Stephen Vogt isn’t expecting a soft landing when the Guardians open their three-game set with the Twins in Minneapolis.
He sees a club that can beat you in a hurry.
“They can hit,” Vogt said prior to Tuesday’s opener at Target Field. “They can drive the ball.
They’ve got real power. They put pressure on you.
They run the bases really well, good pitching, good arms. They match up really well.
It’s a really good team.”
Minnesota has backed that up with results. Since June 14, the Twins are 12-7, good for the fifth-best winning percentage in baseball over that span.
They lead the American League with 448 runs scored this season and have hit the most home runs in the majors since June 4 with 52. They’ve also scored 59 runs in the first inning, the third-most in baseball, which fits the aggressive tone Vogt is preparing for.
For Cleveland, the assignment is straightforward: keep Minnesota from doing damage to the pull side.
“We’re always trying to avoid pull-side slug,” he said. “That’s where you get hurt. Usually when teams are slugging, that means they’re on the fastball, they’re ready to go and we’ve got to counter that.”
The Guardians come in with their own recent success at Target Field. They’ve won six of their last eight road games there and 12 of their last 17 in Minneapolis dating to 2023.
A big reason Cleveland has stayed afloat all season is the rotation. The Guardians’ starters have posted a 3.80 ERA, fifth-best in the American League, and the club has used only five starting pitchers through 91 games, the longest such streak in franchise history.
Vogt also doesn’t sound worried about a letdown after a series that carried plenty of emotion.
“We had a good off day yesterday to reset,” Vogt said. “But really we go into every series like it’s a playoff series, and especially a divisional one.”
Cleveland is starting a six-game road trip before the All-Star break, with three games against the Twins followed by three in Miami. Vogt made it clear the clock is still ticking on this stretch.
“We’re ready for the break. I think everybody in baseball’s ready for next week, but we have six more really tough games and we need to push forward,” he said. “We’ve done a great job up to this point of grinding every day, finding ways to win...we need to be at our best.”
The matchup also serves as another reminder of how much the game has changed since Vogt played less than five years ago. He pointed to the rise in velocity as the biggest shift.
“I can vividly remember nights you look up at the radar and it’s 94 and you’re like, ‘All right, I’ve got to be ready to go,’” Vogt said. “Now you’re like, ‘Dude, he’s throwing 94. Let’s go.’”
Tuesday’s test comes against Taj Bradley, who struck out a career-high-tying 11 in his last outing and has 102 strikeouts in 88 2/3 innings this season.
And Vogt says it’s not just about harder fastballs. Starters are now holding upper-90s heat deep into games, while defensive positioning has made life even tougher for hitters.
“You’ve got guys throwing 100 miles an hour that are pitching,” Vogt said. “Before you might see a bullpen guy that can chuck it up around 100, but now you have starters that are carrying 96 to 100 for seven innings. It’s never been harder to get a hit.”
In Other News...
Another Guardians Outfielder Just Became A Casualty Of Cleveland's Youth Shift
Stuart Fairchilds brief run with Cleveland is over after the Guardians designated the outfielder for assignment and he later elected free agency when he went unclaimed on outright waivers. The move fits the clubs broader roster churn, one that has increasingly tilted toward younger outfield options as the Guardians keep reshaping the edges of the roster.
Fairchild now has another path forward, but his departure also underscores how little room there is for veteran depth pieces when Cleveland is trying to clear space for the next wave. The Guardians have continued to lean into that youth movement in the outfield, and Fairchild became the latest casualty of it. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Draft History Looks Even Worse Than Fans Remember
For a franchise that has spent years trying to build through the draft, the Guardians history of first- and early-round swings looks rougher when revisited in one place. A review of five of the organizations biggest misses puts a harsh spotlight on how little Cleveland got back from several premium picks, especially when those players never turned into real trade chips either. Bradley Zimmers injury-plagued run, Jeremy Sowers quick fade after arriving as a high pick, and Carson Tuckers inability to establish himself all fit the same frustrating pattern.
Tuckers case is especially stark because his time in the system ended with a .164 batting average in 73 minor league games before Cleveland moved on. Add in the broader track record around those other picks, and it becomes clear why this part of the Guardians draft history still lingers with fans. The organization has had plenty of success stories to point to over the years, but these misses are a reminder that not every promising name in June turns into help in October, or even much help at all. [Read more 🡒]
Francisco Lindor Is Back At The Center Of A Guardians Debate
Francisco Lindors name has a way of pulling Cleveland back into the conversation, and this latest round of chatter is no different. The former Guardians star, now under a long-term Mets deal, has become a talking point again as New York sits at the bottom of its division and analysts start gaming out whether a reunion could even be considered.
The idea is easy enough to understand from Clevelands side, since Lindor still carries the kind of impact and familiarity that would make any front office pause. But the contract alone makes the whole exercise feel more theoretical than practical, and the debate has already split opinions, with some seeing a fit and others wanting no part of it. [Read more 🡒]