Chappie's Grave

 The Guardians scored four runs in the first inning and then used a stellar effort from their bullpen to down the slumping Boston Red Sox, 4-3, on May 29. The Guardians used five relievers in support of starter Slade Cecconi to hold off the Red Sox for the final eight innings. Cade Smith pitched a scoreless ninth inning to pick up his 20th save of the season. The Guardians improved to 34-25 with the win, their second straight. Boston fell to 23-33 with the loss. After Travis Bazzana struck out to lead off the bottom of the first inning, Cleveland hitters collected six straight singles as they scored their four runs off of Boston starter Tyler Samaniego. Angel Martinez’s bases-loaded single plated two runs and was the big hit in the rally. Rhys Hoskins added an RBI base hit, and catcher Patrick Bailey added an RBI sacrifice fly to right field. Boston rallied for three runs in the fifth off Ceccoi on four straight hits and a sacrifice fly.  Colin Holderman came on to retire the ...

Just like that, the Guardians are on a losing streak. Washington jumped on Cleveland early and held on late in a 6-3 win. It's Cleveland’s second straight loss and third in four games, and comes on the heels of a 7-game winning streak. The baseball season might be a marathon with 162 games, but it comes at your fast. The night after Tanner Bibee gave up five home runs,  Joey Cantillo could only give Cleveland two innings. He was beaten up for four runs, on three hits, and walked four. For the second straight night, Washington’s James Wood homered. This one was a 2-run blast and was part of Washington’s four-run second inning.  It was Wood’s 15th HR of the year. The loss dropped the Guardians to 32-25. Brayan Rocchio led the Cleveland offense with a 3-for-3 night at the plate, and he scored a run. The Guardians’ shortstop and No. 9 hitter might be its best hitter thus far in 2026, with a .299 average. Washington, which leads all of Major League Baseball in runs scored, improved...

The Guardians suffered a beatdown on May 25 as the Washington Nationals slammed six home runs in a 10-2 win. Guardians starter Tanner Bibee gave up five home runs in just three innings of work as he dropped to 0-7 on the year. Cleveland fell to 32-24 with the loss. James Wood led the game off for Washington with a home run, and the rout was on before a Memorial Day crowd of 25,494 at Progressive Field. Rhys Hoskins hit his fifth home run of the year, a towering shot down the left field line to the home run porch. 

The Guardians got back on track with a 3-1 win over the Phillies on May 24th. Travis Bazzana slammed a home run into the second deck, and the Guardians got great starting pitching from Parker Messick as they won in the City of Brotherly Love for the second time over the weekend. Cleveland won 1-0 on Friday night for its seventh straight win. But Philly came back to win on Saturday night. That set up the Sunday matinee. Messick was again superb. The lefty shut out the Phillies over 5 2/3 innings while allowing five hits and striking out six. Steven Kwan collected three hits and drove in a run, and Daniel Schneeman scored a run and drove in a run for Cleveland, which improved to 32-23 with the win and expanded its first-place lead over the second-place Chicago White Sox to 4 1/2 games. The White Sox lost to the Giants in San Francisco, 8-5. Cade Smith picked up his 18th save by pitching a scoreless ninth inning. 

 The Guardians enter the third game of the series in Philadelphia on the Sunday before Memorial Day in a very good spot as they sit in first place in the AL Central by 3 1/2 games. That lead was produced in part on a 7-game win streak, which included a four-game sweep on the road of the rival Detroit Tigers. Let's look at the infield that taken the field for manager Stephen Vogt for much of  2026 campaign. First base has been a rotation with Kyle Manzardo, Rhys Hoskins, and Chase DeLauter. Manzardo has improved greatly as a fielder and gives the Guardians left-handed pop off the bench. DeLauter has been one of the premier rookies. Hoskins has provided right-handed power and a discerning eye at the plate. Second base is now manned by highly touted rookie Travis Bazzana. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 Draft has not been overmatched in the big leagues since being called up earlier in the year. He gets on base via the walk, can steal a base, and has shown some power at the pla...

So long to the seven-game winning streak. In a game played in a steady rain, the Guardians could not generate any offense as they fell to the Philadelphia Phillies, 3-0, on May 23. Rookie Travis Bazzana was moved to the lead-off spot and doubled in four plate appearances. Phillies starter Zack Wheeler struck out six and scattered two hits to pick up the win and go 4-0 on the season. Bryce Harper collected three hits and scored two runs, and Bryson Stott drove in a pair of runs to lead the Phillies. Cleveland dropped to 31-23 with the loss. Slade Cecconi started and worked five innings. He allowed three runs, all earned, while giving up six hits and striking out five. Cecconi dropped to 3-5 with the loss. Citizens Bank Park filled up with 36, 125 fans who sat through an hour and 56-minute rain delay. The game was played in 53-degree temperatures with a 13 mph wind and steady rain. Guardians play-by-play man Tom Hamilton, at times, seemed bewildered that the game was being played in such...

 Kyle Manzardo slammed a pinch-hit home run in the top of the ninth inning, and Gavin Williams pitched another gem as Cleveland knocked off Philadelphia, 1-0, on May 22. The Guardians won their seventh straight game and improved to 31-22. Chicago also won, so Cleveland maintained its 3 1/2 game first-place lead. Williams was superb again. The hard-throwing right-hander worked eight innings, struck out eight while not walking a batter, and scattered four hits. He improved to 7-3 with the win. Cade Smith pitched a scoreless ninth inning for his 17th save. The Cleveland offense had been stymied by Philadelphia starter Christopher Sanchez, who limited Cleveland to four hits while striking out six and walking two. Sanchez extended his scoreless streak to 37 2/3 innings with his effort. Jhoan Duran came on to pitch the ninth inning for Philadelphia and gave up the homer to Manzardo. It was Manzardo’s second pinch-hit home run of the year and his fifth overall. The game was played in a li...

The Guardians won yesterday, May 21, over Detroit, 3-1, sweeping the four-game series from the Tigers. Daniel Schneemann and Jose Ramirez both contributed RBI base hits for Cleveland, which won its sixth game in a row and improved to a season-best 8 games over .500. Brayan Rocchio collected three hits and scored a run, and Patrick Bailey homered for Cleveland, which leads second-place Chicago by 3.5 games and pre-season AL Central favorite Detroit by 9.5 games. Joey Cantillo picked up the win, pitching out of a jam in the first inning, and was solid from that point on. He ended up going 5 2/3 innings and struck out six while allowing three hits and keeping the Tigers off the board. Cantillo threw 97 pitches on a sunny and 60-degree day at Comerica Park. Matt Festa, Shawn Armstrong, Tim Herrin, Codi Heur, and Hunter Gaddis finished the game off from Cleveland’s bullpen. Gaddis picked up his first save of the year. Gaddis picked up his first save of the season. Now it’s on to Philadelphi...

 The Cleveland Guardians continue to stack wins as they knocked off Detroit in 10 innings on May 20, 3-2, for their fifth straight win. Angel Martinez, fresh off his AL Player of the Week honors, tripled home the go-ahead run in the top of the 10th inning, and Jose Ramirez doubled home Martinez. Cleveland improved to 29-22 and has won eight of its last 10 games. Tanner Bibee started and did not get a decision, but deserved the win. The right-hander went eight innings and allowed just one run on four hits. He struck out five and walked one. Bibee still doesn't have a win on the year and is 0-6. Colin Holderman picked up the win in relief, and Cade Smith recorded his 16th save. Holderman is 2-0, and his ERA is just 1.50. Chase DeLauter had two hits and stole the first two bases of his MLB career. On a 56-degree night at Comerica Park 20,450 fans watched the Tigers fall to 20-30 on the year. Cleveland trailed 1-0 after eight, but tied the game on singles by Daniel Schneeman and Travis...

 The Guardians continue their sizzling hot streak with a 4-3 win over Detroit on May 19 in the Motor City. Rookie sensation Travis Bazzana hit a two-run homer, and Cade Smith picked up his 15th save of the season for Cleveland, which won its fourth game in a row and improved to 28-22. The White Sox also won and improved to 25-23, putting them just two games behind the Guards. Parker Messick started but did not figure into the decision. He scattered four hits in five innings and struck out six. He gave up a 2-run homer to Spencer Torkelson in the second inning. Steven Kwan, who was moved from the lead-off spot to the No. 7 spot in the lineup over the weekend, was 1-for-2 with a run scored, a double, and an RBI. He is hitting only .204. Since being dropped in the lineup, he has gone 2-for-8 with eight walks. He has hit in both the No. 7 and the No. 6 hole. On a 76-degree night, 21,239 were seated in Comerica Park to take in the game, which took 2:27 to play. The Cavs were in New York...

The streaking Guardians won their fourth straight game as they knocked off Detroit, 8-2, on the road on May 18. Slade Cecconi won his third straight decision and improved to 3-4 on the year. Cecconi went 7 1/3 innings and allowed two earned runs on five hits and struck out four. Cleveland is 27-22 on the year and two games in front of the White Sox. Jose Ramirez had three hits, including his eighth home run, and drove in three runs to lead the Cleveland offense. Ramirez has been on a tear since he was moved into the No. 2 spot in the lineup, and rookie Chase DeLauter was moved into the No. 3 spot. DeLauter drove in two runs for a Cleveland offense that collected eight hits and walked seven times. It was a great day for Angel Martinez, who collected two hits and drove in a run and scored a run on the day he learned he had been named American League Player of the week.

 Kyle Manzardo hammered a pair of home runs, and the Guardians as a team hit six long balls as they blasted the Cincinnati Reds on Sunday, May 17, 10-3. It was the most home runs in a game for the Guardians since 2019. Also homering for Cleveland were Chase DeLauter, Brayan Rochio, Angel Martinez, and Jose Ramierez. Cincinnati starter Brady Singer gave up three home runs and dropped to 2-4. Gavin Williams started for Cleveland and picked up his sixth win of the year against three losses. He struck out seven in six innings and allowed eight hits and two earned runs. He threw 93 pitches, 68 for strikes. Herrin and Codi Heuer finished it off for Cleveland, which has won two straight and improved to a season-best four games over .500 at 25-21. Up next is a four-game series on the road against Detroit starting on May 18.

The Guardians split the first two games of their weekend series with the Reds, losing on May 15, 7-6, but coming back on May 16 to win 7-4, as Angel Martinez hit a two-run homer. Cleveland is 25-22 and remains in first place by a game over the surprising Chicago White Sox. Martinez also doubled, scored three runs, and was hit by a pitch, and Brayan Rocchio had two hits, drove in two runs, and stole a base for Cleveland, which rallied from a 4-2 deficit to win the May 16 game. Erick Sabrowski pitched just 1/3 of an inning, but got a strikeout and ended up earning the win to improve to 2-1. Cade Smith pitched a scoreless ninth while striking out two to pick up his 14th save of the year. The Guardians lost the opener of the three-game series on Friday night. Tanner Bibee took the loss and dropped to 0-6 on the year. He scattered seven hits and allowed three runs, all earned, in 6 2/3 innings. Rhys Hoskins lined his fourth home run of the year, a laser beam to the home run porch in left fi...

 The Guardians stand at 24-21 as we head into an off day after winning the final two games against the Angels. Rookie left-hander Parker Messick struck out seven Angel hitters and allowed two runs in 6 2/3 innings of work on May 13 as the Guardians won, 4-2. Messick improved to 5-1 with the win. Angel Martinez homered and scored two runs to lead the offense. Martinez, who homered for the second straight game, was moved into the lead-off spot in an effort by Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt to shake up the Guardians’ lineup, which has struggled all season to consistently score runs. It was the best-attended of the three games, as 21,142 came to the matinee and sat under partly cloudy skies in 55-degree temps. Cleveland swept the three-game series from the Angels. Cade Smith struck out the side in the ninth to record his 13th save of the campaign. Cleveland won the May 12 game, the middle game of a three-game series, 3-2. Martinez homered. Slade Cecconi started and struck out seven, bu...

Joey Cantillo pitched six innings of shutout baseball, and the Cleveland Guardians took advantage of a weak Los Angeles bullpen in a 7-2 win on May 11 at Progressive Field. Cantillo scattered five hits and struck out four as the Guardians improved to 22-21. Travis Bazzana drove in a pair of runs with a two-run double in the Guadians five run third inning. Los Angeles used pitchers from its bullpen for the entire game, and the result was not pretty. Angels’ pitchers walked 10 Cleveland hitters. Kyle Manzardo had two hits and scored two runs, and David Fry collected a pair of hits and scored a run and drove in a run for Cleveland, which snapped a two-game losing streak. Daniel Schneeman had the big blow of the game. His bloop double with the bases loaded in the third inning drove in two runs and gave the Guardians a 5-0 lead. The Angels fell to 16-26 with the loss.

The Guardians lost their second straight game and fell back to the .500 mark as the Minnesota Twins hung on for a 5-4 win on May 9 at Progressive Field. Cleveland starter Gavin Williams surrendered five runs in six innings of work and took the loss. Williams gave up 10 hits and struck out six. He surrendered four runs in the fourth inning. Cleveland’s Brayan Rocchio went 4-for-4 at the plate and scored two runs, and rookie Chase DeLauter collected a pair of hits and drove in two runs for Cleveland, which is now 21-21 and remains in first place in the American League Central. On Mother’s Day, a crowd of 22,475 saw Minnesota win its second straight one-run game against Cleveland, while sitting under blue skies and in temperatures in the mid-50s. The Twins' offense got a big day from first baseman Kody Clemens. The son of former MLB pitching great Roger Clemens, Kody Clemens, collected three hits, drove in two runs, and stole a base. The Guardians played without manager Steve Vogt, wh...

 That was a tough one to lose. The Guardians could muster just two hits in an 11-inning game, and they wasted another strong start from Tanner Bibee in a 2-1 loss to the Minnesota Twins on May 9. The loss dropped Cleveland to 21-20 on the season. But it remains in first place in the AL Central. Byron Buxton played the role of villain. He hit a home run to lead off the game, and his RBI double in the top of the 11th inning drove home the winning run. Tanner Bibee, who has yet to win a game this year, went six innings, struck out nine, and allowed just a single run. Kyle Manzardo drove in the lone run for Cleveland. There were some changes on the team. The Guardians acquired catcher Patrick Bailey from the San Francisco Giants. As part of the deal, the Guardians sent Bo Naylor to extended spring training to get his hitting back on track. The start of the game was delayed more than two hours due to a heavy rainstorm that blew in just before first pitch; 28,230 watched it.

Travis Bazzana hit his first Major League home run, and Parker Messick got back on track as the Cleveland Guardians won their third straight. Bazzana hit a 2-run home run in the first inning, and Messick, the rookie left-hander, picked up his fourth win of the year as the Guardians knocked off the Minnesota Twins, 6-4, on May 7 at Progressive Field. Messick scattered seven hits and allowed one earned run in 5 1/3 innings. He improved to 4-1 on the year, and his ERA is a skinny 2.30. Cleveland has won three straight and is now 21-19 and remains in first place in the American League Central. Cade Smith picked up his third save in three games and his 11th of the season. Bazzana homered off Minnesota starter Connor Prielipp. He also stole his fourth base in the 8th inning and came around to score a huge insurance run, Byron Buxton had a three-hit night for the Twins. He hit his 12th home run of the year, a 2-run shot in the seventh inning. The Twins dropped to 16-23. A crowd of 19,030 watc...

 The Guardians inched back over the .500 mark on May 7 with an 8-5 win over Kansas City. The win moved the Guardians' record to 20-19. They are just one of three teams in the American League with a winning record. The Guardians jumped out to an early 2-0 lead on a first-inning two-run double off the bat of Kyle Manzardo. Slade Cecconi got the win for the Guardians. Bo Naylor added a big 3-run home run late to give the Guardians some much-needed breathing room. Cade Smith pitched the ninth for the 10th save. Erik Sabrowski also pitched and picked up his 15th hold. The 6-foot-4,  230-pound Sabrowski has been a lifesaver in the first quarter of the year. He’s struck out 27 hitters in just 16 1/3 innings across 19 appearances. The Guardians open a 3-game homestand tonight against the Twins. 

 The Guardians got back to the .500 mark with a 3-1 win over the Royals on May 6. The win snapped a three-game losing skid for the Guardians and moved them back to 19-19 on the season. Kansas City saw its five-game winning streak snapped. Chase DeLauter was the offensive star. His two-run single was the big blow for Cleveland. Jose Ramirez would add an insurance run when he came all the way around to score after walking, thanks in part to his 14th stolen base of the year. Joey Cantillo got the win, and Cade Smith picked up his 8th save of the year. Smith struck out the side in the ninth. The final two strikeouts came on ABS challenges. Erik Sabrowski came on in relief and picked up his 13th hold of the season. He worked 1 1/3 innings and struck out two. The two teams finish the four-game series at 2:10 p.m. today. Slade Cecconi (1-4, 6.56 ERA) takes the hill for Cleveland against Kansas City’s Seth Lugo.

The Stopper could not stop Kansas City. The Royals scored twice in the first inning, and Michael Massey hit a huge two-run home run in the fourth inning as Kansas City beat Cleveland and its top pitcher, Gavin Williams, 5-3 on May 5. Cleveland’s offense was limited to a Rhys Hoskins 3-run home run in the top of the fourth inning. But Williams gave the lead right back when he lost a battle with Massey. Cleveland has now dropped under .500 at 18-19 and shares first place with Detroit. Kansas City is red hot and has won five straight and 8-of-10. Joey Cantillo starts tonight for Cleveland against the veteran Cole Ragans for the Royals. Cleveland has lost seven of its last 11 games. 

Just like the Guardians are back to a .500 baseball team. Kansas City used the long ball and a big fourth inning to get past Cleveland, 6-2, on May 4. Tanner Bibee took the loss. He was cruising through the first three innings, but lost it in the fourth inning, giving up four runs and throwing 41 pitches. Bobby Witt Jr. homered to start off the damage. Later in the game, slugging rookie Joe Caglianone hit a homer.  Cleveland and Detroit are tied for first at 18-18. The White Sox are 17-18 and a half-game back of Kansas City, which has won none and is 16-19, 1.5 games back. The ebb and flow of the baseball season. Cleveland got a two-run homer from David Fry. Rookie sensation Travis Bazzana singled to start the mini-rally, which included Fry's blast. Inconsistent best describes the Indians' offense. The starting pitching has also not been great, wearing out the bullpen.  Tom Hamilton excitedly insisted last night, after Bibee's short stint, that the club would have to shuffl...

The final game of the Sacramento series was not a kind one for the Guardians. Rookie pitching sensation Parker Messick was touched up for three home runs, and the Guardians' offense could not get anything going in a May 3, 7-1 loss. Chase DeLauter’s solo home run, his first since April 3, was the lone offense for Cleveland. Jose Ramierez was caught stealing for the first time in 2026 after swiping his first 12 bags. Cleveland won the first two game of the weekend series, but could not complete the sweep.  Cleveland is 18-17 and in first place in the AL Central. They travel to Kansas City to begin a four-game series against the Royals tonight. On this same day, the Cavs beat Toronto in Game 7 of their first-round NBA Eastern Conference playoff match-up.  Jarrett Allen went off for 22 points and 19 rebounds in 33 minutes. The Cavs go on to face Detroit. Speaking of Detroit, the Tigers announced their fine pitcher Tarik Skubal is between 2 and 3 months after he had surgery on his...

 Three wins in a row. And just like that, the Guardians are 18-16 and in first place in the American League Central. The offense erupted for 14 runs, Jose Ramirez stole his 300th career base in a 14-6 win over Sacramento at Sutter Health Park. Slade Cecconi started and earned the win, his first of the year, as he improved to 1-4. It wasn’t a pretty pitching performance as he allowed 10 hits and was touched for five runs and a pair of home runs by Shea Langeliers. Cleveland catcher Austin Hedges had a huge game at the plate with three hits, including his first home run of the year. He also picked a runner off of first base to stall a Sacramento rally. The three-hit day raised his average of the season to a robust .325.  Angel Martinez also had a three-hit game for Cleveland, which has scored 22 runs in its last two games and collected 14 hits as an offense. David Fry hit his second home run of the year,  a solo shot in the sixth inning, and Kyle Manzardo came off the bench...

 The Guardians Rhys Hoskins played the role of hometown hero on May 1 as he homered and drove in three runs while rookie sensation Chase DeLauter was a perfect 4-for-4 at the plate with two doubles and 2 RBI as the Guardians knocked off Sacramento, 8-5. Cleveland battled back from 2-0 and 4-2 deficits to win its second straight game. The won improved Cleveland to 17-16. Catcher Bo Naylor had two hits, scored two runs, and drove in another as he lifted his season batting average to .137. There were some red flags in the win. The Guardians loaded the bases with nobody out in the first and did not score. Reliever Hunter Gaddis gave up an earned run and two hits while not recording an out and worked himself into a bases-loaded jam. He’s just not been the same pitcher this year. Remember, he started the season on the injured list with a sore forearm. He’d been a lockdown reliever in 2024 and 2025. Reliever Erik Sabrowski picked up the win in relief of starter Joey Cantillo. Cade Smith e...