Chappie's Grave

The Guardians are going to the playoffs. Cade Smith struck out the side in the ninth inning to rack up his 41st save, and Cleveland held on for a 1-0 win over Boston at Fenway Park on Sept. 24th. Angel Martinez hit a home run around Pesky Pole in right field for the only run of the night. Cleveland leads the American League Central by a game over Chicago. The winner of the Division will get a bye to the Division Series. Cleveland has played three 1-0 games since Sunday as it clinched its third straight playoff spot. With the win, Cleveland improved to 83-76. The Guardians have gone on a tear since dropping to 60-65 after losing a Sunday game at home to San Diego on Aug. 16. Since then, they’ve gone 23-11 and have won seven of their past eight. Smith struck out the side to record the save and clinch the playoff spot for Cleveland. The White Sox beat Kansas City earlier in the day to lock up a  playoff spot. Cleveland got great pitching from Opener Daniel Espino and bulk reliever Joe...

Angel Martinez hit a pair of home runs, one from each side of the plate, and the Guardians won their fourth in a row as they beat up on the hapless Sacramento A’s 12-6 on Sept. 19. Cleveland improved to 80-75 and maintained its one-game lead over Chicago in the race for the AL Central title. Cleveland trailed 2-0 after just one-half inning of play but bounced back to score five times in the bottom of the first to take a 5-2 lead. Chase DeLauter hit a 3-run shot to give Cleveland a 3-2 lead, and following a Jo Adel single, Martinez hit his first homer of the day to increase the lead to 5-2. Tanner Bibee started, and even though he was staked a 10-3 lead by the third inning, could not make it through the five innings needed to rack up the win. Bibee, who is 6-15, lasted 4 2/3 innings and gave up six runs on a career-high 12 hits. Cade Cecconi, who pitched the final two innings and didn't allow a hit while striking out one, earned the win to improve to 5-7. Martinez, who finished the ...

 Jose Ramirez finally gave the Guardians what they were seeking from their perennial All-Star and MVP. A jolt of power. Ramirez hit a home run deep into the Cleveland night with two outs in the sixth inning and Cleveland clutching a one-run lead over the pesky Sacramento A’s. It upped the lead to 5-3 and set off a raucous celebration at sold-out Progressive Field as the Guardians went on to beat the Sacramento A’s by that 5-3 score and later on take over complete control of first place in the American League Central with just eight games left on the schedule. It was part of a big night for Ramirez, who went 2-for-5 and drove in a pair of runs and scored a run to key a Cleveland offense that trailed 3-0 before it even batted. Cleveland improved to 79-75 with the win, while Chicago dropped to 78-76 after blowing an 8-2 lead at home in what turned out to be an 11-8 loss. Rookie Travis Bazzana continued his monster September with a solo home run, his fifth in September, whi...

 And just like that, the Guardians are just 1/2 game out of first place in the American League Central. Brayan Rocchio’s two-run single in the ninth inning gave the Guardians a three-run lead in what became a 5-2 win over the Minnesota Twins on Sept. 11. Cleveland improved to 75-73 with the win, while Chicago dropped to 75-72 after getting walloped by the St. Louis Cardinals, 7-3. Angel Martinez hit a two-run homer to give the Guardians a brief 2-1 lead in the seventh inning. Travis Bazzana scored the go-ahead run in the ninth. The rookie Aussie has been on a tear in September and has gotten stronger as the season has worn on. He walked to lead off the ninth inning and advanced to third base before scoring the go-ahead run on a wild pitch. Bazzana went 2-for-2, walked twice, and scored a pair of runs on the night. In September, he’s hitting .391 with two home runs, 8 RBI, and five walks. Cade Smith worked a scoreless ninth inning to record his 36th save. Martinez’s home...

The series in Baltimore was one the Guardians would like to flush. They lost two-of-three to the Orioles but actually gained ground in the race for the AL Central title as the White Sox (75-71) were swept by Pittsburgh in their own three-game series. As it stood before play began on Sept. 11, the Guardians (74-73) were just 1 1/2 games behind the White Sox for the AL Central lead. Cleveland also held the third and final Wild Card spot, a game in front of Toronto, two games in front of Texas, and three ahead of the Twins. As the Guardians begin a three-game series in Minneapolis, let's recap the Baltimore set. Cleveland lost the opener of the three-game series on Memorial Day, 6-4, came back to win the middle game 9-5, and lost the finale, 9-5. The starting pitching was bad in all three games, and Cleveland was lucky not to be swept. They led 6-0 in the middle game before Tanner Bibee was lit up for five runs and the Orioles made things interesting. A big two-run single ...

The Guardians walked off Detroit for the third time in four games this Labor Day Weekend on Sept.6 as Daniel Schneemann’s tenth-inning single drove in the winning run in Cleveland’s 3-2 win. Cleveland won a day-night doubleheader over Detroit (65-78) on Sept. 4 with a pair of walk-off wins. Brayan Rocchio homered to win the first game, 7-6. Travis Bazzana drove in the winning run in the bottom of the 10th inning in a 4-3 Cleveland win in the second game. In all three wins, Cleveland never led until they recorded the winning run on the walk-of hit. “What a great weekend,” Vogt said. “Obviously we wish we could win games differently and be a little more relexed. But that’s not who we are. We love these games, and it happens every time with (the Tigers).” After the weekend series with Detroit, the Guardians are 73-71 and are  2 1/2 games behind the White Sox for the AL Central lead. They are the third and final Wild Card team, one game ahead of Toronto (72-72) Schneemann’s...

 The Guardians kicked off the 2026 Labor Day weekend with a sweep of a day-night doubleheader of the Detroit Tigers on Sept. 4. The Guardians won the first game 7-6 on Brayan Rocchio’s walk-off homer to lead off the bottom of the ninth inning. Cleveland rallied from a 6-1 deficit to win. In the nightcap, Travis Bazzana hit a two-run homer in the eighth inning to tie the game at 3, then won it with a walk-off single in the bottom of the 10th inning. Cleveland improved 72-70 with the two wins, but remains 2 1/2 games behind Chicago for AL Central lead. Rocchio had quite the day. In the first game, he hit a grand slam home run in the bottom of the fourth inning to tie the game at 6-6 before he walked it off in the ninth inning. In the second game, he scored the winning run after stealing second and third base. Rocchio led off the tenth inning. He attempted to bunt over Patrick Bailey, who started the frame on second, to third, but the bunt was too hard, and Detroit was abl...

The Toronto Blue Jays came into Cleveland and put a dent in the Guardians' postseason hopes. Toronto won the final two games of the three-game midweek series, including the Sept. 3 matinee. Cleveland (70-70) won the opener 6-1 as Gavin Williams struck out a career-high 13 and the Guardians got a trio of 2-run homers. But Toronto bounced back to win the Sept. 2 game, 11-0, and the Sept. 3 game, 6-3. The 11-0 loss was Cleveland’s 14th shutout loss of the year. Cleveland also fell to 33-38 at home after losing 2-out-of-3 to the Blue Jays. Toronto won the season series between the two clubs, 4-2, giving the Blue Jays the tiebreaker over Cleveland for the wild card. Cleveland holds the third and final wild card spot by 1/2 game over Toronto (70-71).  Cleveland trails Chicago by 3 games for first in the American League Central. Both teams have lost two games in a row. Cleveland actually led the Sept. 3 game early 1-0, on Angel Genoa’s third-inning single that scored Jo Adell....

The Guardians shook off a two-game losing streak with a beatdown of the Kansas City Royals on Aug. 30, 11-1 at Progressive Field. The win moved the Guardians over .500 at 69-68 and within 3 1/2 games of Chicago in the AL Central race. Joe Ramirez hit his first home run since early June and collected four RBI to lead an offense that totaled 13 hits and scored three runs in three different innings. This came after collecting just three runs in the first two games of the weekend series. Cleveland lost the first two games of the homestand after a 6-0 trip vs. the Rockies and Angels.  Cleveland trailed early 1-0, but Nathaniel Lowe's 2-run home run in the bottom of the first inning gave the Guardians a 3-1 lead, and they never looked back. Chase DeLauter went 4-for-4 at the plate, scored three times and doubled twice; he also made a nice running catch near the wall in right field. During the radio broadcast, it was noted how DeLauter's sore hamstring was being tested. Th...

 The Cleveland Guardians apparently do not like home cooking. Give them the chain restaurant and hotel bed all day, every day. The Guardians again played like they hate playing in their home park and lost to the Kansas City Royals, 8-3, on Aug. 29 in a Saturday matinee. Cleveland jumped out to an early 2-0 lead on an Angel Martinez two-run homer in the third, but some shaky infield defense and a leaky bullpen undid the Guardians, who have now lost two straight after winning seven in a row - six of the wins came on a recently completed trip to Denver and Anaheim. Cleveland fell to 68-68 with the loss and is now 4 1/2 games out of first place in the American League Central race. A crowd of 31,509 watched, many clad in replica Bob Feller 1936 jerseys handed out before the game to the first 15,000 in attendance. Cleveland is 31-36 at home this year and has lost 10 of its last 14 at Progressive Field. "There's no explanation for it," Manager Stephen Vogt said of hi...

Tanner Bibee is nowhere near as bad as his record of 5-14. He could sue the Guardians for non-support. In eight of his starts, he has received zero run support. He has posted 17 quality starts, defined as when a pitcher goes at least six innings and allows three or fewer runs. All of that was on display in the 3-0 loss to Kansas City on Aug. 28, in which Bibee went six innings and allowed seven hits and just one earned run. He struck out five and walked two. But the Guardians still lost. And he still lost. 5-14. Wow. For the season, Bibee, in 28 starts, has an ERA of 3.88 and has 128 strikeouts in 162 1/3 innings pitched.  He didn't give up a home run in the loss to KC, but he has been hurt by the gopher ball, having been touched for 26. Surprisingly, Gavin Williams has given up 27 homers. On to the next one. Foster Griffin toes the rubber this afternoon at 4:10 p.m. against Daniel Lynch IV, a 6-foot-6 lefty who is 4-4 with a 2.93 ERA. This is his fourth start of the year.

So much for the seven-game losing streak. The Guardians' offense failed to fire, and the Kansas City Royals got a strong start from Michael Wacha and just enough offense to beat Cleveland, 3-0, on Aug. 28 It was the 13th time this season the Guardians have been shut out, and they dropped to 31-35 at Progressive Field. They actually loaded the bases with two outs, but pinch-hitter Angel Genoa tapped back to reliever Steven Cruz on a 2-0 pitch to end it and send 31,941 home unhappy. Cleveland dropped to 68-67 on the season, and starter Tanner Bibee was saddled with the loss as he dropped to 5-14 on the season. He allowed just one earned run on seven hits, while striking out five and walking two. He did not surrender a home run, which has been one of his major problems in 2026. That and little to no offensive support. See this game as further evidence. The Royals scored their lone run off Bibee in the fifth inning. Bobby Witt Jr. opened the frame with a double. He advanced on a fly ou...

The red-hot Guardians return home tonight to start a three-game series with the equally hot Kansas City Royals (60-75). Cleveland is winners of seven straight and KC has won nine of its last 10. Tanner Bibee (5-13, 3.97 ERA)  takes the mound for Cleveland against Michael Wacha (7-8, 3.97 ERA). What a road trip for the Guardians. They went from ICU to the penthouse by going 6-0 on a road trip to Denver vs. the Rockies and Anaheim vs. the Angels. They finished the trek off with a come-from-behind 4-3 win over the Angels on Aug. 26. It was the Guardians' seventh straight win, and they improved to 68-66 and remained  2 1/2 games behind the White Sox. Cleveland, in the matinee trip finale, trailed 3-0 before batting back for the win. Steven Kwan’s ground-rule double plated the tying run in the ninth inning, and Travis Bazzana’s sac fly drove in what turned out to be the game-winning RBI. Kwan transformed into an offensive sparkplug beginning in July and has led an offen...

 \Make that five wins in a row for the Guardians. Austin Hedges hit a huge two-run home run, and Parker Messick provided another strong start as the Guardians won their fifth game in a row, 4-2 over the Angels on Aug. 25 in Disneyland, AKA Anaheim. The win moved the Guardians back to the .500 mark at 66-66 and to within 2 1/2 games of the White Sox in the AL Central lead. With the Guardians holding a slim 2-1 lead with two outs in the top of the sixth, Hedges connected for his fifth homer of the year to give Cleveland a 4-1 lead. The win lifted Cleveland back to the .500 mark for the first time since the morning of Aug. 5 when they were 57-57. Hedges is having a career year. Entering the 2026 campaign, he boasted just a career batting average of .185 over 11 seasons. This season he is hitting .270 with an on-base percentage of .338 and a slugging average of .397. The key to the turnaround? “I’ve got a plan, and I commit to it,” Hedges told MLB.com. Messick, the rookie l...

 Chase DeLauter hit not one but two triples and drove in two runs as the Guardians finished off a weekend sweep of the Rockies with a 7-2 win on Aug. 23 at Coors Field. It was Cleveland’s fourth straight win and fifth in six games. DeLauter, the rookie outfielder, tripled in his first at-bat of the contest and drove home Steven Kwan, who opened the game with a base hit, to give the Guardians an early 1-0 lead. Cleveland would collect a total of 12 hits. The top three of the lineup for Cleveland, that being Kwan, DeLauter and Jo Aadell, went 7-for-14 with four runs and four RBI. Lefty Foster Griffin did a five-and-fly, going five innings and getting his 15th win of the year. He allowed two earned runs and struck out five in five innings of work. DeLauter ended up going 3-for-4 with two RBI, scored two runs, and walked. Cleveland (65-66) is 3 1/2 games out of first place in the  AL Central according to MLB.com and was the third wild card team. The marathon that is a...

The Guardians won their third straight game. Jo Adell hit a three-run home run, and Tanner Bibee provided another quality start as Cleveland knocked off Colorado, 4-3, on Aug. 22 at Coors Field. Cleveland improved to 64-66 with the win and moved to within 3 1/2 games of Chicago in the race for the AL Central race. Cleveland is tied with Texas for the third wild card, but Texas holds the edge by virtue of winning the season series. Bibee went six innings and allowed two earned runs. He scattered five hits and struck out six while walking one. It was his 16th quality start of the year (six innings or more, three or fewer runs), and he improved to 5-13 on the year. Six of Bibee’s last seven starts have been quality starts, but this was his first win since July 20 vs. Minnesota. Adell gives Cleveland something it has craved. A right-hand power-hitting corner outfielder. His 3-run bomb to left field traveled 450 feet and came the same week he hit one 455 feet against the Giants....

The Guardians received a huge offensive night from rookie Travis Bazzana and won their second in a row as they blasted the Rockies, 9-1 on Aug. 20 at Coor Field. Bazzana went 4-for-5 with three RBI and scored two runs to lead a Cleveland attack that collected 14 hits. The Guardians improved to 63-66 with the win and remain 4 1/2 games behind the White Sox for the AL Central lead. Cleveland is now tied with Minnesota for second in the division. Petey Halpin's solo home run in the third inning tied it up at 1, and Cleveland would go on to score eight more runs. Steven Kwan continued to sizzle at the plate. He went just 1-for-4 with an RBI, but he walked twice, drove in a run and scored a run. He has been on base in 44-of-48 games and since July 1 has been one of the hottest hitters in baseball. Tim Herrin (2-4) picked up the win in relief of Joey Cantillo. Cantillo went 4 2/3 innings and left leading 4-1. But Herrin got the last out of the fifth and vultured the win. Cant...

The Guardians split the final two games of the Giants series, losing the middle game, 1-0, and winning the finale in an Aug. 19 matinee, 5-2. When it was all said and done, the Guardians had won the series from the Giants and improved to 62-66. Gavin Williams picked up the win in the Aug. 19 game. The hard-throwing right-hander struck out 11 over 5 2/3 innings while allowing two runs and four hits and walking four. Cade Smith pitched a scoreless ninth inning to pick up his 32nd save. The win came less than a day after the Guardians lost a 1-0 heartbreaker to the Giants on Aug. 18. That loss had more than a few experts ready to write the Guardians off for 2026. It was Cleveland's second shutout loss in three games and the 12th time Cleveland had been shut out in 2026. Adding to the misery, it dropped the Guardians to 30-34 at home. It also wasted a superb starting effort by left-handed rookie Parker Messick, who struck out 10 and allowed just a single run in ...

It was the Jo Adell Show on Tuesday night. The Guardians' right fielder hit a first-inning 3-run home run as part of a career-high six-RBI night as the Guardians clubbed the Giants, 8-1.  Adell, who Cleveland acquired at the trade deadline from the Angels, added a two-run single in the second inning and an RBI double in the fourth inning. He did all of this with a left knee that throbbed with pain. Three pitches before he hit his home run, he fouled a pitch off his knee. He remained in the game until the pain became too great, and he was taken out by manager Stephen Vogt. The Adell home run flew 455 feet, deep into the left field bleachers. Adell is day-to-day. The Guardians also played without rookie outfielder Chase DeLauter, who left Sunday's game with San Diego with hamstring tightness. Cleveland improved to 61-55 with the win and moved to within 4 1/2 games of first-place Chicago. The White Sox lost for the second night in a row to the Cubs. Jose Ramirez had th...

A day after they celebrated winning the 10,000th game in club history, they played like the season was over. The Guardians were shut out for the 11th time in 2026 on Aug. 16 as they lost to San Diego, 5-0. The start of the game was delayed by more than three hours, and the Guardians never looked like they showed up. Cleveland won the 10,000th game in franchise history on Aug. 15 by beating the same San Diego team. The latest loss again went to Tanner Bibee. It was the 13th loss of the season for the right-hander, who has just four wins. Bibee allowed just seven hits and three earned runs over six innings, but was again bitten by the home run. He allowed a pair of solo home runs to Luis Rengifo and Gavin Sheets back-to-back in the second inning to have Cleveland playing from behind, 2-0. Cleveland is fourth in the MLB with 11 shutout losses. The loss dropped Cleveland to 60-65. They've also lost seven of their last 10 and are just 9-19 since the All-Star break. Chicago (...