Rocchio, DeLauter bright spots for Cleveland offense that likes where it stands

CLEVELAND -- There’s danger in overanalyzing a team or player’s early-season numbers, though the end of April is perhaps the earliest barometer to at least take a temperature check on how things are going.

As the Guardians wrapped up their April slate with a 3-1 win over the Rays at Progressive Field on Wednesday, they know their offense is a work in progress, but continue to balance that with their belief it's too soon to make any overarching judgments.

“Guys are just now getting to 100 plate appearances,” manager Stephen Vogt said prior to the game. “There's some people that have earned a longer rope. For us, it's we have our guys, and we're going to stick with it.

“We're always talking about how we can maximize our offense, maximize our defense, maximize our pitching. We're having every conversation. We've got some guys that are off to some slow starts, and they're working. And I feel like we're trending in the right direction.”

The Guardians entered Wednesday ranked 27th in the Majors in runs per game (3.87), 26th in average (.227), tied for 21st in on-base percentage (.314) and 25th in slugging percentage (.373). Their 92 OPS+ ranked eight points below league average.

As Vogt alluded to, there have been some varying starts individually. Steven Kwan entered Wednesday with a .590 OPS (125 plate appearances), Kyle Manzardo had a .533 OPS (93), Rhys Hoskins had a .672 OPS (85) and Bo Naylor had a .376 OPS (69).

The Guardians are counting on each of those guys to contribute to their offense’s success this season. They need more out of them, though there’s also nuance to everything. The city of Cleveland isn’t the most hitter-friendly in April. The Guardians have faced quality opponents through the first month and are ushering in a group with many up-and-coming hitters.

The Guardians entered Wednesday having played in an MLB-leading 18 games decided by two or fewer runs. They’re 8-10 in those contests; five of those losses came over their past six games -- including a 1-0 final on Tuesday against Tampa Bay.

But again, we’re not even a quarter of a way through the season. The sample size is a work in progress.

“We’re trying to be simple. It’s a long season,” shortstop Brayan Rocchio said. “We know we’re not going to hit everyday. We just keep it simple, keep doing the little things, and the wins are going to be there.”

In avoiding a three-game sweep to the Rays on Wednesday, Cleveland scattered nine hits to plate its three tallies. Chase DeLauter went 2-for-3 with a two-run single and a walk, and Brayan Rocchio went 3-for-4 with two runs scored.

Manzardo added a sacrifice fly in the first inning. It backed a stellar start by Gavin Williams, who allowed one unearned run on five hits over 7 2/3 innings while striking out nine.

We can poke holes in what we’ve seen so far this season, but Rocchio and DeLauter have certainly been two of the Guardians’ top bright spots offensively. Rocchio has taken to the No. 9 spot in the lineup and is hitting .283 with a .360 on-base percentage. His 17 RBIs rank second on the team.

“He finds a way to get on base,” Vogt said of Rocchio. “He knows that’s his role in the nine-hole, and he’s been doing a great job of it. I just love where Brayan’s at, taking what pitchers are giving him.”

DeLauter has been stellar of late, after a mini slump following his historic start to the season. It has almost felt a bit lowkey, but nonetheless crucial given he often slots in the No. 2 spot of the lineup between Kwan and José Ramírez.

DeLauter has reached base in eight of his past nine games, dating to April 21. He’s hit .357 (10-for-28) with one double, one triple, six RBIs, three walks and two strikeouts. On Wednesday, his two-run single in the fifth inning gave Cleveland a three-run lead.

“Just being where my feet are,” DeLauter said. “Whether you have a bad first at-bat, first two at-bats, whatever. I'll keep saying it, [I’m] getting in that box and competing to the best of my ability.”

The Guardians’ offense has room to grow as we head into May. As a collective, they know it can only happen one day at a time.

​“It's been solid. We took some games from some really good teams and lost some games we should have won,” DeLauter said. “It's just baseball. … Like Rocchi said, some days we're gonna hit, some days we're not. It's just finding ways to get runs in as much as we can.”