series win over Houston after entering the three-game set mired in a 10-game skid. The Astros dropped back-to-back home contests for the first time since suffering a three-game sweep to the San Francisco Giants in their first homestand of the year.

An inability to score runs has caused the Cleveland Guardians to fall rapidly in the American League Central standings.

Cleveland appeared poised to snap their skid when Steven Kwan’s RBI double in the eighth broke a scoreless tie. The rally began with Austin Hedges’ single that snapped an 0-for-10 slump, followed by a walk to Brayan Rocchio. Kwan, aiming for his third hit of the afternoon, then drove in pinch runner Daniel Schneemann with a double into the corner.

The Cleveland Guardians have their work cut out for them after going on a 10-game losing streak, but things are beginning to look up for them.