"It’s a lot of fun when you’re aggressor and in control"- Dylan Cease reflects on his 10-strikeout performance during Padres game against Guardians

San Diego Padres' offseason signing Dylan Cease struck out 10 hitters to help his club win the game 7-0 against the Cleveland Guardians on Saturday at Progressive Field. This was the second game of their three-game series, with the Guardians winning the first one 7-0 on Friday.

Cease threw seven scoreless innings, conceding only one hit and one walk. In his last start against the Atlanta Braves, he struck out 11 and coupled with this outing, he became the first Padres pitcher to have one or fewer hits, zero runs, and 10 or more strikeouts in back-to-back games.

In the post-game interview, the ex-White Sox ace said it was fun to be more in control of the game and be an aggressor.

"It’s a lot of fun when you’re the aggressor and you’re more in control, like I was tonight. I’m executing at a really high clip right now and teams aren’t picking up the ball as well,” Cease on his performance vs. Guardians.

This season, Cease has started 21 games for the Padres, holding a 9-8 record with an ERA of 3.76 and a WHIP of 1.03. The 28-year-old right-hand pitcher currently leads MLB as the strikeout leader with 159 strikeouts.

Padres manager Mike Shildt lauds Dylan Cease for dominant performance against Guardians

Padres manager Mike Shildt lauds Dylan Cease for his performance against the Guardians.

"Dylan was in complete control, you couldn't ask for much more. Give him an A-plus-plus,” Shildt said in a post game interview.

The Padres are currently in the third spot in the NL West with a 51-50 record, trailing the LA Dodgers and Arizona Diamondbacks. They do have a chance to make the NL Wild Card spot. Cease & Co. are just one game behind and need to get on a winning run to make the postseason.