Analyst Shares Optimistic Take On Guardians Start

April 2, 2026

By Andres Chavez

The Cleveland Guardians woke up on Thursday tied for first place with the Kansas City Royals, even though they are listed second by winning percentage. They are 4-3 after a rough opening schedule, with consecutive series on the West Coast against the Seattle Mariners and the Los Angeles Dodgers.

These opponents are no slouches: the Mariners are the reigning AL West champions and won 90 games last year, and the Dodgers need no introduction after taking home each of the last two World Series.

The Guardians split the first four games with the M’s and then won the series 2-1 over the Dodgers, beating Roki Sasaki and Yoshinobu Yamamoto in the process. Things weren’t always perfect, but the first seven games have shown that Cleveland will be a highly competitive squad.

Ken Carman and Spencer German discussed the Guardians’ opening road trip and came away feeling optimistic about where the organization currently stands.

“If you were looking for a start to the season that gave you some confidence of what this year can be, I think this was it. You’re seeing these great performances, and [Gavin] Williams feels like the guy who can stabilize things if he can be that ace-style pitcher. It does feel like, to me, you saw the true potential of this team with Chase DeLauter in the lineup,” German said.

DeLauter’s emergence has been one of the storylines of Cleveland’s opening week. He hit four home runs and is sporting a 219 wRC+, and even though he had to leave a game this week after fouling a ball off his foot, he is expected to return this weekend to keep mashing.

He has been everything the Guardians thought he could be and more, and could be in a good position to hit at least 25 home runs if health is on his side.

Among pitchers, Gavin Williams and Parker Messick have been the most valuable performers in the first week of play. The latter tossed seven scoreless innings with 10 strikeouts on Wednesday to give the Guardians a series win in LA, and the latter was brilliant in his lone start with six scoreless frames on Monday.

The bullpen has been solid aside from a couple of Cade Smith hiccups, and the rest of the staff has played as expected. If Jose Ramirez and the offense can pick it up, this team could be going places.

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CLEVELAND GUARDIANS

Guardians share extreme, vulgar threats from bettors. 'It's a cesspool'

Ryan Lewis
Akron Beacon Journal
April 2, 2026, 6:01 a.m. ET

In early April 2024, Nolan Jones was in a Chicago hotel room after a brutally rough first few games to start the season for him. It was a low point, and it was about to get much, much worse.

Jones, then an outfielder with the Colorado Rockies, had committed four errors in the first five games, including two earlier that day, resulting in a loss. Wondering what was going so wrong with him in left field, he decided to call his wife and talks things over.

That's when the messages began rolling in.

Jones began to receive a steady stream of anonymous calls and texts. The nameless, faceless people on the other end of these messages told Jones they were going to kill him. They said they were going to kill his wife and his entire family. They said he should just kill himself.

Unbeknownst to him, Jones' personal phone number had been posted on social media a few minutes prior. It led to a flood of hate and threats to him and his family.

"When you fail at the biggest stage, at the Major League level, you can't expect not to hear about it, but I think sports betting has made it worse as far as social media, letters in the mail, threatening families and such," said Jones, who rejoined the Guardians organization last season and is with the team's Triple-A affiliate in Columbus. "It's not always butterflies and roses like some people may think."

Jones is among the players in the Guardians organization who say they have been subjected to threats by angry sports bettors.

Guardians, pro athletes deal with messages after Ohio legalizes sports betting

Professional athletes have always had to deal with angry messages from sports fans in some form. But the added access to sports gambling that came with legalization has led to a sharp increase in fury from angry bettors who just lost money and are seeking an outlet for that frustration.

Social media often offers that pathway. But sometimes, as happened with Jones, a personal phone number or, worse, private address is discovered and the threats hit even closer to home.

Ohio legalized sports gambling on Jan. 1, 2023. Many states had already made that leap. Several others have followed since.

Consequently, elite athletes at all levels are increasingly facing harassment and threats from angry bettors.

An NCAA study released last year, for example, found 21% of Division I men’s tennis players and 17% of DI men’s basketball players have received negative or threatening messages from someone who bet on their competition.

Dr. Kevin H. Yang, a psychiatry resident physician at the University of California, San Diego, who has studied the impacts of sports betting, told the online health platform Helio the rise of sports gambling is impacting athletes.

“Players across multiple sports have reported receiving death threats and hostile messages on social media when their performance affects betting outcomes,” Yang told Helio. “This concerning trend highlights how real-time betting can have unintended consequences beyond gambling addiction itself.”

Negative feedback online existed before legalized sports betting. It was always somewhat accessible as an outlet for anger, like a stovetop burner sitting on low. The legalization — and therefore the easy access to gamble for many, many more people than before — cranked up the heat and turned it on high.

For Jones, it all became real in an instant as he received threatening messages toward his family while he was stuck in a hotel room in Chicago. Calls were immediately made for security purposes, and the immediate threat was resolved. But a frightening moment like that will leave a scar of sorts.

"I'm the first person to beat myself up and know that I had a bad game," Jones said. "I'll be the first one to tell ya, the first one to admit it, the first one to know I had a bad game and the one who loses the most sleep over it. But if I'm worried about what everyone is saying and how much money they lost on me that day, it can become a heavy burden to carry."

It's a widespread concern among pro athletes and coaches.

Almost everyone in every clubhouse, if they've been in the major leagues long enough, has either experienced some form of anger from sports bettors through threatening or hateful messages on social media. Or if they haven't, it's largely because they simply don't check their messages at all.

Houston Astros pitcher Lance McCullers made national headlines last year when he and his family received graphic death threats online after a rocky start in which he gave up seven runs in the first inning. USA TODAY reported the threats later were traced to an intoxicated sports bettor overseas who blamed McCullers for losing money.

Most sports gamblers are just looking to bet a few bucks on a game and have fun with it.

This is the darker side of sports betting.

Tanner Bibee,says threats and personal attacks on social media by angry sports bettors "can put some guys over the edge."

"I feel like a lot of guys joke about it, but it's a serious thing, especially when someone's dealing with mental stuff," said Guardians starting pitcher Tanner Bibee.

"A lot of us normalize it because everyone gets it a lot, but I feel like it's not something that should be normalized.

"Say you had a bad outing and some guy is struggling mentally and you get all these messages saying to go kill yourself, it can put some guys over the edge. It sucks, but it's the reality of it."

Many players try to not pay much attention to it, or try to simply understand that the messages aren't actually about them.

"I just kind of understand the situation as it's nothing personal against me," said Guardians starting pitcher Slade Cecconi, who's received messages from people suggesting he hurt himself. "You know, some people are in a bad spot in their life, and that's the avenue they turn to take it out on. And, you know, I just hope they find a way out of it."

Slade Cecconi, in the dugout during a 2025 game, says he's received message from people suggesting he hurt himself. "I just kind of understand the situation as it's nothing personal against me," he says. "You know, some people are in a bad spot in their life, and that's the avenue they turn to take it out on."

Guardians deal with anger from sports gamblers on social media

Fellow Guardians starting pitcher Gavin Williams, who noted he gets hundreds of messages a month, added, "I kind of laugh at it. I think it's funny. People, I call them keyboard warriors. Sometimes I want to message back but I hold myself from doing that."

Not all of the harassment is just digital, though.

While some players acknowledge that sports betting in general has all brought more attention to the league, sports betting being legalized in more areas than only Las Vegas has also led to bettors yelling to players, as gamblers shout out what they need with their prop bets. It's particularly a problem in the NBA, where fans are right behind the benches.

In baseball, outfielders and pitchers who are warming up in bullpens right next to seats hear about what bets have been made on them.

Williams noted he'll have fans yelling out what prop bets they made on him while he's warming up in the bullpen before his outings. The catchers hear it, too.

"It's a scary situation right now, and [the in-game yelling] is annoying," Guardians catcher Austin Hedges said. "You'll have three guys telling them exactly how many strikeouts they want to get or how much money they bet on it. And it's just like, it's a pretty annoying thing to hear because I know [the pitcher] hears it. And, like, yeah, I want him to strike out a bunch of dudes, it would be ideal so we could win, but it's still a distraction."

Steven Kwan celebrates his solo home run against the Marlins last season. Kwan says some sports bettors react with racist or vulgar attacks on social media when they blame a player for losing money.

Some of these social media messages are violent or threatening. Others are abhorrently racist, such as some Guardians outfielder Steven Kwan said he has received. That element isn't necessarily new, but now combined with the frustration of losing money on bets, it's only getting worse.

Kwan has a term for how he views the entire situation.

"It's a cesspool," Kwan said. "I'm sure I'm repeating what [other players] said, it's like, 'You suck, you lost me money, go back to wherever.' It gets extremely racist. It gets extremely vulgar. Luckily my wife is private on everything, but I know it's just a cesspool of stuff. It's crazy."

And there's a reason Kwan rarely checks messages, at least until the season is finished.

"After the season's over, it's like, oh, I wonder what bull---- is in my DMs," Kwan said. "Everybody's brave behind a screen. Once you get in person, everybody shuts down. I guess I try to empathize with them. You feel like you can win so much money, and they have to put their anger somewhere, but it's just so bad for the game."

It's all becoming an essential — and unfortunate — part of training when a prospect becomes a major leaguer.

"So many of these kids live on their phones, so how are you going to tell these kids that when you get to the big leagues now, stop using social media?" Kwan asked. "And, yeah, it comes with the responsibility and we signed up for this, but people didn't deal with this 10 years ago, five years ago even."

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Terry Pluto has the real story about why ‘Super Joe’ Charboneau had a too-short Major League career

Updated: Apr. 04, 2026, 9:24 a.m.|Published: Apr. 04, 2026, 5:02 a.m.

By Terry's Talkin' podcast, cleveland.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Terry Pluto wants to kill a myth right now: Joe Charboneau didn’t party himself out of Major League Baseball.

The cleveland.com columnist — who actually gave Charboneau the “Super Joe” nickname — shared some history on the Cleveland baseball legend on the latest edition of the Terry’s Talkin’ podcast.

Charboneau has been on fans’ minds this week after Guardians rookie Chase DeLauter hit four home runs in his first three regular-season MLB games, and went on to be named American League Player of the Week for the first week of the 2026 season.

The legend of Super Joe is the stuff of Cleveland sports folklore. He supposedly fought bare-fisted in boxcars, drank beer through his nose with a straw, and pulled his own tooth with fishing line.

Whether all those tales are true doesn’t really matter — what matters is that when Charboneau exploded onto the scene with the Indians in 1980, he was absolutely legitimate as a hitter.

Pluto was there for all of it. He covered the 1980 home opener, Charboneau’s first game in Cleveland, where Super Joe went 3-for-3 with a double and a homer. The Indians won 8-1 over Toronto, Rick Waits threw a complete game, and Cleveland finally had something exciting to talk about.

“That day was really important to me because I covered the Orioles a year before in ’79, but then I was hired 1980 to do the Tribe,” Pluto recalled on the podcast. “And you know, I grew up watching that, and now I was the guy covering the opener. And that was, that was really special.”

Charboneau went on to win American League Rookie of the Year in 1980. But then, the wheels came off.

Here’s where Pluto said he wants to correct the false narrative that’s out there.

Yes, baseball players in that era drank — a lot. But that’s not what ended Super Joe’s career.

“I just wanted to say this about Joe because a lot of stuff is out there. I’ve heard, ‘Well, you know, he just partied himself out of the league’ and all that,” Pluto said.

“What killed Joe’s career is in the spring of ’81, after his rookie year, he slides into second base and he did not get up right. He’s hurt. And it turned out he had suffered a significant back injury.”

Multiple back surgeries followed. Charboneau played only 77 games after his Rookie of the Year season. The guy who hit .350 and .352 in consecutive years — one year in Class A and one in the notoriously difficult-for-hitters AA Southern League — never got a chance to show what he could have been.

Pluto’s convinced that with modern medical treatment, Charboneau would have continued to mash.

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Stephen Vogt Sends Clear Message To Slade Cecconi Ahead Of Sunday’s Game

April 5, 2026

By Jimmy Swartz

Stephen Vogt is not asking Slade Cecconi to be perfect. He is asking him to be himself.

Ahead of Cecconi’s next start on Sunday, the Guardians manager delivered a simple and direct message to his young right-hander. After a start in Seattle where the velocity was down and the feel was not quite there, Vogt is not pushing the panic button. He is pushing something else entirely.

Vogt said he wants to see Cecconi just be Slade on the mound on Sunday.

“His velo was down a little bit in Seattle and he didn’t have great feel, but still he threw the ball pretty well,” Vogt said. “I’m looking for him to go out and just be himself.”

Cecconi has shown enough at this level to earn the benefit of the doubt. One uneven outing in Seattle does not erase what the Guardians believe he is capable of, and Vogt’s tone makes clear that the organization is not looking for a mechanical overhaul heading into the weekend. They are looking for the version of Cecconi that competes, attacks hitters, and does not try to be something he is not.

Young pitchers who get into their own head after a rough outing often compound the problem by gripping the ball tighter and nibbling at the zone. Vogt is essentially giving Cecconi permission to exhale. Go out there, trust your stuff, and let it happen.

The Guardians are 5-3 on the young season and have gotten strong pitching performances from Joey Cantillo and others in the rotation. The expectation now is that Cecconi steps into that same standard on Sunday and reminds everyone why Cleveland believed in him enough to hand him a spot in the first place.

Vogt has seen enough of his roster to know what each guy needs. For Cecconi, the answer is not more instruction.

It is more confidence.

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New Injury Update on Guardians’ George Valera, Hunter Gaddis

Tommy Wild

Partner

Where do Cleveland Guardians' Hunter Gaddis and George Valera stand in their rehab?

As good a start as the Cleveland Guardians have gotten off to this season, the roster is still incomplete, with multiple players who probably should have been on the Opening Day roster still rehabbing their way back from injuries.

The two notable players who started the regular season on the injured list were George Valera and Hunter Gaddis.

Stephen Vogt gave an update on both players before Saturday’s game, and there’s some good and bad news about where each player is.

Hunter Gaddis (Forearm Strain)

Let’s start with the good news; it looks like Hunter Gaddis is getting closer to being activated off the IL. He was actually on the field playing catch before Saturday’s game was postponed due to the weather.

Gaddis has now pitched in three rehab assignments at Triple-A, and Vogt said he continued to progress and check the boxes of his recovery. The reliever continues to “build up, but he's feeling good, and that's all we care about right now,” said Cleveland’s skipper.

Gaddis has given up four earned runs in 2.1 innings of work in the Minors, but the team isn’t concerned about the results, but rather that he continues to ramp up while staying healthy. Remember, he pitched in only one Spring Training, which was at the end of February.

“Obviously, you want to see good results, that's the best of both worlds, but especially for Gaddy, just for him to go out and pitch and feel good and get built up, that's what our number one goal is,” continued Vogt.

With the Guardians happy with Gaddis’ build-up and how he’s feeling, hopefully that means it won’t be too much longer before Cleveland has its setup man back.

George Valera (Calf Strain)

While it appears Gaddis could be on his way back soon, it’s still going to be some time before George Valera is back with the Guardians big-league roster.

Valera has been seeing action in Triple-A as a part of a rehab assignment, and has looked pretty good in those games, too, but Vogt said the outfielder just isn’t ready to play consecutive days yet.

“I think we want to see George get built up to play in five, six days a week because that would be his role.” continued the Guardians manager. “Going to be very cautious to make sure that he can do that, so it's gonna be a little more time with George.”

Cleveland is wise to be cautious with Valera, since he has a history of lower-body injuries, but that means it could be some time before he’s a realistic option for the Guardians this season.

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Guardians

Joey Cantillo’s growth on display in Guardians’ 4-1 home opener win

Updated: Apr. 04, 2026, 9:50 a.m.|Published: Apr. 04, 2026, 6:00 a.m.

By Joe Noga, cleveland.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Even without his best pitch a week ago in Seattle, Joey Cantillo never wavered.

The changeup didn’t feel right, didn’t get the swings he expected, didn’t behave the way it usually does. But instead of shelving it against the Cubs, Cantillo leaned into it and displayed the kind of growth he’s been determined to show this season.

“That was definitely a focal point,” Cantillo said. “Like, ‘Hey, let’s throw it regardless of how the first couple end up. It’s a pitch we’ve got to throw. It doesn’t matter.’ … You’ve got to keep throwing it and make the adjustment with it.”

That trust paid off Friday.

Taking the ball in Cleveland’s home opener at Progressive Field, Cantillo looked every bit like a pitcher learning and growing in real time. It’s not just the left-hander’s arsenal, but his approach that’s evolving. And that helped lead the Guardians to a 4-1 win over the Cubs.

Making just his first home start of the season in front of a packed house, Cantillo struck out six over 5 1/3 innings, finishing two outs shy of a quality start. The lone blemish came in the third inning, when a miscommunication between Gabriel Arias and José Ramírez allowed a pop fly to drop, setting up an RBI double by Miguel Amaya.

Otherwise, Cantillo was in control.

He retired eight consecutive hitters at one point and continued a remarkable run of consistency, allowing two earned runs or fewer for the ninth straight start. It marks the longest such streak by a Cleveland pitcher since Corey Kluber strung together 13 straight from August 2017 to April 2018. He also has not allowed a home run in 11 of his last 15 outings.

More importantly, he did it by trusting all of the weapons at his disposal.

After struggling to locate his changeup in Seattle, Cantillo made a point to keep it in the mix Friday, using it as both a reset button and a put-away pitch.

“We did a better job of that today of just mixing them in more and going to it for some swing-and-miss when we needed to,” Cantillo said. “That’s just something that is going to keep getting better, and I’ve just always got to trust it and throw it.”

That kind of conviction is exactly what manager Stephen Vogt has pointed to as Cantillo continues to mature.

“He was outstanding,” Vogt said. “Joey really did a nice job of not getting too deep into counts and he made pitches when he had to. He was getting weak contact. Joey competed and I thought it was without his best stuff. So that’s kind of some growth there from Joey, too. He was very, very good without his best stuff. He gave us a great chance to win.”

For Cantillo, the stage itself added another layer.

He has pitched in big moments before, including a disastrous start in New York during the American League Championship Series in 2024. But there was something different about walking out for a home opener, hearing the crowd, feeling the energy build with every pitch.

“It was awesome,” he said. “The stadium was electric like we thought it would be… you couldn’t have asked for a better first start at home and I’m happy we got the win.”

The combination of trusting his stuff, adjusting on the fly, and embracing the moment is what’s defining Cantillo’s early season. The results speak for themselves, but the growth underneath them might matter even more.

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Guardians

4 Guardians moments that mattered from Friday’s home opener win vs. Cubs

Updated: Apr. 04, 2026, 9:56 a.m.|Published: Apr. 04, 2026, 5:00 a.m.

By Joe Noga, cleveland.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Guardians had plenty to be happy about when the dust settled following Friday’s 4-1 home opening win against the Cubs.

The offense came alive behind rookie sensation Chase DeLauter’s fifth home run in a three-RBI effort, Joey Cantillo was locked in on the mound for 5 1/3 innings and the defense came up with big plays at key moments.

Here is a look back at four moments that mattered during a memorable opening day at the corner of Carnegie and Ontario.

Rain, but no delay — this time

When the Cubs are playing at Progressive Field and rain begins to fall, one can hardly blame Cleveland fans for feeling a bit blue – or downright sick to their stomachs.

Light rain started to fall in the second inning with Cleveland batting on Friday, and many wondered if the game was going to be stopped. It was a stark reminder of the 17-minute delay prior to the 10th inning in Game 7 of the 2016 World Series that allowed Chicago to regroup, rally the troops and break a 6-6 tie to capture their first title in 108 years.

But the skies held off on Friday, and the game continued long enough for the Guardians to pull out a win, providing a measure of satisfaction for fans who lived through the nightmare of seeing the Cubs celebrate at the center of that very diamond on a warm November night nearly 10 years ago.

Gabriel Arias redemption tour

Miscommunication between Gabriel Arias and José Ramírez on a pop fly to shallow left field in the third inning led to a gimme double for Pete Crow-Armstrong and the only Chicago run of the game when Miguel Amaya doubled down the third base line one batter later.

But Arias came through with one of the biggest swings of the game when he homered to right field off Hunter Harvey in the seventh, putting the Guardians in front by a run.

Manager Stephen Vogt praised Arias for rebounding from the earlier miscue and noted that his teammates picked him up as soon as he returned to the dugout. The dropped pop between Ramírez and Arias was forgotten almost immediately.

“They were both kind of calling at the same time and then they both kind of backed off at the same time,” Vogt said. “Those things happen. They shouldn’t, but they do.”

Arias admitted that mistakes like that sometimes happen, but took responsibility in the moment.

“I feel like I called it off a little bit too early when I wasn’t really under it,” Arias said via Guardians interpreter Agustin Rivero. “Those errors happen in the game and I take accountability, but those are things that happen in the game.”

Vogt said he was impressed with Arias’ at-bat in the fifth when he drew a walk against Colin Rea to set up Chase DeLauter’s game-tying RBI single to left off Hoby Milner. The home run in the seventh was just pure strength.

“We know Gabby’s got that kind of power and it’s been a slow start for him, but last two games he’s looked a lot better offensively,” Vogt said.

Daniel Schneemann’s sensational grab

Connor Brogdon was ahead in the count to Chicago’s Matt Shaw with one out in the seventh inning. But Shaw got on top of a 94 mph fastball from Brogdon that was up in the strike zone and out over the plate, driving it deep to the right center field alley as Daniel Schneemann raced over with his glove extended.

Schneemann, who has already started at three different positions for Cleveland this season, reached out and made a leaping catch before slamming into the wall to take extra bases away from Shaw and preserve a 1-1 tie.

Vogt called Schneemann an “incredible athlete” and said the Guardians have faith he can make plays wherever they put him on the field.

“That’s a tough catch,” Vogt said. “It was really windy up high. The ball was moving kind of weird. And for him to stick with that and make that play, it’s huge.”

Schneemann credited his coaches for having him ready every time he takes the field, no matter what position he is playing.

“It says a lot about JT (Maguire) and how he prepares us to play out there,” Schneemann said. “Big props to him for getting me prepared.”

Chase DeLauter nearly crushed Steven Kwan with a chest bump at home plate

You can hardly blame DeLauter for getting a little excited after hitting his first Progressive Field home run in the seventh. But before he had a chance to get to the dugout and once again don the Guardians’ medieval knight helmet in celebration, he very nearly obliterated one of Cleveland’s most valuable assets.

DeLauter collided with teammate Steven Kwan, who had just crossed home plate ahead of him following DeLauter’s two-run blast.

The awkward interaction left Kwan with a stunned look on his face as his batting helmet was knocked from his head. DeLauter said it was the combined result of confusion and exuberance on his part.

“Yeah, that one was my fault,” DeLauter said when asked about the celebration. “He went in for high five. I went in for a hug and it was a bad combination there. So, we’ll get it figured out for sure.”

Guardians fans hope the two have many more chances to celebrate home runs – awkwardly or otherwise – before the season is finished.

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Guardians

‘We’re playing playoff baseball in April’: Slade Cecconi believes Guardians will be sharper after early tests

Updated: Apr. 05, 2026, 6:55 p.m.|Published: Apr. 05, 2026, 6:54 p.m.

By Joe Noga, cleveland.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Slade Cecconi didn’t need long to understand what April was going to look like for the Guardians.

A season-opening trip through Seattle, followed by matchups with the Dodgers and Cubs, has felt less like easing into a schedule and more like jumping straight into October. Cecconi believes that kind of early test will pay off.

“We knew that this first couple of weeks, but especially this whole first month is going to show us where we are because we’re playing playoff baseball in April,” Cecconi said. “Every team we play is a playoff contender. We’re facing big arms, big stuff. Our hitters are being challenged early. Our pitchers are being challenged early. And it’s great. We get to see exactly where we stand in April and we get to see exactly what adjustments we need to make early in the season.”

On Sunday at Progressive Field, Cecconi showed exactly where he stands.

After struggling through his first outing in Seattle while under the weather, the right-hander delivered a sharp, scoreless performance in a 1-0 loss to the Cubs in Game 1 of a doubleheader.

Cecconi struck out six, walked one and allowed just one hit and hit one batter over six innings, facing only three batters over the minimum while notching his first quality start of the season.

Guardians manager Stephen Vogt saw a pitcher in command from the outset.

“Slade was outstanding,” Vogt said. “That was a well-pitched game, but I thought Slade was great. Maybe a couple hard contacts, but for the most part, he was throwing strikes and getting weak contact, working quickly. He did everything he could for us today.”

The difference from his first start was evident in both execution and in how Cecconi felt physically.

“I definitely wasn’t as sick this time,” Cecconi said. “Still getting back to fully being myself. Velocity was up a mile an hour, still not where I know that I can be. But I was much healthier this time around … definitely a step in the right direction this week.”

Guardians and Cubs set mark for fewest combined hits in Progressive Field history as Chicago wins first game of doubleheader, 1-0
It also showed up in his pitch mix, particularly with a refined cutter that gave Cubs hitters trouble all afternoon.

Cecconi generated 14 swings and misses, representing his highest total since last September, with the cutter playing a key role in keeping hitters off balance.

“It’s a better version of last year’s slider,” Cecconi said. “I try not to think of it like anything but an offset fastball, which helps me execute it at a higher rate. And it gives me really a little more room to throw the ‘sweepier’ one. It’s just two better pitches … and I throw them with a lot more confidence now because they’re just objectively better.”

Working with catcher Bo Naylor, Cecconi leaned into a balanced approach, mixing all five of his pitches and avoiding predictable patterns.

“That’s when I feel like I’m at my best when I’m using all five of my pitches relatively equally to keep hitters off balance,” Cecconi said. “Every pitch helps the other pitches when I throw them all.”

The outing extended a strong stretch dating back to last season, with Cecconi now owning five quality starts since Aug. 22, tied for the team lead in that span as his workload has quietly become one of the steadiest on the staff.

Even in cold, early-season conditions, he looked comfortable dictating tempo and attacking the strike zone. It’s something he believes actually works in a pitcher’s favor.

“I’ve always thought that cold weather favors the pitcher,” Cecconi said. “Once you know how to deal with it, it’s fine.”

The result was a crisp, efficient outing that gave the Guardians exactly what they needed, even if the offense couldn’t provide support.

More importantly, it reinforced Cecconi’s belief that these early-season challenges, such as facing elite lineups and frontline pitching, are shaping the Guardians into something stronger.

“We’ve battled really well,” Cecconi said. “The staff has picked up right where we left off (last season) and we’re going to keep that momentum going.”

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The Cleveland Guardians couldn't have asked for a better start to their season after beating the Chicago Cubs on Easter

The Sporting News

Chad Porto

1 hour ago

If you told the fans of the Cleveland Guardians that they could pick the teams they started the 2026 MLB season against, just about none would have suggested the Seattle Mariners, Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs. That's who the Guardians started against, however, three of the best teams in MLB. One NL team that made the National League Division Series, an AL team that made the American League Championship Series, and the eventual World Series winner.

And yet, the Guardians seem almost embolden after such a daunting start to the season.

The Mariners were first, where the Guards split the opener series, 2-2, against the ALCS runner-up from last season. Then they bested the Dodgers, taking two of three against the defending two-time World Series champs. The Guards would then have to face off with another playoff team, the Chicago Cubs, whom they also went 2-1 against. Two of those games happened on an Easter Sunday doubleheader.

Through three series, the Guardians have yet to drop a set. They sit 6-4 on the season, atop the AL Central and riding a 2-0-1 series record against three of the best clubs in the Majors. Most fans would've been fine with a .500 record against those three teams, let alone with them back-to-back-to-back. So to be sitting two games over .500 and heading into a series with the Kansas City Royals, fans across Cuyahoga County are celebrating tonight.

A strong start is new for fans of the Guardians.

Since Terry Francona took over the club in 2013, winning and slow starts have become the norm. Like clockwork, the Guardians would struggle to stay close to the .500 mark until late May or so, and then they would be a different beast come the summer. That charm was all set to continue on with current manager Stephen Vogt. Last year, they mounted the biggest in-season comeback since 1969, coming back from 15.5 games down to surpass and surprise the Detroit Tigers to win the AL Central title. Proving that Vogt may be more Francona than we all previously thought.

It was a record-setting season, and while it made for a wonderful memory, Guardians fans are hoping for a team that's just consistently good this season; and they may get it. If the start of the year is any indication of what the fans of the club could expect to see, then a steadier and more successful team could be on the horizon for Cleveland.

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Guardians shortstop lands on injured list

The Cleveland Guardians place a shortstop on the injury list, and recall a utility player to the major league roster.

By Benedetto Vitale

Apr 7, 2026 at 1:46 PM ET

The Cleveland Guardians were forced to place a shortstop on the injury list. Following that move, the club recalled a utility player from Triple-A Columbus to fill out the roster.

Reports indicate that Gabriel Arias, who is 26 years old, is being placed on the 10-day IL, according to Al Pawlowski of “Guardians Live.” Juan Brito was recalled from Triple-A Columbus, and he made his MLB debut on Tuesday, playing second base for Cleveland against the Kansas City Royals.

“The Guardians have placed Gabriel Arias on the 10-day IL,” reported Pawloaski. “Juan Brito has been recalled from AAA to replace him.”

Arias suffered the injury in the fifth inning of the Guardians' 4-2 loss to the Royals on Monday. The five-year veteran pulled up while running to second base after hitting a double. He was removed from the contest immediately and was replaced by Daniel Schneemann.

The Guardians will be without Gabriel Arias for at least 10 days while he deals with the hamstring strain. Despite owning a low batting average, Arias was putting up decent numbers. Through 10 games played, Arias had recorded a .200 batting average and .250 OBP while totaling six hits, two home runs, and four RBIs.

As for Juan Brito, he has already made an impact in his first career MLB game. The 24-year-old infielder recorded his first hit during Tuesday's game against the Royals. He is the only player on the roster to record a hit through two innings of the contest.

Brito should be expected to make several appearances for the Guardians in the coming week or so. Depending on how he performs, manager Stephen Vogt may be forced to keep him on the roster, even when Arias returns.

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Guardians

Brayan Rocchio ready to move back to shortstop: Guardians takeaways

Updated: Apr. 07, 2026, 3:55 p.m.|Published: Apr. 07, 2026, 2:44 p.m.

By Paul Hoynes, cleveland.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Brayan Rocchio, after spending most of last season and the early part of this season at second base for the Guardians, says he’ll have no problem moving to shortstop in the wake of Gabriel Arias’ left hamstring injury.

“I’ve been learning how to play second base,” said Rocchio. “I feel comfortable playing second base, but shortstop is my natural position.

“Now I’ve got a job to do at shortstop. I’m going to do whatever I can to help the team.”

Rocchio was a Gold Glove finalist at shortstop in 2024. He was Cleveland’s Opening Day shortstop in 2025 but struggled at the plate and was optioned to Triple-A Columbus on May 12. When that happened, Arias moved from second to shortstop and claimed the position as his own.

Upon Rocchio’s return to the Guardians on June 30, he was moved to second base.

Arias strained his left hamstring when he doubled in the fifth inning in Monday’s 4-2 loss to the Royals. Daniel Schneemann replaced Arias as a pinch runner and went to second base to start the sixth with Rocchio moving to shortstop.

The Guardians promoted Juan Brito from Triple-A Columbus on Tuesday morning, and he started at second base later that day in his big-league debut.

The Guardians are calling Arias’ injury a “moderate” hamstring strain. Hamstring injuries usually take four to six weeks to heal.

Rocchio and Brito played together briefly at Columbus last year. They were also in spring training together this year.

“I haven’t played with him much,” said Rocchio. “When they sent me down last year, I played some shortstop and third base with him.”

Rocchio handled the move to shortstop on Monday night smoothly.

“That’s my job, to help the team any way I can,” said Rocchio.

Besides returning to his old position, Rocchio is dealing with another familiar element — Cleveland’s unpredictable April weather.

It was 70 degrees for Thursday’s home opener against the Cubs. Monday night, the first-pitch temperature was 43 degrees against the Royals before tumbling to 33 degrees for Tuesday’s game.

“It’s part of the process,” said Rocchio. “Except for basketball players, everybody plays in the cold. Football, baseball, soccer players all play in the cold weather. You have to maintain your warmth and play hard.”

Tuesday’s first-pitch temperature of 33 degrees was the coldest for a Cleveland home game since April 9, 2018 against Detroit with an identical temperature of 33 degrees.

Slow start

Kyle Manzardo hit .182 (10 for 55) with three homers and 12 RBI in spring training. Through 10 games in the regular season, he’s hitting .063 (2 for 32) with one RBI.

“Manzo, going from spring training into the very first part of the regular season, has been trying to do too much,” said manager Stephen Vogt. “A lot of times guys are searching for hits. If you’re searching for hits, you’re not going to get hits.

“The last two games, Kyle has hit the ball hard right at people. That can get real frustrating on top of a slow start according to the numbers.”

At times like this, players are told to “stick to the process.”

Vogt said that can get old awfully fast.

“It’s easier said than done,” he said. “When you’re a baseball player, you want hits. We’re 11 games in. I’m not worried about Kyle. He’s one of our best hitters.”

Double trouble

In the fourth inning Monday night, Rhys Hoskins hit into a 5-6-4-3 double play with Manzardo on first base. The ball deflected off third baseman Maikel Garcia’s glove right to shortstop Bobby Witt Jr., who threw to second baseman Jonathan India to force Manzardo.

India completed the double play by throwing to first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino.

It was the first around-the-horn (5-6-4-3) double play in the big leagues since Aug. 25, 1995. San Francisco’s Matt Williams, Royce Clayton, Robby Thompson and Mark Carreon turned it on a ball hit by Montreal’s Mike Lansing.

Finally

Tony Amato, Guardians clubhouse manager, asked this question after Jose Ramirez set the franchise record by playing his 1,620th game on Monday night. Who was the last Cleveland player to wear No. 11 before Ramirez? The answer was outfielder Drew Stubbs ...

Chase DeLauter had a scheduled day off Wednesday ...

Guardians batters went into Wednesday’s game leading the big leagues with 4.24 pitches seen per plate appearance.

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Latest Headlines

Guardians bypass Travis Bazzana, promote Juan Brito to replace injured Gabriel Arias

By Jeff Schudel | jschudel@news-herald.com | The News-Herald

PUBLISHED: April 7, 2026 at 5:47 PM EDT

Clearly, fans are not calling the shots for the Guardians.

Shortstop Gabriel Arias pulled up lame in the bottom of the fifth inning April 6 after hustling into second base to beat the throw from Royals outfielder Jac Caglianone for a double.

Guardians trainer Jeff Desjardins and Manager Stephen Vogt left the Cleveland dugout to check on Arias. When they returned, they had a limping Arias in tow. The injury was diagnosed as left hamstring tightness.

Fans quickly jumped on social media to suggest the Guardians should promote Travis Bazzana from Triple-A Columbus if Arias were placed on the injured list. Arias was placed on the10-day I.L. before the Guardians hosted the Royals on April 7, but they did not call up Bazzana. They promoted Juan Brito instead.

“There’s always thought (to calling up Bazzana), but we’ve been excited about Juan for a long time,” Vogt said in his pregame news conference. “Travis is going to help us win a lot of games, but this is Juan Brito’s turn.”

Bazzana would have to be added to the 40-man roster before he could be added to the Guardians’ 26-man squad, which would mean removing a player already on the current 40-man roster. But the bottom line is management believes Brito is more ready than Bazzana for the big leagues here in early April.

Brayan Rocchio, who had been playing second base, was moved to shortstop. Brito started at second base against the Royals and roped a double to left field in the bottom of the second inning in his first Major League at-bat. The hit was a long time coming for the Dominican Republic native, who last year underwent surgery on his right thumb April 25. He returned, played eight games and suffered a left hamstring injury that required season-ending surgery.

“It’s hard to put into words,” Brito said after the game through Guardians interpreter Agustin Rivero. “It’s just like a dream come true, being on that field with all those stars that you always admire and most importantly, being around them and trying to help them win and have fun.

“I feel like (all the injury rehab) actually made me stronger because it’s a reminder, you’ve been so far that you’re not going to quit now. I felt like I was not competing against anybody. I was just competing against myself, trying to get myself better and have fun.”

Brito added a single to go 2-for-4. The ball he hit for a double was tossed into the Guardians’ dugout for a memento. Brito said he will give it to his mother, Sandra.

The Guardians selected Bazzana with the first pick in the 2024 MLB draft. Bazzana, like Brito, plays second base. Brito, 24, was acquired from the Rockies in 2022 when the Guardians traded Nolan Jones to Colorado.

Bazzana, 23, had an outstanding spring, batting .381 with three home runs and 11 RBI in eight Cactus League games with the Guardians sandwiched around playing for Australia in the World Baseball Classic. Despite his spring training success, Bazzana was sent to Columbus to start the season.

Bazzana has batted 33 times in eight games with the Clippers in 2026. He is hitting .212 with no home runs and two RBI. Two oblique injuries last year limited him to 26 games with the Clippers. He hit .225 with four home runs and 14 RBI.

Brito was hitting .314 with the Clippers when he got promoted. The Guardians are saying Arias has a “moderate hamstring strain” and say they will have more clarity April 8 about when he might be cleared to play again. Reading between the lines, it sounds like Arias will be on the 10-day I.L. longer than 10 days.

The Clippers were in Worcester, Mass., on April 6 waiting to start a six-game series with the WooSox, the Triple-A affiliate of the Red Sox, while the Guardians were playing the Royals on April 6. Brito said he was playing video games in his hotel room when he learned Arias was injured.

“I was playing PlayStation actually, watching the game in the background, and then when I saw what happened with Arias, I was kind of a little concerned about what happened, and then I got a call a couple minutes after the game was over,” he said. “I got to the airport at 4 a.m.”

Several players selected after Bazzana have already made it to the Majors.

Chase Burns, a right-handed starting pitcher selected second overall by Cincinnati, is 2-0 with the Reds this year. First baseman Nick Kurtz, taken fourth by the A’s, was named A.L. Rookie of the Year in 2025 when he hit .290 with 36 home runs and 86 RBI. He is off to a slow start in 2026 with no RBI and a .148 batting average in eight games.

Caglianone, selected by the Royals with the sixth pick, started for Kansas City in right field April 7. He went 0-for-4 and struck out three times. He is hitting .250 with one home run and four RBI.

Shortstop Konnor Griffin, chosen ninth overall by Pittsburgh, made his MLB debut last week. Griffin has one hit with the Pirates.

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Cleveland Guardians Manager Stephen Vogt Defends Cade Smith's Early-Season Struggles

Cleveland Guardians closer Cade Smith has statistically struggled through the first week of the season, however manager Steven Vogt offers support.

Michael Cracas

9 hours ago

While the Cleveland Guardians are off to a good start to the 2026 season, there has been talk that Cade Smith’s job as the Guardians' closer might be in jeopardy.

While that's primarily outside noise from those not closely associated with the organization, if there are any worries on his mind, Smith should just listen to one voice, and that is manager Stephen Vogt.

"Cade is a little erratic," Vogt said. "It's not the pinpoint command and control that we're used to seeing from Cade. His stuff is still moving forward really well. The fastball is still one of the best pitches in baseball. Just the command and the control right now are a little bit off. He's aware of it. We're aware of it. And he's working every day to get it back."

While Vogt doesn’t seem worried, statistically, Smith has struggled in three out of six appearances so far to begin the 2026 campaign. His first blunder came in a blown save in game two of the opening series versus the Seattle Mariners, and the latest was the second game of the doubleheader on Sunday against the Chicago Cubs.

In the game against the Cubs, he struggled with his command, throwing a season high 33 pitches in the ninth, before collecting his third save in four chances.

However, even with the ups and downs he's had, fans need to remain calm; Smith is only 26 years old, entering his third major league season and just his first full season as the Guardians' main closer. Halfway through 2025, he had to take over for Emmanuel Clause following the All-Star break in 2025 due to suspension. Smith went on to total 16 saves and 104 strikeouts last year.

Easter Sunday Issues For Smith

On Sunday, Smith entered the game with a two-run lead and struck out the first batter he faced, Moises Ballesteros.

He went on to walk the next two batters, then surrendered an RBI single to Ian Happ. With runs at second and third and a full count to Carson Kelly, Smith demonstrated the exact trait a successful closer needs, which is determination. A high fastball got Kelly to swing at strike three.

While he faced some adversity, he was able to fight through what was in front of him to close out the game.

"Yeah, and we can call it a bump...," Vogt said. "He's done his job. It may not be 3-up, 3-down and super clean, but he's still finishing games for us, and that's all we ask him to do. But the other side of that is he's been one of the top five relievers in baseball for two years. Teams are going to start to really dive in and try to figure things out.

"So, we know we have to keep getting ahead of it. Cade knows that, and he's working very, very hard."

There is still plenty of time for Smith to continue to settle into the 2026 campaign. He has a track record of success, and being so young, it won't always be consistent, but the Cade Smith Cleveland knows and loves will return in due time.

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Guardians

Why José Ramírez says breaking this Guardians record tonight means more than all his other achievements

Updated: Apr. 06, 2026, 11:08 a.m.|Published: Apr. 06, 2026, 6:03 a.m.

By Joe Noga, cleveland.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio — José Ramírez has made a habit of downplaying his milestones.

If you ask him about batting records or his latest climb up the Guardians leaderboard in any of a dozen different categories he’ll usually shrug and redirect the conversation toward winning, toward teammates or toward anything but himself.

But this one is different.

When Ramírez runs out to his customary spot at third base inside Progressive Field on Monday night against Kansas City, he will pass Terry Turner for the most games played in Cleveland franchise history. The game will become official after the top of the fifth inning, and the new record Ramírez establishes every game after that could certainly be considered unbreakable by the time all is said and done.

Ramírez matched Turner’s 1,619 games in the second contest of Sunday’s doubleheader against the Cubs. It’s a mark that has stood for more than a century. And for a player who rarely dwells on his own accomplishments, this one hits a little different.

“I think among all the records, I feel that’s one of the most important because it resembles what I wanted to do with this team,” Ramírez said through Guardians interpreter Agustin Rivero.

“Thank God for keeping me healthy and being able to play like I have. But I think that was my ultimate goal, to be able to play as long as I could here and be able to be part of those records that are happening now.”

Making sure that here is Cleveland, the franchise that signed him in 2009 out of the Dominican Republic at age 17, is what separates this milestone from the many others Ramírez has already reached.

Turner’s mark of 1,619 games, set between 1904 and 1918, has endured through generations of baseball. Ramírez, who debuted as a 20-year-old on Sept. 1, 2013, will surpass it having worn only one uniform. Even Turner himself played for two other teams: Pittsburgh before joining Cleveland and the Philadelphia Athletics in his final major league season.

But in an era where stars rarely stay in one place long enough to chase such records, Ramírez made a deliberate decision to do exactly that.

“It feels really good,” Ramírez said. “I feel that’s the ultimate decision that I made once I signed … just to stay my whole career here and be able to break not only those records, but anything that becomes something meaningful for this organization.”

That choice, as much as Ramírez’s talent, is what makes Monday possible.

“It just shows the legacy that he has built here,” general manager Mike Chernoff said. “But for a player to do that in one place and have the consistency at which he’s played for so long, it’s pretty remarkable when you look up and you realize he’s going to break the games played record for a franchise that’s been around for over a hundred years.”

Chernoff pointed to more than durability. Ramírez’s unlikely rise from an undersized prospect to one of the most complete players in the game is impossible to separate from the record itself.

“This is a player who has improved every facet of his game at every step of the way along his career and has never backed down from a challenge,” Chernoff said. “Just when you think he can’t outdo himself, he outdoes himself.”

Ramírez’s place in Guardians history

Statistically, Ramírez’s place in franchise history has long been secure. He already ranks at or near the top in nearly every major category. He is first in extra-base hits and total plate appearances, second in home runs and RBI and is among the leaders in doubles, stolen bases and runs scored.

But games played is different. It is less about peak and more about presence. It means Ramírez shows up day after day, year after year, and in many ways it’s a reflection of his own identity.

That identity goes all the way back to his debut against the Tigers in September 2013.

“I just recall a young guy who was really hungry, really trying to make a name for himself and just trying to stay as long as I could in the majors,” Ramírez said of his debut. “That hunger’s never going to be gone until I’m able to win the way I want to win here.”

That consistency, and the choice to pair it with one organization, has made Ramírez something increasingly rare: a true franchise cornerstone.

“We’ve been a good team, a good organization for a long time,” catcher Austin Hedges said. “And to be able to build an organization around not just a talent, but a human being like José … there’s a reason we win a lot of games. We have him every single night.”

When he signed a seven-year contract extension in January that should keep him in a Guardians uniform for the duration of his career, Ramírez declared that Cleveland, as much as his native Dominican Republic, was his home. Hedges sees the connection between Ramírez and Cleveland as part of the achievement itself.

“The fans get to watch him every single night and he feels their love,” Hedges said. “Obviously them knowing that they’re going to have him for basically his whole career has got to be something pretty cool for the fans to look forward to.”

A rare superstar who stayed

For veteran Rhys Hoskins, in his first season with Cleveland, the rarity of Ramírez’s path is something that stood out immediately.

“You just don’t really see that a lot in today’s game where guys stay with one organization and wear that super proudly like he does,” Hoskins said. “Most guys don’t have that luxury … But with what he’s been able to do as a player, he’s earned every right that he’s exercised.”

Hoskins said the record represents a level of durability that even players can struggle to fully appreciate.

“I’m not sure a lot of people understand what it takes to be on the field every single day except the people that have done it,” Hoskins said. “And how cool it is for us and the fans of the city that they get to have him at the forefront of their team.”

By the time he steps onto the field Monday, Ramírez will stand alone among all active MLB players as the only currently active games played leader for his franchise. It’s a distinction that underscores both longevity and loyalty. A century-old record, built one game at a time, eclipsed by a player who never set out to chase records in the first place.

Instead, Ramírez is chasing something simpler: a career in one place, doing it his way, for as long as he can.

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