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Cleveland Guardians vs. New York Mets recap; Guards win in Francisco Lindor's return
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- Cleveland Guardians vs. New York Mets recap; Guards win in Francisco Lindor's return
CLEVELAND — The Guardians welcomed Francisco Lindor and the New York Mets to Progressive Field to begin a three-game series Monday night and left with a 3-1 win.
The Guardians were coming off a sweep of the Minnesota Twins that included one of the wildest ninth innings you'll ever see in a game of baseball .
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Manager Stephen Vogt said before the game Monday you might not see any of those plays the rest of the season, "and they all happened within 12 minutes" of each other.
Here's how the game unfolded.
May 20, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians designated hitter Kyle Manzardo (9) celebrates his RBI double in the fourth inning against the New York Mets at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
Guardians beat the Mets 3-1; Emmanuel Clase earns 14th save of the season
The Guardians have beaten the Mets 3-1, and Emmanuel Clase now has a league-leading 14 saves this season. He's still allowed just one earned run in 24⅓ innings this season.
In his return to Cleveland, Francisco Lindor went 0-for-4 with a strikeout.
Nick Sandlin strikeout leaves the bases loaded; Guardians lead Mets 3-1
With the bases loaded, Nick Sandlin struck out Brett Baty to end the threat, close the book on Ben Lively and leave three runners stranded with Cleveland clinging to a 3-1 lead.
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Sandlin, who has been a key member of the Guardians bullpen, has a 2.42 ERA this season.
Guardians, Mets score: Ben Lively taken out in sixth inning as Cleveland leads New York 3-1
Ben Lively's day is done with two outs in the sixth inning in what has been another strong outing.
Though the book hasn't yet been closed on his day, Lively to this point has allowed just one earned run on six hits with seven strikeouts.
Nick Sandlin is entering for the Guardians to close out the inning.
Kyle Manzardo double extends Guardians lead over Mets
With David Fry on second base, Kyle Manzardo laced a double over the head of center fielder Harrison Bader to give the Guardians a 3-1 advantage over the Mets.
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Manzardo's OPS is still only .502, as it's been a slow start.
Starling Marte ejected; Guardians lead Mets 2-1
Mets outfielder Starling Marte has been ejected for arguing balls and strikes.
Marte was called out on strikes to end the top of the fourth inning. He argued for a bit with home plate umpire Manny Gonzalez, who allowed Marte to air his grievances. But after Marte continued to argue, Gonzalez had enough and ejected him.
Tyrone Taylor has entered the game in right field for the Mets, who trail the Guardians 2-1. Tomas Nido belted a solo home run to left field to cut the Guardians lead in half in the third inning.
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David Fry drives in two runs to give Guardians leads over Mets
With two on and two out, David Fry continued his terrific 2024 season with a two-run single to right field to score both Jose Ramirez and Josh Naylor and give the Guardians a 2-0 lead in the first inning.
Fry is hitting .333 with an OPS of 1.016.
Francisco Lindor receives mostly cheers at Progressive Field in return to Cleveland
Francisco Lindor received a mostly positive reception with a few boos sprinkled in as he walked to the plate for his first at-bat in Cleveland since being traded to the New York Mets more than three years ago.
He eventually was struck out by Guardians starter Ben Lively to open Monday night's game.
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The Guardians will not have a tribute video that they will play in the ballpark. They instead posted one on X, formerly Twitter. The team also included the term "Frankie" in the post, which Lindor in the past has stated was something of which he wasn't a fan.
Below is some pregame information.
Ramon Laureano designated for assignment by Guardians; Johnathan Rodriguez called up
Guardians right fielder Ramon Laureano makes a leaping catch in the sixth inning against the Angels, May 5, 2024, in Cleveland.
Prior to Monday's game against the Mets, the Guardians designated Ramon Laureano for assignment and recalled outfielder Johnathan Rodriguez from Triple-A Columbus.
Laureano hit just .143 this season and had struck out 32 times in 70 at-bats. The opportunity was there for him to carve out a role against left-handed pitching within a lefty-heavy lineup, but his struggles at the plate finally warranted a change.
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Rodriguez, 24, is making his debut at the big-league level. This year in Triple-A, he hit .276 with seven home runs, six doubles and an .838 OPS.
Francisco Lindor returns to Cleveland, Progressive Field with New York Mets
Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Nick Castellanos (8) is tagged out at second base by New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor (12) while attempting to stretch a single during the fourth inning on May 15, 2025, at Citizens Bank Park.
The former star shortstop who lined up alongside Jose Ramirez to form the best left side of an infield in the majors for a few years has returned Cleveland.
Monday night's game is Franciso Lindor's first in Cleveland since the blockbuster trade that sent him to New York after the 2020 season.
In three-plus years with the Mets, Lindor has posted a combined .765 OPS after leaving Cleveland with a career OPS of .833. Lindor struggled in his first season with the Mets but put together two strong campaigns in 2022 and 2023, accruing 6.4 fWAR and 5.9 fWAR, respectively. This year, though, has again been a struggle, as he enters Monday night with a .199 average.
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Guardians City Connect uniforms make debut
Nike and the Guardians unveiled their City Connect uniforms against the Minnesota Twins during their weekend series, in which they won all three games.
Guardians vs. Minnesota Twins pitching matchup
Ben Lively looks to continue his strong start to 2024, as he enters Monday night with a 2-2 record and 3.06 ERA thus far. He's given the Guardians a great return on their one-year investment to this point.
The Mets will counter with Tyler Megill, a righty, who has made just one start so far this season. He finished last season with a 4.70 ERA.
Guardians schedule, next game
The Guardians continue their three-game series with the Mets Tuesday night and Wednesday afternoon at Progressive Field. They then begin a six-game road trip against the Los Angeles Angels and Colorado Rockies .
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How can I watch, listen or stream the Cleveland Guardians game tonight?
The game will be broadcast locally on Bally Sports. It'll be broadcast on the radio by WTAM (1100-AM) and WARF (1350-AM, Spanish broadcast).
Ryan Lewis can be reached at rlewis1@gannett.com. Read more about the Guardians at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/cleveland-guardians. Follow him on Threads at @ByRyanLewis .
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cleveland Guardians score today vs New York Mets and Francisco Lindor
