CLEVELAND, Ohio — Guardians manager Stephen Vogt is focusing on mental toughness and personal choice as key elements for his young team to navigate the demanding final stretch of the Major League Baseball season.

When asked how to help players find a second wind during the final five weeks of the season, Vogt highlighted a philosophy centered on personal choice and mindset.

“It’s a long season and you just have to choose to find your energy,” Vogt explained. “You have to make a decision that I’m not tired, I’m ready to go and I’m going to give everything I have.”

This approach extends beyond physical recovery to mental resilience, drawing on wisdom passed down from his father.

“He told me it’s a choice. You wake up in the morning and you get to decide if you’re having a good day or not,” Vogt said. “Anytime you allow other things to dictate your mood, they’re going to grab it and they’re going to run with it.”

The Cleveland manager views each game as an opportunity, regardless of previous outcomes or external pressures.

“The positives are we get an opportunity to win a baseball game tonight and we’re going to get to do it again tomorrow and show up every day with the attitude that we’re going to win and we’re going to do all the work we can to go out and play at our best,” he said.

Vogt admitted Monday that his bullpen is “taxed” after a 1-5 trip to Arizona and Texas, and acknowledged the physical toll of the season while emphasizing the psychological approach needed to overcome it.

“That was a tough trip, bullpen-wise. We’ve got guys available, but they’re all running pretty hot,” Vogt said before the series opener against the Rays. “Just like most teams this time of year, the bullpens are running hot.”

Vogt dismissed the idea that late-season games carry more weight than earlier contests, promoting a one-game-at-a-time mentality.

“The calendar can add some pressure, but the games in April count the same that the games do now,” Vogt explained. “It’s a long season and it’s a marathon. It’s a bunch of little sprints for a full marathon.”

Bounce back

Kyle Manzardo hit safely in all three games of the Texas series, snapping an 0 for 17 skid with a base hit Friday in his third at-bat. Since the All-Star break, Manzardo is batting .280 (26-for-93) with three doubles, six home runs, 18 RBI and a .884 OPS. He is hitting .304 (7-for-23) against breaking balls in that stretch.

Acquired from Tampa Bay at the 2023 trade deadline, Manzardo was hitless in five at-bats with three strikeouts against his former organization last season. But things have changed for the 25-year-old slugger this year.

“Kyle’s really learned how to use the whole field,” Vogt said. “I think early in his big league, his first few stints with us last year, it was a lot of pull and then early this year it was a lot of pull, and now he’s using the whole field. He’s taking his singles, he’s driving balls the other way.”

Vogt said Manzardo is also drawing walks and putting up “professional at-bats” regularly.

“He’s been solid over at first base, so we’re really happy with the development of Kyle and he’s handled himself well.”

Baby days

Vogt had some very specific instructions for infielder/outfielder Daniel Schneemann, who left the team Sunday to be with his wife, Allie, and daughter, Kendall, in San Diego as the family awaits the arrival of its second child.

“I said, ‘Send me a picture of the baby, let me know that mama’s all right, and then don’t talk to me until you land back in Cleveland. You need to be a dad and a husband for three days. Don’t worry about us.’”

Next start

Left-hander John Means will start Tuesday for Triple-A Columbus on a rehab assignment when the clippers face the Louisville Bats. It will be the third affiliate start for Means, who signed with Cleveland in February while recovering from his second career Tommy John surgery.

In two previous starts, Means has tossed 6 1/3 scoreless innings while striking out seven and walking one and allowing three hits for High-A Lake County.

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