Brayan Rocchio turned a messy afternoon into a split-second swing of momentum, then finished the job himself.
The Guardians dug out of a 6-1 hole Saturday against the Tigers at Progressive Field, and Rocchio delivered the two biggest blows in a 7-6 win in the first game of a day-night doubleheader. He tied it with a fourth-inning grand slam, then ended it in the ninth with a walk-off homer on the first pitch from lefty Drew Sommers.
Rocchio’s night was rare even by franchise standards. It was the 20th time in Guardians history that a player homered from both sides of the plate in the same game. His slam came against right-hander Keider Montero, while the game-winner came batting from the left side.
For three innings, Detroit seemed to have the kind of bullpen-game script Stephen Vogt talks about: chip away early, force the opener to work, and keep the pressure on. Logan Allen was that opener, and the Tigers jumped on him hard.
They scored four runs in the first, all with two outs, and forced Allen to throw 41 pitches in the inning. Gleyber Torres started things with a single and moved up on Kevin McGonigle’s walk.
Allen got Hao-Yu Lee and Dillon Dingler, but the inning flipped after that. Riley Greene walked to load the bases, Ben Malgeri punched a single through the middle for a 2-0 lead, Spencer Torkelson singled to reload the bases, and Max Clark dropped a bloop single to right for a 4-0 cushion.
The Guardians answered immediately in their half of the first. Chase DeLauter doubled, Jose Ramirez followed with an infield single, and Jo Adell brought home a run with a sacrifice fly.
Detroit kept adding on. Torres singled to open the second, McGonigle singled to right, and Lee’s double play grounder made it 5-1.
Allen was done after the third. He retired Greene to open the inning, then handed things over to Slade Cecconi, who had been activated before the game. Cecconi struck out his first batter, but Spencer Torkelson greeted him with a homer that pushed the Tigers ahead 6-1.
The Guardians were still down five when they started climbing back in the fourth against Montero. Nathaniel Lowe singled with one out, Angel Genao doubled to left, and Travis Bazzana singled to right to cut it to 6-2. After Patrick Bailey walked to load the bases, Rocchio stepped in and hammered an 81 mph curveball into the right-field seats to tie the game.
That was the sixth grand slam by a Guardians player this season.
In Other News...
Former Guardians Outfielder Suddenly Back In The Middle Of Seattle's Push
Stuart Fairchild is back on a major league roster again, and this time the opportunity comes with a little more urgency for Seattle. After putting up strong numbers at Triple-A Tacoma, Fairchild was brought back by the Mariners to fill a roster spot opened when Victor Robles was placed on the family medical emergency list, giving the club another outfield option at a time when every healthy bat matters.
For Fairchild, the move adds another stop to a season that has already taken him through brief stints with both the Mariners and the Cleveland Guardians before he returned on a minor league deal with Seattle. His path has been anything but settled, but the Mariners clearly liked what they saw in Tacoma enough to pull him back into the middle of their push, even if the longer-term answer in the outfield remains to be determined. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Suddenly Have Another Chase DeLauter Health Concern
Chase DeLauters latest interruption came in the middle of a game, when the Guardians outfielder left after injuring his right wrist in his second at-bat. Stephen Vogt said DeLauter is expected to be day-to-day and is already getting treatment for soreness and stiffness, another reminder that Cleveland has had to keep recalibrating around one of its most intriguing young players.
The wrist issue arrives just after DeLauter sat out a series against the Los Angeles Angels because of hamstring tightness, extending a stretch in which availability has been the bigger question than production. For a player trying to build momentum, the timing is frustrating, and for the Guardians it adds another layer of uncertainty to a roster that could use some stability from him. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Keep Ignoring A First Base Answer Fans Want To See
Ralphy Velazquez has done enough in Triple-A to keep his name in the conversation, especially with the Guardians still looking for more offense at first base. The prospects production has made him an obvious candidate for a look in Cleveland, and general manager Mike Chernoff even acknowledged that Velazquez has earned a promotion based on performance.
For now, though, the path is blocked by roster fit rather than merit. Chernoff said there is not a role for Velazquez on the major league club at the moment, and he also pushed back on the idea that any looming labor concerns are driving the decision. So the question around first base remains the same one fans have been asking: if Velazquez keeps forcing the issue, when does Cleveland finally make room? [Read more 🡒]