Parker Messick nearly made Friday night feel like a statement, and Chase DeLauter made sure the Guardians had the runs to back it up.
Cleveland rode Messick’s six strong innings and DeLauter’s two-run blast to a 3-2 win over the Miami Marlins on July 10, handing the hosts a loss after Miami had ripped off six straight victories. Cade Smith then finished it off with a scoreless ninth for his major-league-best 28th save, and he did it in his third outing in three days.
Messick, a rookie left-hander, carried a no-hit bid into the sixth before Miami finally cracked it. He gave up one hit, four walks and one run over six innings, struck out one and still managed to keep the ball on the ground all night, producing 10 groundouts. He improved to 8-5.
The no-hit bid ended when Heriberto Hernandez turned on a 2-0 curve and launched it over the left field fence with one out in the sixth. The homer, his 13th of the year, also marked his fifth in his past seven games. Leo Jimenez added another long ball later, but Miami never quite completed the comeback.
DeLauter, also a rookie, gave Cleveland the early punch it needed. After Brayan Rocchio singled in the fourth, DeLauter hammered a 97-mph fastball to right-center for a 430-foot two-run homer, his 10th of the season. That left him one behind team leader Angel Martinez, who has not played since June 13 because of a foot injury.
The Guardians added to the lead in the fifth. Austin Hedges and Steven Kwan singled, and Travis Bazzana lifted a sacrifice fly to make it 3-0.
Miami made things interesting in the seventh. Jimenez jumped on a 1-0 fastball and sent it 407 feet for a homer, trimming the margin to 3-2. The Marlins then put runners on second and third with one out, but Colin Holderman shut the door by striking out Joe Mack on a ninth-pitch sweeper and getting Otto Lopez on a groundout.
Sandy Alcantara, who had won seven straight starts, took the loss for Miami. He worked seven innings, allowed five hits, walked none and gave up three runs while striking out eight. The right-hander fell to 10-5.
Hernandez nearly tied it again in the eighth, but Kahlil Watson tracked down his drive at the warning track in center. Miami then went down in order in the ninth.
In Other News...
Guardians Suddenly Have A First Base Decision Fans Cant Ignore
Ralphy Velazquez keeps making the Guardians take notice, and the timing could hardly be better for a club still sorting out first base. The 21-year-old, drafted 23rd overall in 2023, has been productive across two minor league levels and is carrying an .876 OPS, a strong enough line to keep him in the conversation as the season moves toward its stretch run.
Velazquez has also reached base in 30 straight games for Columbus, a run that only adds to the pressure on the front office to decide whether the organization wants to lean into its own prospect or look outside for help. Cleveland has already been weighing first base as a spot that could use a boost, and the next few weeks may determine whether the answer comes from within the system or from a move at the deadline. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Trade Deadline Focus May Be Bigger Than Fans Expected
The Guardians have steadied themselves with consecutive wins and are still very much in the AL Central race, but the trade deadline picture around them is starting to look broader than a simple bench tweak. With the offense short-handed and the lineup not getting enough from the first-base spot, the front office is being linked to a right-handed bat there, along with help on the pitching side as the club tries to keep pace in a tight division.
What makes this more interesting is how many different lanes Cleveland could explore if it decides to be aggressive. The injuries that have thinned out the offense have pushed the Guardians toward a search that could touch both the lineup and the staff, and the deadline conversation now sounds less like a luxury-shopping list and more like a response to how fragile the roster has become. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Fans Just Got Another Reason To Revisit The Bailey Trade
The Patrick Bailey deal is still one of those trades that looks a little different every time Cleveland checks back on it. The Guardians sent pitching prospect Matt Wilkinson and their Competitive Balance Round A draft pick to San Francisco to bring in Bailey, a move that was always going to be judged on whether the catcher could give the staff steadier work behind the plate.
So far, Bailey has done the part Cleveland needed most, giving the pitching staff a more dependable defensive presence while Wilkinson has kept moving through Double-A and Triple-A with uneven results. The draft pick the Giants received also adds another layer to the deal, since it turned into a high school left-hander in the first round, giving both sides something tangible to point to as the trade continues to age. [Read more 🡒]