ANAHEIM -- You can understand the confidence emanating from the Guardians’ dugout right now, with how well things have been going. Cleveland is expecting to win every day.
“There's just that belief right now of, like, you're never out of a game,” second baseman Travis Bazzana said. “When it was 5-0 [on Tuesday], we felt like we were in that game, which is funny. It just shows how powerful the team environment and the mental state is.”
Manager Stephen Vogt called the Guardians’ comeback win on Tuesday a “heart pumper.” His ballclub gave that a run for its money with another thrilling finish on Wednesday. The Guardians scored twice in the ninth inning to rally to beat the Angels, 4-3, at Angel Stadium to complete a three-game sweep.
Cleveland extended its winning streak to seven games with the victory, matching a season high reached May 16-22. The Guardians also completed a perfect 6-0 road trip with their latest comeback win and are 8-1 over their past nine contests.
That nine-day stretch has the Guardians (68-66) sitting two games ahead of the Rangers for the final American League Wild Card spot and 2 1/2 games behind the AL Central-leading White Sox.
“You want to be one of those hot teams going into the playoffs, which is where we're trying to go,” outfielder Steven Kwan said. “So if we can keep this momentum going, I think we're going to be in a good spot.”
The Guardians trailed, 3-2, and were down to their final two outs in the ninth inning when Vogt called upon Chase DeLauter to pinch-hit. DeLauter (who was out of the starting lineup for a third straight game due to left hamstring tightness) promptly hit a single off right-hander Ryan Watson to put the tying run on base.
Before you could blink, the Guardians had a one-run lead. It happened over four pitches.
Petey Halpin pinch-ran for DeLauter and advanced to second on a Brayan Rocchio single. Halpin then scored the tying run when Kwan ripped a game-tying ground-rule double down the right-field line.
Rocchio scored the go-ahead run moments later on a Bazzana sacrifice fly.
“We were just riding the momentum from yesterday,” Kwan said. “Yesterday was another one of those games we went down a little early, and there was no panic in the dugout. Just trust our plans, trust in each other. Nobody needed to be the hero, and we came out on top.”
You could point to a lot of moments that loomed large on Wednesday before the ninth. Bazzana led off the eighth with a bunt single and eventually scored on a Nathaniel Lowe RBI single, which cut the Guardians’ deficit to one.
Earlier, starter Joey Cantillo delivered a zany quality start on a day he was far from his best. The lefty allowed three runs (two earned) on two hits over six innings while walking a career-high seven batters. He also committed a first-inning throwing error that put the Angels on the board.
“Not every day is going to be pretty, and obviously today was pretty sloppy and not necessarily the process I want to have,” Cantillo said. “But you’ve got to give yourself a little grace and focus on what the team was able to do today.”
Cantillo was complimentary of his defense; Rocchio and Bazzana teamed up for a slick 6-4-3 double play on a Christian Moore grounder in the fifth. Angel Genao made a leaping catch at third base in the sixth on a Denzer Guzman line drive. Angel Martínez made a diving catch to rob Zach Neto in the seventh.
Vogt credited Cantillo for giving the Guardians length before Tim Herrin, Hunter Gaddis and Erik Sabrowski closed the door. Cleveland was light in the bullpen.
“That was the start of the year, in my opinion, just because we didn't have the innings to finish the game,” Vogt said.
The Guardians took care of business over the past nine days, during a light stretch of schedule featuring the Giants, Rockies and Angels, all of whom are well under .500.
For a team whose season appeared to be slipping away, the Guardians have flipped the script. The regular season will end a month from Wednesday. They have 28 games to ride this momentum to the finish line.
“This is what we've been waiting on, waiting on things to click,” DeLauter said. “Taking these games, these last two series, they're gonna mean a lot at the end of the year. … We want to be in the best position we possibly can. So ride this out and keep playing good ball and enjoying it, and I think we'll be in a good spot at the end of the year.”