Story by
'We're fun': Guardians manager Stephen Vogt intrigued with 'a very different team'
- Story by
- 'We're fun': Guardians manager Stephen Vogt intrigued with 'a very different team'
CLEVELAND — The Guardians continue to be a work in progress with some key players injured and others playing, but not delivering the consistent results hoped for by management.
Progressive Field wasn't a fun place for the Guardians or their fans when the week started with 10-run losses to the Red Sox on April 27 , and Twins on April 28 .
Advertisement
Guardians players talked about "flushing" those results, which they've done the last two games, including a 4-1 win over the Twins on April 30 .
Bo Naylor hit a three-run home run in a four-run seventh inning and Luis Ortiz, Cade Smith, Hunter Gaddis and Emmanuel Clase provided the pitching.
That followed a 2-1 walk-off win over the Twins on April 29 when Naylor and Kyle Manzardo were the hitting stars with solo home runs in the third and ninth innings, respectively. Tanner Bibee, Smith and Clase were solid on the mound.
The two wins improved the Guardians to 17-13 heading into May. Manager Stephen Vogt likes what he's seen from his players after just over a month of play.
Curtis Danburg (left) of the Guardians talks with Guardians manager Stephen Vogt (center) and Twins manager Rocco Baldelli during a weather delay, April 30, 2025, in Cleveland.
"I love them," Vogt said. "It's a very different team, but we're fun. We have a good time. We're going to have our ups and downs. We're going to have our stretches where we look great. We're going to have stretches where we need to work and at the end of the day we take it one day at a time. I like the mix on this team. I like what we have.
Advertisement
"Starting pitching really excites me. The bullpen obviously is the bullpen and they're phenomenal, and I think we have a really good young group of position players that's going to do a lot of special things this year. Get Lane Thomas back soon. We get some other reinforcements [such as Shane Bieber and David Fry ]. I really like the direction this team's going and one month in, I couldn't ask to be in a better spot."
Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase celebrates the final out in a win over the Twins, April 30, 2025, in Cleveland.
Naylor joined Steven Kwan and Gabriel Arias with four home runs apiece. Manzardo leads the team with eight and José Ramírez has five.
"That that was five days in a row catching and for him to have his legs under him in the seventh inning of the fifth day in a row just speaks to how well he takes care of his body and stays in the moment," Vogt said of Naylor. "With Bo, what we're seeing is just a more consistent at-bat. The weak contact early outs aren't there. He's fouling pitches off. He's battling. Both homers, last night and tonight, he spoiled some really good pitches to get the one that he could handle and that's the mark of a really good hitter and we all know Bo has it in him.
Advertisement
"It's great to see homers, it's great to see results, but just the quality of at-bat for Bo over the last seems like a couple of weeks now has just been trending in the right direction."
Guardians catcher Bo Naylor celebrates his three-run home run with Gabriel Arias (13) in the seventh inning against the Minnesota Twins, April 30, 2025, in Cleveland.
Naylor said the key is keeping his mind in the right place.
"The feeling off the bat, just like when everything sinks up perfectly and you catch it on the barrel, it just is beautiful," Naylor said. "... In those times when the results might not be there, it's just a matter of continuing to go out there, prepare, do the work behind the scenes to make sure that you're always being ready for you're at bat, to any opportunity there is to be able to impact the game."
Guardians starting pitcher Tanner Bibee delivers a pitch in the first inning against the Minnesota Twins, April 29, 2025, in Cleveland.
Cleveland's starting pitchers stepped up in each win over the Twins . Bibee pitched seven innings April 29, struck out five and allowed one earned run, five hits and no walks. Ortiz followed that the next night by pitching 6 1/3 scoreless innings, striking out five and allowing three hits and two walks.
Advertisement
"I feel like we've seen that game from him a couple of times already this year, but that was even more special tonight," Vogt said of Ortiz. "Just the efficiency, getting into the seventh that way and as many outs as you can record and to keep us in a 0-0 game where (Twins starter) Pablo López was on his A game today as well. We needed that from Luis to have a chance to win this game and I know he won't get the win, but Luis won the game for us.
"... There's just so much you can learn just by watching the game and seeing what's working, what's not. For Luis, just attacking the zone, that was the main thing I saw tonight. That sinker was kind of special tonight."
Guardians starting pitcher Luis Ortiz delivers a pitch in the sixth inning against the Minnesota Twins, April 30, 2025, in Cleveland.
Ortiz said he "tried to replicate" what Bibee did against the Twins.
Advertisement
"I thought he was attacking the zone early," Ortiz said through Guardians interpreter Agustin Rivero. "He was using a lot of his sinker and then his slider, so I think that's what I tried to replicate and I saw that he went deep and especially our bullpen, we have a long string of games going on and I felt like what I needed to do is go deep as much as he did and attack the zone the same way he did."
Guardians relief pitcher Cade Smith delivers a pitch in the seventh inning against the Minnesota Twins, April 30, 2025, in Cleveland.
Smith (1-0) recorded the win Wednesday with two strikeouts in the seventh. Gaddis allowed a solo home run to Brooks Lee and struck out three in the eighth. Clase earned his fifth save of the season after striking out three and allowing two singles and a run via a wild pitch in the ninth.
Clase (4-0) also leads the team in wins after earning Tuesday's victory following Manzardo's walk-off home run.
Advertisement
Michael Beaven can be reached by email at mbeaven@thebeaconjournal.com .
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Stephen Vogt likes 'direction' of Guardians one month into season
