Chappie's Grave

 Oh, how cruel the baseball season can be. On the same day the Guardians snapped a five-game losing streak, they also lost the second game of a day-night doubleheader, 2-0, to Cincinnati at the Great American Ball Park on July 28. The Guardians won the opener of the day-night doubleheader, 6-5, but could not carry over the momentum. They managed just three hits and were 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position. They also wasted a 12-strikeout effort by starter Gavin Williams. Williams is just 1-3 in his last four starts, but he’s struck out at least 10 and walked one or fewer batters in that same span of starts. The game ended with one on and two out; Petey Halpin’s drive to deep right-center field ended up in the glove of Reds center fielder Dave Myers on a play that had Guardians announcer Tom Hamilton lose his mind. Cleveland went 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position. The game was played in a snappy 2:28, and 26,928 watched it. Cleveland dropped to 55-54 and remains 1 1/2 ga...

 The Guardians snapped a five-game losing streak with a much-needed 6-5 win over Cincinnati in the first game of a day-night doubleheader on July 29. The nailbiter wasn’t completed until Angel Martinez made a diving catch in right field for the 27th out, allowing Cade Smith to record his 30th save. The Guardians used a grand slam by Kyle Manzardo and a go-ahead RBI sacrifice bunt by Brayan Rocchio to lead the offense, which had suffered shutouts in its two prior losses. Cleveland starter Slade Cecconi could not protect a four-run lead, and Cincinnati scored a run in the third and four in the fourth to take a 5-4 lead. But with a six-game losing streak looking them in the face, Jose Ramirez showed why he is a future Hall of Famer. With one out in the top of the fifth inning, he singled and then stole second and third before riding home with the tying run on a sac fly off the bat of Chase DeLauter to make it 5-5. Rocchio pulled off his squeeze-sac-RBI bunt in the eighth inning. Hunte...

That’s five straight losses for the Cleveland baseball team. The latest loss came on July 27 when the Guardians lost 1-0 to Tampa Bay. Cleveland collected just one hit, a double by Steven Kwan to lead off the contest, but that would be it. The Guardians somehow managed to go 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position. In the loss was a great pitching performance by the rookie southpaw Parker Messick. Messick pitched 7 2/3 innings and gave up a single run while striking out six and allowing six hits. He lowered his ERA to 2.59 on the year. Cleveland was shut out for the second consecutive game. Tampa Bay starter Drew Rasmussen struck out nine in seven shutout innings and allowed the one hit to Kwan. The loss dropped Cleveland to 54-53. The Guardians have gone 3-7 in their last 10 games. They trail Chicago by two games in the AL Central at 4:09 p.m. EST, but Chicago leads Houston 5-3 in the bottom of the seventh inning. Parker Messick told reporters after the game the team knows it’s strug...

 The losing streak now stands at four in a row. Cleveland was shut out and managed just five hits in a 3-0 loss to Tampa Bay on July 25. Cleveland dropped to 54-52 on the year. Tanner Bibee’s year from hell continued as he dropped to 4-10 and was tagged with the loss. He allowed just three earned runs on five hits in six innings of work. Tampa Bay (61-43), the best team in the American League, got another strong start from Nick Martinez, who picked up the win and improved to 10-2. He struck out five and scattered four hits over six innings while not allowing a run. Junior Caminero, a former Guardian farm hand, doubled home a run, his 63rd RBI on the season, to lead Tampa Bay’s offense. Yandy Diaz, another former Cleveland player, had two hits, including his 1,000 career hit with Tampa Bay, to add a little more sting to the loss. The White Sox lost again, so Cleveland remains 1 1/2 games out of first place. Houston beat the White Sox, 4-1. Parker Messick, the rookie all-star lefty, ...

 It was a bad day to be a Cleveland sports fan. During the morning hours of July 24, 2026, LeBron James announced he would eschew Cleveland and play his NBA basketball with the Philadelphia 76ers. Then that night the Guardians went out and lost their third straight game, walloped by Tampa Bay, 11-3. The good news was Chicago lost to Houston, 9-5. Cleveland remained 1 1/2 games behind the White Sox in the race for first in the American League Central. Cleveland fell in the first of a weekend series. Tampa Bay blew the game open with a four-run eighth inning. Angel Martinez returned to the lineup after missing more than a month with a broken foot. He, Chase DeLauter and Jose Ramirez all suffered injuries in the June 13 win over Detroit.  Now all three are back. Austin Hedges hit a two-run home run for Cleveland in the ninth inning. It was the highlight for a Cleveland offense that went 1-for-6 with runners in scoring position. Joey Cantillo started and took the loss. In 3 2/3 in...

Gavin Williams struck out 11 Minnesota hitters over seven innings. But the bullpen leaked, and the Twins scored twice in the top of the 12th inning in a 3-1 win on July 23 at Progressive Field. The Guardians split the four-game series, with the Twins winning the first two and losing the last two. Cleveland fell 1 1/2 games back of AL Central-leading Chicago with the loss. Cleveland (54-50) could not come up with the big hit as the Guardians went 0-for-17 with runners in scoring position. Patrick Bailey’s solo home run into the second deck in right field in the fifth inning gave Cleveland an early 1-0 lead. Williams left after seven innings protecting the 1-0 lead. He allowed just two hits and didn't walk a batter. But Hunter Gaddis and Cade Smith conspired to blow it, and Minnesota tied the game in the eighth inning on Alan Roden’s single to center field. Trevor Larnach drove in the go-ahead run in the 12th inning. Cleveland fell 1 1/2 games behind the White Sox in the race for the...

Yech. That was nasty. It would best describe the Guardians game on July 22 vs. Minnesota, which resulted in a 10-6 loss. There was some good. Namely, the return to the lineup of all-star third baseman Jose Ramirez. Josie, who’d been missing since mid-June after suffering a broken hamate bone, collected a pair of hits in his return, but he also made one of three Cleveland errors on the night. Kyle Manzardo, who made one of the errors that ultimately led to six unearned runs, collected three hits, including his 11th home run of the season. Steven Kwan continued his hot hitting with a three-hit night. Slade Cecconi took the loss. He gave up seven hits and struck out five while allowing two home runs. Four of the seven runs he allowed were unearned. The Guardians fell a game back in the race for the AL Central race as Chicago downed Texas 4-2. Chicago improved to 54-47 while Cleveland fell to 54-49. The Cleveland loss snapped a two-game winning streak for the Guardians, who are 7-3 in thei...

 The Guardians returned to small ball a night after clubbing seven home runs. A pair of sixth-inning sacrifice flies broke a 2-2 tie as Cleveland topped Minnesota 5-2 for its second straight win. Parker Messick started and went 5 2/3 innings but did not earn a decision. The win went to Colin Holderman, who recorded the final out of the top of the sixth inning before Cleveland scored a pair of runs on sacrifice flies by Austin Hedges and Petey Halpin. Cade Smith pitched a scoreless ninth inning for the Guardians to record his 29th save. Chicago lost to Toronto, 10-0, so Cleveland (54-48) found itself essentially tied for the AL Central lead with the White Sox (53-47). Chicago has a higher winning percentage at .530 vs. Cleveland’s .529, so technically the White Sox are in first place. 

 A slumbering Guardians offense erupted for seven home runs and 19 hits as they blew out the visiting Minnesota Twins, 13-4, on July 20. Light-hitting outfielder Petey Halpin did best Babe Ruth impression as he slogged two home runs - the first two of his career. Rhys Hoskins also homered twice for Cleveland, which improved to 53-48 and remained a game behind Chicago for the AL Central lead. Bryan Rocchio got Cleveland’s offense started with a two-run home run to right field. Hoskins followed with a homer of his own, his first of the night. Minnesota starting pitcher Joe Ryan would end up surrendering six homers in total on the night as the absorbed the loss. Tanner Bibee, who has struggled with run support much of the season, picked up the win. He allowed two earned runs over six innings. He struck out five and walked one while allowing six hits and improving to 4-9 on the year. Travis Bazzana and Patrick Bailey also homered for Cleveland. Chase DeLauter did not homer, but collect...

The Guardians lost the rubber game of a three-game weekend series to Pittsburgh on July 19, 7-1. Pittsburgh scored three runs in the sixth inning to break open a 2-1 game. The Pirates, who improved to 52-48 with the win, iced the win courtesy of a two-run home run in the ninth by Esmerlyn Valdez. Pittsburgh superstar starting pitcher Paul Skeenes improved to 9-8 with the win. He allowed a single run and struck out eight. A Sunday afternoon crowd of 31,973 got to  bathe  in sunshine and sit in temps in the mid-70s, and watch the Guardians put on a sloppy display full of base-running blunders and fielding miscues. Cleveland fell out of a tie for first place in the American League Central as a result of its loss and the Chicago White Sox posting a 3-0 over Toronto. Joey Cantillo started and took the loss for Cleveland. He allowed four runs, while striking out seven and walking three and scattering seven hits. Next in town are the Twins, who are 49-51. Minnesota is 49-51 and is co...

 Travis Bazzana blasted a two-run walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth inning to lead the Guardians to a 5-3 win over Pittsburgh on July 18. Bazzana’s blast gave the Guardians a split of their day-night doubleheader with the Pirates. Cleveland lost the opener 7-1 as Gavin Williams surrendered three home runs in the loss. In the nightcap, Cleveland rallied from a 3-0 deficit to win it. The Guardians scored three runs in the eighth and two in the ninth to turn what looked like a loss into a victory. Bazzana’s walk-off singer was the 104th in the history of Progressive Field; 12 more than any team over the same span. “It was an awesome one with it being a Saturday night, long days, and a comeback win today. It was great,”  Bazzana told MLB.com. Cleveland improved to 52-47 with the win  and remains tied with the White Sox (51-46) for first in the AL Central. Cleveland came close to winning it prior to Bazzana’s heroics. Patrick Bailey led off the bottom of the ninth w...

The Guardians entered the All-Star Break on a four-game winning streak after they knocked off Miami, 5-2, on July 11. Cleveland swept the three-game series against the Marlins, who entered play on Friday winners of six straight. Cleveland got home runs from Bryan Rocchio and Chase DeLauter and a strong start from Joe Cantillo, who allowed an earned run in five innings of work while scattering six hits and striking out nine. Cantillo is 8-4.  Cleveland improved to 51-46 with the win to remain tied for the American League Central lead with the White Sox. Chicago improved to 50-45 with a 9-1 win over Oakland. Cleveland pitching shut down baseball's best hitter. Otto Lopez, the Marlins' outstanding young shortstop. Lopez was leading the MLB in batting average when the games started Friday, but when the weekend was over, he found himself in an 0-for-12 skid. Cleveland pitchers did not allow Lopez to get a hit. He capped off his nightmarish weekend with a 0-for-5 with a four-strikeou...

 Steven Kwan doubled home a pair of runs, and Patrick Bailey connected for a big two-run double late as the Guardians knocked off the Miami Marlins 4-1 to win their third straight and second straight in Miami on July 11. Cleveland remained tied for first with the Chicago White Sox, who beat Oakland 1-0. Tanner Bibee started and picked up the win as he scattered five hits over 6 2/3 innings and allowed a run while walking four and striking out three. He lowered his ERA to 3.90 and improved his record to 3-9. Colin Holderman picked up his first save. Cleveland improved to 50-46 with the win. Things were looking less rosy back on Thursday afternoon when the Guardians entered their contest with the Twins on a four-game losing skid. But Gavin Williams played the role of stopper, striking out 11 in the Guardians' 5-2 win. Gabe Arias, Chase DeLauter, and Patrick Bailey hit solo home runs. Cade Smith pitched the ninth and picked up his 27th save. Cleveland moved into a tie for first with t...

Just like that, the Guardians have lost four games in a row. The latest loss came at the hands of the Minnesota Twins, who scored a run in the bottom of the ninth inning to walk off Cleveland 6-5. Cleveland is fortunate. Chicago also lost, and the Guardians remain just a game out of first place in the American League Central with a 47-46 record. The Guardians couldn’t protect leads of 3-0 and 5-3 in losing for the second straight night to the Twins. Bryan Rocchio and Rhys Hoskins hit back-to-back homers in the fourth inning to give Cleveland an early 3-0 lead. It was Rocchio’s seventh homer of the season and Hoskins' ninth dinger and second in two nights. Cleveland was put out of its agony in the bottom of the ninth inning when Alan Roden’s deep single to center field drove home the winning run. It was Roden’s second RBI of the night. Cleveland was coming off a sloppy 3-1 loss on June 9, its third straight loss. That game was marked by sloppy defensive effort, which featured a crit...

The Guardians return to action tonight on the road when they take on Minnesota. Cleveland went 5-5 during a 10-game homestand and split a four-game series with AL Central-leading Chicago July 2-5, winning the first two games and losing the final two, including Sunday’s 7-6 loss. It was the longest homestand of the season, and many games were played under broiler-like conditions. It will be remembered for Austin Hedges and Josh Naylor shit-talking each other; Cooper Ingle's gaffe and pink shoes; and back-to-back walk-off wins against the division-leading White Sox. Cleveland won the first two games of the White Sox series in walk-off fashion. Brayan Rocchio played the hero in the series opener, homering off the right-field foul pole – a one-out, two-run shot – for a 6-5 win. The magic continued the next night when, following a two-hour rain delay, Cleveland rallied from a 3-1 deficit to walk off the ChiSox, 4-3, on Kahlil Watson’s 10th-inning single. That win boosted the Guardians b...