The Guardians found two different ways to finish off Detroit, and Brayan Rocchio was at the center of both wins.
In the first game of yesterday’s doubleheader in Cleveland, the Tigers stormed out to a 6-1 lead after three innings. Rocchio erased that deficit with a grand slam in the fourth, then ended it himself in the ninth with a walk-off homer off Drew Sommers.
Game 2 followed a different script, but the same result. Detroit kept control deep into the nightcap before Travis Bazzana tied things up with an eighth-inning homer.
Bazzana then drove in Rocchio in the 10th to seal the sweep. Cleveland now sits one game ahead of Toronto for the final AL Wild Card spot.
Chicago’s offense kept making noise too, and two young infielders hit a major benchmark. Miguel Vargas reached 30 home runs first, going deep off Zebby Matthews in the first inning on Friday for his 30th of the year.
Colson Montgomery joined him in the fourth. That puts Vargas and Montgomery just ahead of first baseman Munetaka Murakami, who remains on 29.
The White Sox lead the AL in scoring and rank third in the league in home runs, trailing only the Yankees and Astros.
Then there was Padres catcher Luis Campusano, who put together one of those stat lines you don’t see every day. In the top of the 10th, after Spencer Jones knocked in the ghost runner against Mason Miller, Campusano threw him out trying to steal.
That was his third caught stealing of the game. He then stepped in against Paul Blackburn in the bottom half and ended it with a walk-off homer.
It’s only the second time since the league began tracking caught stealings that a catcher has had three in one game, plus a walk-off home run.
In Other News...
Guardians Are Finally Turning Back To A Rookie Arm For Relief Help
The Guardians kept busy with their pitching staff before the second game of Saturdays doubleheader against the Tigers, recalling rookie reliever Daniel Espino to the major league roster. To make room, Cleveland optioned Logan Allen back to Triple-A, another sign that the club is still trying to sort out the back end of the staff while juggling immediate bullpen needs.
Cleveland also continued reshaping the relief picture around Espino, adding Austin Peterson to the bullpen, activating Slade Cecconi from the injured list and designating Carlos Hernandez for assignment. The moves point to a roster that is still very much in motion, with the Guardians looking for any combination that can give them steadier innings as the schedule keeps moving. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Suddenly Face A Bullpen Question Before A Crucial Doubleheader
Carlos Hernndez gave the Guardians a brief look in the bullpen with two relief appearances, and while he flashed swing-and-miss stuff by striking out multiple batters each time, he also allowed a run in both outings. Even so, Cleveland opted to move him off the 40-man roster to create room for pitching prospect Austin Peterson ahead of a doubleheader, a sign the club is still sorting through how it wants to piece together innings in the short term.
The decision leaves Hernndez in a familiar and uncertain spot, with no guarantee he makes it through waivers and stays in the organization. For a team heading into a crucial doubleheader, it is the kind of roster shuffle that can look routine on paper but still says plenty about how quickly bullpen depth can change, especially when the Guardians are trying to balance immediate needs with a look at a young arm. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Fans Are Feeling Every Travis Bazzana Mistake Right Now
Travis Bazzanas recent rough patch at second base has been hard for Guardians fans to ignore, especially with the mistakes and miscommunications that surfaced in the games against Toronto. But the rookie has stayed in the lineup as Cleveland keeps pushing for playoff positioning, and the early bumps have only sharpened the conversation around how much patience a young infielder needs while learning the job at the major league level.
Local analyst Matt Fontana has urged fans not to turn every miscue into a referendum on Bazzana, pointing to the value of live game experience for a player still adjusting to the speed and pressure of the league. He also noted the other side of that learning curve, with pitchers and opponents building scouting reports on young hitters over time, which means Bazzana is developing in real time even as the mistakes are visible. [Read more 🡒]