MIAMI - The Guardians are headed into the All-Star break on a roll, and they finished the first half by doing exactly what good teams do: taking care of business.
Cleveland beat the Marlins 5-2 on Sunday to finish a three-game sweep and extend its winning streak to four straight. It’s the club’s best run since it won seven in a row from May 16 through May 22, and it sends the Guardians into the break with a little momentum tucked away for later.
The timing is a little funny, though. The break is arriving right when Cleveland is playing some of its sharpest baseball. Even so, nobody in the clubhouse was likely to argue with four days off after a strong finish.
The win also underscored how much can change in a year. At the All-Star break last season, the Guardians were 46-49 and sitting 12 games behind first-place Detroit in the AL Central.
They ended up needing the biggest comeback in MLB history to win the division on the final day of the regular season. This year, they’re 51-46 and can enter the break in a virtual tie for first place with the White Sox.
Cleveland jumped on Miami early, scoring twice in the first inning against opener Tyler Phillips. Travis Bazzana led off with a walk, stole second for his 13th steal of the year, and came home when Brayan Rocchio singled past first for a 1-0 lead.
Rocchio then moved up on the throw and scored on Kyle Manzardo’s single to left-center. It was Manzardo’s second hit in his last 21 at-bats.
Joey Cantillo handled the rest from there, working five innings for the win and continuing a strong finish to the first half. The left-hander improved to 8-4 with a 3.56 ERA, and over his last six starts he went 4-1 with a 1.54 ERA.
Miami made him work, especially in the second. The Marlins loaded the bases with nobody out after singles by Xavier Edwards and Javier Sanoja, then a walk to Leo Jimenez. Cantillo got out of the jam by popping up Esteury Ruiz and striking out the next two hitters.
The Marlins cut the lead to 2-1 in the third on Edwards’ two-out single after Heriberto Hernandez doubled. Cantillo still limited the damage, getting Jimenez to ground out to short after Sanoja’s hit-and-run single put Edwards at third.
Rocchio gave Cleveland a bigger cushion in the fifth, launching his eighth homer of the season with one out to make it 3-1. It was his second hit of the afternoon. Last year, Rocchio finished with five homers.
Cantillo’s final line was solid across the board: one run allowed on six hits, 85 pitches, and nine strikeouts. It was the third time in his last five starts he reached nine punchouts.
The Guardians kept pulling away in the seventh. Cade Gibson hit Bazzana with a pitch to open the inning, and Manzardo later lined a ball off Edwards’ glove at second with two outs, sending Bazzana to third. Edwards was charged with an error, and Watson - the former Marlin - followed with a chopper over the mound that brought Bazzana home for a 4-1 lead.
From there, the bullpen handled the rest. Rookie Franco Aleman worked a clean sixth.
Hunter Gaddis threw a scoreless seventh and finished the inning with a jump throw on Otto Lopez that Hall of Fame shortstop Derek Jeter would have been proud to call his own. Shawn Armstrong got through the eighth without a run.
Cade Smith, who is headed to the All-Star Game, gave up a two-out homer to Griffin Conine in the ninth before closing it out.
Cleveland’s final run came on Chase DeLauter’s 435-foot homer in the ninth. It was his 11th of the season, his second in the series and his third on this six-game trip. DeLauter is now tied with Angel Martinez for the team lead in home runs, though Martinez has not played since breaking a bone in his left foot on June 13.
The Guardians return to action Friday, when the Pirates visit Cleveland for a three-game series at Progressive Field.
In Other News...
Guardians Just Made The Outfield Pick Fans Have Been Waiting For
After opening the MLB Draft with pitchers Liam Peterson and Logan Schmidt, the Guardians finally turned to the outfield in the third round with Houstons Tre Broussard. Cleveland used the No. 95 pick on a player whose appeal is pretty easy to see: he brings speed, contact skills and the kind of profile that fits the organizations preference for athletic, versatile position players.
Broussards track record at Houston gives the pick some real intrigue, especially after he was successful on 56 of 64 stolen-base attempts over the past two years and hit .344 last season. The Guardians still have to get all of their draft picks signed, but if Broussard develops the way they hope, he could become part of the long-term outfield picture in a system that is always looking for the next reliable bat. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Pitching Depth Just Took Another Hit Fans Feared
The Guardians pitching pipeline has already been thinned by a run of recent moves, and Khal Stephens latest setback only adds to the pressure on a staff that has been asked to absorb plenty of turnover. Cleveland has seen depth pieces and rotation help move in and out through trades, leaving the organization with less margin for error than it would like as it tries to keep innings covered over the long haul.
Stephen is now expected to be sidelined for 10-12 months after a right ulnar collateral ligament repair, a development that removes another arm from the equation at a time when the club can least afford it. If the Guardians need to patch together a spot start or two, names such as Logan Allen, Austin Peterson and Yorman Gmez could come into play, but the bigger concern is how quickly the depth chart can absorb yet another blow. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Just Made Another Draft Bet Fans Know All Too Well
The Guardians went back to a familiar draft lane on Sunday, taking University of Houston outfielder Tre Broussard in the third round with the 95th overall pick. It is the kind of selection Cleveland has long been willing to make: a player whose game is built on speed, defense and enough offensive feel to make you think there could be more coming as he develops.
Broussard brings center-field ability, contact skills and a base-stealing element that fits the organizations usual appetite for athleticism up the middle. MLB Pipeline had him 91st on its draft board, which gives the pick a little more credibility than a pure flier, but the real appeal is the same one Cleveland keeps chasing in this part of the draft - a young college player with tools, movement and room to grow into something more. [Read more 🡒]