CHICAGO -- As the fly ball off the bat of Angel Martínez carried deep into the night, the Guardians’ left fielder turned around to peak at catcher Edgar Quero.
It was more of a passing glance, really. Martínez had a trip around the bases awaiting him.
Martínez crushed a no-doubt grand slam Friday that sent the Guardians to an 8-2 win over the White Sox in the opener of a crucial three-game series at Rate Field. It was part of an epic night for the 24-year-old, who finished 2-for-5 with a career-high six RBIs.
“Just a big day,” Martínez said. “It's already played, so let's go to tomorrow.”
While Martínez may have been ready to turn his focus to Saturday, this was his night. And it was a night the Guardians and many across Northeast Ohio desperately needed.
“Obviously that was a huge moment for him and for us,” Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said.
Cleveland has been reeling of late, having entered the weekend 6-13 since the All-Star break and having lost 11 of its past 14 games. After getting swept by the Mets on Thursday, the Guardians fell to two games under .500 (57-59) for the first time this season. They sat three games behind the American League Central-leading White Sox (59-55).
There’s time left this season, but suffice to say, a poor result this weekend would turn the heat up a few notches on Vogt’s ballclub. Martínez ensured the Guardians’ weekend began on a high note.
Martínez got the Guardians on the board in the first inning, when he hit a bases-loaded two-run single off White Sox starter Noah Schultz. As it turned out, Martínez was the last batter Schultz would face. The White Sox held a mound visit before Martínez stepped to the plate. After his single, manager Will Venable made his way onto the field to talk to Schultz.
If a team holds two mound visits with one pitcher in a single inning, they must pull that pitcher from the game. So, Schultz was gone, and the White Sox suddenly embarked upon a bullpen game after using seven relievers in a 13-inning loss to Boston on Thursday night.
“Obviously, what a gift for us,” said Rhys Hoskins, who was stepping to the plate during the strange moment. “Not only tonight, but we're aware of how much they played in Boston.”
While Schultz is a southpaw, Sandlin is a right-hander. So Martínez turned around to the left-handed batter’s box for his second at-bat. He said he was looking for something to elevate. He crushed a first-pitch cutter on the inner half a Statcast-projected 422 feet and 106.4 mph.
After he turned around to stare at Quero, Martínez flipped his bat into the air -- where it majestically floated for a few moments. He kept that interaction close to the vest postgame.
“It's healthy competition,” Martínez said. “I know him from long ago, so it's healthy competition. I'm gonna keep it for me.”
It marked Martínez’s third career slam, following April 8 against the Royals and July 8 last season against the Astros. With how things have gone for the Guardians, it was the perfect time for No. 3.
The Guardians have had a complicated relationship with runners in scoring position lately. They went 11-for-43 (.256) in those spots during a three-game sweep to the Mets this week, but that included a 6-for-32 mark between losses on Tuesday and Wednesday. Over a 3-11 stretch from July 22 through Wednesday, Cleveland went 25-for-137 (.197) with RISP.
The sheer number of those opportunities is why Vogt has been optimistic about how the offense is trending, coupled with the Trade Deadline additions of Jo Adell and first baseman Nathaniel Lowe. But the Guardians need to start cashing more of them in.
When you can cash them in all at once, all the better.
“That's exactly what we needed,” said starter Parker Messick, who allowed just two solo homers over seven innings while striking out eight batters. “That big swing out of him is what we've been looking for, for what feels like a couple weeks now.”
The Guardians are coming off a 1-5 homestand. This is as close to a must-win series as any can be during the first half of August, whether you consider the AL Central standings or the increasingly packed AL Wild Card picture. They’re off to a good start.
“I feel like this is about the point last year where we kind of started to get on a run,” Messick said. “We're just trying to get that feeling back. All these games are important from this point on. The American League is so tight right now, so every game's important.”