NEW YORK -- The Guardians arrived in New York this week reeling from a 2-4 homestand in which they were outscored 39-17. Awaiting them were three of the Yankees’ top starting pitchers in Cam Schlittler, Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodón.
Manager Stephen Vogt and Co. were obviously aware of the challenge ahead. They also did not seem daunted by it.
“We know who we're about to face,” Vogt said before Tuesday’s series opener. “We know that they're three very good starting pitchers. But if we take our at-bats and we stick to our approach, we feel good about our chances.”
Cleveland still must face Rodón, but it’s hard to imagine things going much better than they did the past two nights. The Guardians beat the Yankees, 5-4, on Wednesday at Yankee Stadium to secure the three-game series victory. Cleveland (36-27) also is now tied with New York (36-25) and the Rays (36-23) for the most wins in the American League.
After tagging Schlittler for five runs (four earned) on five hits (one home run) over 4 1/3 innings on Tuesday, the Guardians were even more explosive against Cole. They belted three home runs against the right-hander, who was charged with four runs on six hits in 5 1/3 innings. Kyle Manzardo, Rhys Hoskins and José Ramírez each hit one.
“Gerrit Cole is one of the best pitchers in our league,” Vogt said. “We got some mistakes, and we didn't miss them. We were ready for them. Some really good swings, some really good at-bats. Really proud of the way we did that.”
The Guardians have established an offensive identity this season centered upon a patient approach and their willingness to take walks. Cleveland entered Wednesday fourth in MLB in free passes (247). You’ll obviously take as much slug as you can get, however, and the Guardians did not have enough of it during their losing homestand.
The Guardians hit one long ball over six games against the Nationals and Red Sox. Hoskins went deep in the second inning of the series opener against Washington on May 25. The Guardians also entered Wednesday ranked tied for 22nd in MLB with just 58 home runs this season.
Perhaps the inviting dimensions of Yankee Stadium were just what the doctor ordered.
“You get to a park like this, and you know you’ve just got to barrel it,” Vogt said. “I think that can play into it. I want to give credit to our guys. They're getting pitches to barrel, and they're not missing them.”
Manzardo worked a 2-2 count against Cole in the second inning, in which the right-hander started with a knuckle curveball before firing four straight four-seam fastballs. Cole threw his curve again on his sixth pitch to Manzardo, who belted it a Statcast-projected 370 feet to open the scoring.
Manzardo went deep in his second at-bat on Tuesday. He drew a walk in a 13-pitch plate appearance in his final trip to the plate, when he hit seven two-strike foul balls. That perhaps set the table for Wednesday, when he hit two doubles in a 3-for-4 performance.
It marked Manzardo’s second career game with three extra-base hits, following Opening Day last year against the Royals, when he hit one double, one triple and one homer.
“It's definitely one of those things that can lock you in a little bit as a hitter,” Manzardo said, “just seeing that many pitches, being able to fight off so many pitches kind of on the rail. I think it locked me in a little bit.”
Hoskins took Cole deep in the fourth on a slider down in the strike zone. Ramírez followed in the sixth by belting a four-seamer up and inside a Statcast-projected 363 feet to right field. The solo shot was his ninth of the season, his first since May 18 and No. 294 of his illustrious career.
Ramírez has tallied six hits the past two nights, four of which went for extra bases. It’s a sign he could be heating up. But for as much as he had a slow start this season for his standards, he has remained the same guy behind the scenes, at least from Hoskins’ seat.
“I think what I've noticed the most is regardless of what goes on in the game, Hosey is Hosey,” Hoskins said. “He's that energizer that we have and we feed off of, and even more so the last couple days.”
The Guardians will head to Texas for a three-game weekend series with one goal accomplished. Thursday is an opportunity to achieve another.
“Our goal is to win series, and we've accomplished that,” Vogt said. “But we're not done yet.”