Guardians Even It Up In Ohio Cup
CLEVELAND, OH - MAY 16: Cleveland Guardians left fielder Angel Martinez (1) hits a 2-run home run during the seventh inning of the Major League Baseball interleague game between the Cincinnati Reds and Cleveland Guardians on May 16, 2026, at Progressive Field in Cleveland, OH. (Photo by Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images It was a fun and crucial win for the Guardians tonight after dropping game 1 of the Ohio cup. There were a ton of contributions tonight.
Brayan Rocchio continues to be one of the most clutch hitters not only on the Guardians, but in the entire league. I’m not sure how long he will keep this up, but he is having an awesome season thus far. José Ramírez appears to be busting out of his slump which is massive for this lineup, the same can be said for Kyle Manzardo, who had two more hits tonight.
Steven Kwan responded very well to being demoted to the six spot in the lineup, which is great to see. The story of this game and one of the bigger stories this season is the emergence of Angel Martinez. After going 2-4 tonight with a double and a 2 run HR, he has officially been the second most productive hitter on the team behind Chase DeLauter.
We knew he could hit lefties, but his improvement against right handed pitching this year has proved that he can be an everyday option for the foreseeable future, assuming he keeps this up. It has been so fun to watch, who would’ve thought he would be leading the team in Home Runs on May 16th? It was looking like another solid outing for Joey Cantillo until he ran into some trouble in the 5th inning after issuing a few walks and giving up a double to Spencer Steer.
He ended the night allowing 4 runs in 5 innings, which isn’t ideal, but not the worst case scenario. His ERA sits at 3. 40 on the season.