A night of firsts for Bazzana: 2 HRs, 4 hits, 5 RBIs to fuel banged-up Guards

HOUSTON -- In the aftermath of José Ramírez, Chase DeLauter and Angel Martínez going on the injured list over the past week, the Guardians have continued to preach that the last thing they want is anyone trying to do too much. One guy alone can’t make up for the loss of three.

“We’ve just got to play hard, trust in one another, play for the next guy,” second baseman Travis Bazzana said. “It's not trying to do too much, but step up and know that we've got to find ways to win ballgames when you’ve got guys out.”

Of course, Bazzana is one of the guys whom Cleveland is counting on to step up. For the Guardians to keep pushing in the right direction in the coming weeks, he’s going to have to play a vital role offensively.

If Saturday was any indication, Bazzana appears to be more than up to the task.

Bazzana went 4-for-4 with two home runs and five RBIs on Saturday, all of which are new career highs, to lead the Guardians to an 8-1 win over the Astros at Daikin Park. The 23-year-old became the first Cleveland player to tally four hits and five RBIs in a game since Josh Naylor on May 31, 2023, against the Orioles.

“That was a really fun day for Bazz,” Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said.

It also continued a nice stretch for Bazzana after he opened June in a bit of a rut offensively. He has made a good impression this season. But like any rookie, the league started to adjust back to him, and his production went down along the way.

Bazzana’s average (.308) and OPS (.876) reached a season high on May 30, when he went 2-for-4 in a 9-1 loss to the Red Sox. Over his next 10 games, Bazzana went 5-for-40 (.125) with one double, one triple, one home run, four walks and 12 strikeouts.

Bazzana noted his biggest takeaway from Saturday was that if he stays the course with a good process at the plate and prepares the best he can every day, games like this will organically come. He said he was “not as good at the stuff I can control” before the Guardians’ series against the Tigers last weekend, such as with his swing decisions.

Including two games against Detroit, Bazzana has gone 9-for-24 (.375) with two doubles, three home runs, five walks and three strikeouts over his past seven contests.

“The results were bad with the process being not as good as I would like,” Bazzana said. “Some things started to click, and I just got back to where I needed to be, I'd say, somewhere in the middle of the Detroit series. Since then, my process has been really good in swinging at good pitches to hit, moving the bat fast, control, being a tough out.

“... It's been good. It’s a long season. You have the bad stretches, good stretches. Just got to be as consistent as you can.”

That takes us back to Saturday. Bazzana started off by belting a leadoff home run off Spencer Arrighetti. The Astros’ starter threw a first-pitch four-seam fastball over the heart of the plate, and Bazzana hit it 104.7 mph and a Statcast-projected 382 feet over the right-center-field wall.

It marked Bazzana’s second career leadoff home run, following June 5 against the Rangers at Globe Life Field. It also was the second straight night he tallied a hit on the first pitch of the game.

“I want to say in the history of the game, probably 99% of first pitches are fastballs,” Bazzana said. “Same thing last night. I was selling out. I feel really good, ready to go on the fastball.”

After he tacked on a base hit in the third inning, Bazzana belted a three-run shot off Arrighetti in the fifth. Arrighetti left a 1-2 sweeper in the heart of the zone, and Bazzana crushed it a Statcast-projected 406 feet to right-center. He added an RBI single in the seventh on the first pitch he saw from reliever Nate Pearson.

Saturday was the Guardians’ biggest offensive output since June 2, when they beat the Yankees, 9-4. Kyle Manzardo went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer, and Patrick Bailey went 3-for-4.

The results were evidence for what Cleveland hopes is possible in the weeks ahead without three key hitters.

“We have what it takes to be a good offense,” Bazzana said. “We’ve just got to keep putting it together and guys just keep stepping up. Keep getting better every day and having a good plan and preparation.”