Lineup change sparks Guards in win over Mariners

 Guardians Manager Stephen Vogt has tried all kinds of lineup configurations and ran an assortment of players in and out of said lineup in hopes of jump-starting an offense that’s been slumbering for much of the 2026 campaign.

The task took on a different level of difficulty earlier this month when the team’s three best hitters - Jose Ramirez, Chase DeLauter, and Angel Martinez - all were lost to injuries during a span of a few innings in a  June 13 win over the Detroit Tigers.
Cleveland continues to remain in contention, somehow.
But make no mistake, this is not a team that has been trending upward. Entering last night’s game against Seattle, the Guardians had lost 7 of 10, 13 of their last 20, and 18 of their last 30. Another 30-game stretch like that and first place, where Cleveland has resided for much of the year, will be a far-off place in a distant world.
Making matters worse, entering the Saturday night contest with Seattle, Chicago had already beaten Kansas City 2-1 to improve to 43-38 and extend its lead over Cleveland to 1 1/2 games in the American League Central. There are no must-win games in June, but this Saturday night special with Seattle had a feeling of urgency.
Vogt’s line-up tinkering may have finally paid off.  During last night’s 4-3 win over Seattle, the Cleveland manager opted to move Steven Kwan into the lead-off spot, placed rookie second baseman Travis Bazzana in the No. 2 hole while continuing to give playing time to recent call-ups Kahlil Watson and Cooper Ingle.
Something appeared to click. Bazzana collected a pair of hits and scored twice to help fuel a much-needed, 4-3 win. Watson and Ingle provided the two biggest hits of the night. Watson’s RBI double in the third inning, a laser into right field that banged around in the corner, scored Bazzana with the game’s first run, giving the Guardians an early 1-0 lead. Bazzana jump-started the inning with a single, and one out later Kyle Manzardo singled to set the table for Watson.
The fun was just starting.
Cooper Ingle, called up on Friday after tantalizing Cleveland’s fan base and front office with a performance in Triple A soaked with sexy offensive numbers, followed with his first career base hit, which drove in another two runs and ballooned the lead to 3-0.
“They (Watson and Ingle) were able to get two big hits for us to extend the lead. Huge night for both of them,” Vogt told Cleveland.com after the game.
Slade Cecconi (4-6) started and picked up the win. As Tom Hamilton likes to say, Cecconi was “special”. He scattered three hits over six innings while not allowing a run. He struck out four and walked two.
He departed after walking Seattle’s Cal Raleigh to open the seventh inning. Colin Holderman and Erik Sabrowski finished out the frame, not allowing a run.
Brayan Rocchio added an RBI double in the seventh to make it 4-0 Cleveland. It proved to be a huge run. Vogt opted to go to reliever Shawn Armstrong to open the eighth inning. Armstrong apparently brought matches and a gallon of gasoline with him to the hill. He opened the frame by hitting Julio Rodriguez, then gave up a single to Dominic Canzone. The next thing you knew, Randy Arozarena was blasting a bomb deep into the center field for a three-run homer that brought a shower of boos from the 33,309 in attendance, and Vogt popping out of the dugout to summon Hunter Gaddis.
Gaddis was able to extinguish the flames but had to do a little tightrope walking himself. The burly bearded righty allowed a pair of hits before getting Colt Emerson to strike out to end the threat.
Cade Smith pitched the ninth, but it was not a pressure-free frame. Smith, who gave up back-to-back home runs earlier this week in blowing a save against the White Sox, allowed a single and hit a batter before getting Josh Naylor to ground out to Brayan Rocchio to secure the win. It was Smith’s 25th save of the year.
It was just one win in a season of 162. But for one night, all seemed right. Cleveland had not lost ground to the White Sox. It was one more day closer to getting Jose Ramirez back. And Watson, Ingle, and a lineup change provided a flicker of hope that the offense may finally have gained some life.

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