CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Mariners didn’t just sweep the Guardians over the weekend — they ran circles around them. Literally. In a series that exposed a growing vulnerability in Cleveland’s defense, Seattle swiped six bases and turned those extra 90 feet into game-changing runs, raising questions about the Guardians’ ability to control the running game.
This aggressive approach was no accident. As Cleveland Baseball Talk Podcast host Joe Noga observed, “It looked like every time they got on base, they were looking for opportunities and moments to run and sort of force the action against the Guardians.”
What makes this development particularly concerning is that it represents a dramatic shift from earlier in the season, when Cleveland’s catching tandem of Bo Naylor and Austin Hedges had been shutting down opponents’ running games with remarkable efficiency.
“Before this recent kind of slide, they were really controlling a running game,” explained Paul Hoynes on the podcast. “Both of them had combined to throw out about 40% of the base stealers they faced. But lately, teams have been really taking advantage. They’ve been running at will almost.”
The consequences of this defensive breakdown were never more evident than in Saturday’s heartbreaking 4-3 loss, when Seattle’s ninth-inning rally was fueled by aggressive baserunning that directly contributed to the winning margin.
“In Saturday’s game, they stole three bases and all three of those stolen bases turned into runs,” Hoynes pointed out. “It’s one thing to allow a stolen base, but it really stings when that stolen base turns into a run and they lose, 4-3.”
That particular defeat was especially painful because it snapped an incredible streak — Cleveland had converted 124 consecutive chances when leading after eight innings, dating back to 2023. Emmanuel Clase’s rare blown save was exacerbated by Seattle’s aggressive baserunning, which put constant pressure on Cleveland’s defense in high-leverage situations.
Among the most active thieves was Randy Arozarena, who swiped two bags on Sunday after drawing multiple walks. His fifth-inning stolen base positioned him to score, continuing the weekend-long trend of Seattle converting steals into runs.
What makes this development so alarming is that controlling the running game has been a point of emphasis for Cleveland. As Noga pointed out, “The fundamentals are all there for them to control the running game and not let things get away from them.” The team even successfully executed a pickoff play on Saturday in a critical moment that kept the score tied at the time.
But these occasional successes were overshadowed by Seattle’s overwhelming win rate on the basepaths, suggesting a potentially troubling pattern that future opponents will likely attempt to exploit.
The challenge of controlling the running game doesn’t fall entirely on the catchers. As Hoynes noted, “Anybody will tell you that you steal on the pitcher. And the Guardians really stress holding the runners close. So maybe there’s a lack of discipline in that regard.”
This suggests that Cleveland’s pitchers may need to refocus on their responsibilities in the running game — varying their timing, improving their pickoff moves, and being more attentive to runners. For a team that prides itself on fundamental defense and attention to detail, this sudden vulnerability represents a surprising departure from their identity.
With upcoming series against the Giants and Athletics, the Guardians must address this issue quickly. In today’s MLB, where stolen base attempts have increased significantly since the implementation of new rules limiting pickoff moves and increasing base sizes, teams that can’t control the running game are at a severe disadvantage.
The blueprint has been drawn. Seattle showed the league how to exploit Cleveland’s suddenly vulnerable run defense. Now it’s up to Stephen Vogt, Carl Willis, and the Guardians’ pitching and catching corps to adapt before this weakness costs them more crucial games.
For more in-depth analysis of the Guardians’ defensive challenges and complete coverage of the Seattle series, be sure to listen to the full episode of the Cleveland Baseball Talk Podcast featuring Joe Noga and Paul Hoynes.
Note: Artificial intelligence was used to help generate this story from the Cleveland Baseball Talk Podcast by cleveland.com. Visitors to cleveland.com have asked for more text stories based on website podcast discussions.
Podcast transcript
Joe Noga 0:04Welcome back to the Cleveland Baseball Talk podcast. I’m Joe Noga, joined by Paul Hoynes. Hoynes. The Guardians come off a frustrating, fruitless weekend in Seattle, swept by the Mariners on Sunday. 60 shutout.It was Emerson Hancock, a relatively little known right-hander who really went out and dominated them. The offense couldn’t get on track and JP Crawford, who really took care of them all weekend, seemed like he was on base.Every time he came to the plate, JP Crawford hits his fifth career Grand Slam. The Guardians lose 6 nothing in the finale. Just a lot to unpack from the weekend as in general, but your your thoughts as the the Guardians emerge from Seattle.With a 500 record and now in 3rd place in the American League Central Division.
Paul Hoynes 1:03Joe, it was, yeah, like you said, a lost weekend in Seattle. They come out 35 and 35. The first time they’ve been at 500 since April 17th when they were nine and nine.They have lost eight of their last 1010 of their last 15. They’re 9 1/2 games out of first place in the AL Central, and they did absolutely nothing, Joe, in in this series against Seattle. They go one for 12 with runners in scoring position.They get sick. They have 16 hits in in three games. They get outscored by Seattle 17 to five just in one game. In Sunday’s game, they didn’t even put a runner in scoring position. Joe, I don’t think that’s happened very often this season where you don’t get a guy.second base. I mean, was it dead? Are the Mariners that dominant? And the Mariners were scuffling coming into this series. So not a good weekend. Not a good start for for Steven Vogt’s ball club on this West Coast swing. It just, you know, they have nowhere to go but up right now.
Joe Noga 2:18Yeah, and and the surprising thing was when they got out to Seattle after an off day, they come to the ballpark. The vibes were pretty good. The, you know, it for Steven Vogt, he’s it’s sort of a homecoming series. He’s he makes his home in nearby Olympia. So there there was a lot of, you know, good energy.In the stadium around the team for the whole weekend, you know I’m out there walking around in the clubhouse and and it was it was a pretty positive atmosphere. And then they go out and Nolan Jones and Stephen Kwan hit back-to-back home runs in the in the you know the first game there they they take an early lead and then give up.Seven unanswered runs in that game and wind up losing in the opener of the series. Just a lot of uncharacteristic sort of mistakes and you know the ball sometimes not ending up where it needs to be defensively in that game and.And Stephen Vogt, you know, basically came out and said that that’s that’s not who we are. That’s the that’s not the, you know, our sort of brand of baseball that they that they played. And then Sunday or Saturday, they get walked off in a game that they had rallied to to sort of take a a late lead in. That’s a, you know, sort of a.A big theme of that game on Saturday was it had been 124 straight chances where they had taken a lead into the 9th inning and you know and converted and not lost. That’s it dated back to 2023 the last time they.Lost a game that they led after the 8th inning, the the bullpen sort of gave things up.
Paul Hoynes 4:04Yeah, Emmanuel Class A blew his third save. You know, didn’t didn’t get, you know, had some hit through a wild pitch to tie it up, then gives up the game-winning single to to Polanco. Jorge Polanco. You know, Joe found it interesting in the 9th.Inning Steven Vogt, you know, eschewed the the intentional walk throughout the postseason last year, but twice in the 9th inning he intentionally walks Crawford. Then he intentionally walks Raleigh to load the bases to face Polanco and Polanco gets the.
Joe Noga 4:32Mhm.
Paul Hoynes 4:43So you know, I hope he’s learning that you can do that, but hopefully the results are better the next time that you know he uses the intentional walk because they were in a tough jam right there and.You know, I, you know, I I’m not sure where Class A is right now, Joe. I think, you know, he had the good stretch what he converted like 789 star saves in a row. Then he has one like this. I think the fact that he hasn’t been used a lot in save situations has probably hurt him a little bit.
Joe Noga 5:03Mhm.Yeah. And and he hasn’t really had the opportunity to to to sort of feel that adrenaline that you know that that energy that you get as the clothes are coming in and that that safe situation he’s he’s been used, he’s still getting regular work. It’s just like you said not you know in the the situation where he’s used to going out there.With a a win right in front of them. No excuse. I I guess the the thing that killed them on Saturday was the the walking miles master Broni in the in the second at bat of that 9th inning. That’s the one that really sort of hurt them.According to Stephen Vogt and you know the the inning sort of unraveled after that. Again, I I got to think Emmanuel Class A is still your closer. Kate Smith and the the back end of the bullpen still going to get opportunities to pitch in those leverage situations.But every time these guys go out there now, the the the microscope sort of gets a a little more in focus on on every move that they make and every every batter that they face.
Paul Hoynes 6:28Yeah, those the Big Four are have not been as good as they were last year, but I think you have to give them a bit of a break. You know they were all for those guys. Class A, Smith, Gattis and Tim Herron were almost perfect last year, all with the ERA S under under.Two, they just had a fantastic season together and it’s hard to repeat that. It’s hard to repeat, you know, coming that close to perfection. So you know, I think you have to give them a break there, but they still have to get it done, Joe, and and there have there have been.
Joe Noga 7:01Right.
Paul Hoynes 7:08Instances where they haven’t and they haven’t looked the same. They haven’t looked like the same guys in situations where you know that you normally expect them to a produce. They have not.
Joe Noga 7:20Yeah, and you know we we have to talk about the incident on on Friday with Kate Smith on the mound. Rowdy Talez at the plate. Smith throws A splitter that Talez.
Paul Hoynes 7:34Yeah.
Joe Noga 7:35Drops the barrel of the bat and lines one right back up the middle head high. The ball hits Smith in the bill of the cap and deflects all the way into the outfield. For a moment, I think everybody on the field sort of stopped and and wondered what had happened as Talez kept running.He went to second base. The ball ends up in right field and gets overrun and and you know the Nolan Jones has a tough time picking it up. But everybody was sort of focused on Cade Smith in the center of the diamond. Did he get hit in the face? What had happened and the replay showed the the bill of his cap crumpling.At the force of a 106.6 mile an hour line drive by Talez that miraculously was absorbed by the, you know, the 1/8 of an inch plastic bill of his baseball cap. You know, I did a little research as to how how baseball caps were made.Cade sort of in the aftermath of that whole situation and every Guardians fan and every member of the Cade Smith family singing the praises and and thanking the Lord for high density polymers. Hoinsey, I asked Stephen Vogt.You know what his thoughts on high density polymers were the next morning and he said thank God for them because Cade Smith is a very important part of that that Guardians team.
Paul Hoynes 9:04What a frightening incident, Joe. I watched the replay over and over again and it just like you said, 1/8 of an inch saves Kate Smith from potentially a serious, serious injury. I I’ve seen that before. We’ve all seen it before. I saw David Huff.Get hit in the head by a line drive from Alex Rodriguez at Yankee Stadium that went for a double. Saw Roy Smith at the at the old Kingdome in in Seattle get hit in the head by a line drive off Phil Bradley’s bat. Chris Bando was catching. He came sprinting.From behind the plate and the ball was hit, ricocheted so high off Smith’s head that he almost made a diving catch of it and Smith had to spend a few a couple days in the hospital after that. But just a really dangerous, dangerous thing. This could have been a disaster and.And a hope and you know, thankfully Kate survived. And then Joe talk about his next outing.
Joe Noga 10:08Yeah, the next day he’s on the mound again, facing Talez in a another leverage situation and strikes him out with a fastball 99 point, I think 99.8 miles an hour, the hardest pitch of the season for Cade Smith.On Statcast, I tweeted about it and I noticed that one of the followers who retweeted the post that I put up was Kate Smith’s dad, Tim. So he’s following and sort of tracking that along. I just asked. I asked the question.You know, maybe there’s a little bit something more behind that last strike that that Cade Smith threw because of who the batter was at the time. But talking to Tim Smith out on the field on Saturday, you know, pregame because they had driven down from Abbotsford, Vancouver.Or Abbotsford, BC, near Vancouver, Kate Smith’s hometown, only about two hours away from Seattle. So a lot of Kate Smith family was in attendance when the the ball went off of his his baseball cap. Tim Smith said that you know as a a youngster playing.You know, travel ball. Cade Smith was playing first base and the way the field was oriented that day, the sun was in his eyes as a first baseman and the shortstop threw a ball that Cade just completely lost in the sun and the only thing that saved him was the bill of his ball cap. The the ball deflected off of it and didn’t hit.To face at that time. So every game Tim Smith and his family pray for Kate Smith’s health and and protection and you know they they they ask for protection of his head and his heart from the ball and it seems to be working. Keep doing it, you know.As far as Guardians fans are concerned.
Paul Hoynes 12:09Boy, that’s a, you know, 60 feet, 6 inches. These guys are so big and so strong. Guy like Cade Smith that’s thrown close to 100 miles an hour. You got Rowdy Talez, who’s like a big, big man swinging a big bat.You know, just the velocities involved in today’s game. You know, fans oh and uh about them, but there’s danger behind them as well.
Joe Noga 12:34Yeah, you talk about Kate Smith, 65 and you know he’s coming down the mound. It’s not 60 feet, 6 inches. By the time he’s done throwing a pitch, he’s he’s more like 52 feet away from the the ball coming off the bat there. So again, just very lucky to to have avoided something disastrous.In that in that moment. But again, the Guardians couldn’t avoid disaster throughout the weekend. You know, we got to see Stephen Vogt a lot more relaxed, I think in, you know, feeling like he’s at home. His sons were at all three games throughout the weekend, Clark and.Bennett saw them playing catch with Craig Alvarez during batting practice on on Saturday. They welcomed the the Capital Little League division champion Guardians, the team that Clark plays on.And they won their division championship. So Stephen Vogt invited all the little leaguers down to the field for batting practice and players were interacting with them. It was a, you know, just a great situation. Nice, you know, nice vibes, good feel, good story ahead of Father’s Day on Sunday.But the team just couldn’t get, couldn’t get it done against a Seattle team that that really had come in losers of five out of their last six and was in in sort of prime position to be taken advantage of.Instead, it was Seattle sort of taking advantage of the Guardians. They stole 6 bases throughout the the weekend and it looked like every time they got on base they were looking for opportunities and moments to run and sort of force the action against the Guardians. Do you think Seattle exposed?It’s maybe a weakness there in the Guardians defense as they were successful on six steal attempts throughout the weekend.
Paul Hoynes 14:31I do Joe. I think you know it’s it’s kind of a you know a seesaw thing with Bo Naylor and and and the hedges you know you know before a recent before this recent kind of slide they were really controlling a running game. Both of them you know were had combined to throw out about 40%.Of the base dealers they faced, but lately teams have been really taken advantage of. They’ve been running at will almost at them. So this is something obviously you have to correct and you know anybody will tell you that you know you steal on the pitcher and the Guardians really stress.You know, holding the runners close. So maybe there’s a lax of effort or discipline in in in that regard. But yeah, you know, they steal, you know, the the the Mariners really took advantage of the stolen base over the weekend.
Joe Noga 15:26Yeah, and The funny thing is one of the highlight plays from Saturday’s loss for the Guardians was picking the base runner. I believe it was JP Crawford off. I think they, you know, Tanner Bybee used an inside move, spun around and through to Gabriel Arias.And and they got Crawford in a rundown. It was in the fifth inning, you know, at a point where the game still hadn’t been decided yet. And you know, Bybee escaped, sort of escaped the jam with two runners on base because Seattle was being aggressive and trying to take third.With less than two outs and Crawford gets caught in a rundown. Cal Raleigh can’t advance to second while the rundown’s going on and eventually Bybee gets a strikeout, gets a ground out and gets out of the the inning. That was a play we talked about with Craig Alvarez on Sunday morning and you know.It was set up by a mound visit from Carl Willis that gave Craig Albert has time to to sort of, you know, get his plan in order. They relayed the signals through Bo Naylor through the Pitch Comm device, which Gabriel Arias wears in in his hat.And and Tanner Bybee obviously you know has one as well. But Albert has said that Bo Naylor’s timing on that play was perfect and Tanner Bybee’s execution was was really good. So you know the fundamentals are all there for them to to control the running game.And and not let things get away from them. But it just seemed like Seattle had been picking its spots and sort of had the idea from the outset of that series that they were going to force the Guardians to make plays and at least six times during the series they were successful.
Paul Hoynes 17:20Yes, in Saturday’s game, Joe, 43 loss in the 9th, but 43 loss to the Guardians in the 9th inning. They stole 3 bases and all three of those stolen bases turned into runs. So you know that’s it’s one thing to a lot of stolen base, but it really stings when that stolen base turns.
Joe Noga 17:35Mhm.
Paul Hoynes 17:40Into a run and they lose 4 three. So you know, obviously a huge, huge part of the that victory for Seattle.
Joe Noga 17:49Yeah, and another, you know, Randy or Rosarina in the during the series. I actually on Sunday walked, I believe three times, got on base and then stole two bases was a big part of of their offense as well. I think he scored in the 6th inning after a stolen base sort of set things up. So again.You know, we’re we’re seeing teams sort of trying to take advantage of maybe some some youth or inexperience and and the Guardians having to counteract that with, you know, good strategy and sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t.You mentioned you know this weekend as they’re they they come off the the sweep from Seattle. First time they’ve been swept in Seattle since 2012. By the way, that’s the the last time they they lost a a series by sweep in Seattle.So obviously, you know, been a long time since they’ve, you know, been that frustrated coming out of, you know, a series with the Mariners. Now they head towards San Francisco and we find out late yesterday, late Sunday that the the the Giants involved in.One of the more, I I guess sort of strange blockbusters, A mid-season blockbuster trade kicking off the the trade season talks as the the Giants acquire Raphael Devers from the Boston Red Sox in a what right now looks like a lopsided trade.Involving some some starting pitching the the Red Sox, desperate for a first baseman to replace Tristan Casas, who’s down with an injury. They trade away. Basically they’re they’re one of their best players, a guy who signed a a $300 million contract and with all the drama.That had been going on in in in Boston. Now who comes to town but the the Guardians who who get to face, potentially get to face Raphael Devers at some point in the coming week. And this is a guy who’s had a ton of success against Cleveland in his career.
Paul Hoynes 20:01Oh, Joe, this is this is bad news followed by bad news. A sweep followed by having to pitch to a Devers in San Francisco at Oracle Park, depending when when Devers gets there because you get 72 hours to report to your new team after a trade, but.
Joe Noga 20:20Something tells me that Raphael Devers will will be motivated to get the heck out of Boston and be there. So go on, go ahead.
Paul Hoynes 20:20It.Yeah.Yeah, he is a career 335 hitter against Cleveland, 13 home runs, 30 RBI S 11.064 OPS this this season earlier this season in April.When Boston came to town for a three-game series, he had Devers at 385, four for 13 with two homers and three RBI against Cleveland. Last year he hit 421, eight for 19 against Cleveland. So Devers, you know this is this will be the perfect opportunity.For him to introduce himself to San Francisco fans, he’s facing a familiar team. It’s not like he’s facing a National League team that he doesn’t know, and the Guardians are going to have their work cut out pitch pitching to him.
Joe Noga 21:19Yeah, it sure feels that way. As far as you know, the approaching trade deadline now we’re we’re into the middle of June means we’re about six weeks away from the the Major League Baseball trade deadline on July 31st.At at this point, at this moment, do you get a sense or do you get a feeling that the the Guardians could be buyers or sellers or you know maybe a little bit of both. We’ve seen that in the past in in 2023 when they they made trades and they they also.You know, try to acquire pieces for the future. That’s how Kyle Manzardo came to be in Cleveland was the the 2023 trade deadline when they moved Aaron Savali. What dangers does this team face if if the 2025 trade deadline?Ends up looking a little too much like 2023.
Paul Hoynes 22:21Yeah, Joe, I I think, you know, you kind of said it correctly when you said, you know, they look to trade and to add, you know, Chris Antonetti kind of says that every at every deadline, you know, 2023 was a good example of that.In the fact that they did get Manzardo for Aaron Savali from Tampa Bay. But I would think if this season keeps going along the course that it is, Joe, they are definitely going to be there. They’re going to be sellers and they’ll be trying and they’ll be looking toward the future to ensure the future of the the franchise gets some young players.players in return for a guy like Santana or a guy like Lane Thomas. Maybe if Shane Bieber comes back and and throws three or four good starts before the deadline, I I think that’s probably a stretch. I would think Bieber, I don’t know, you know, if he comes back before then or and just how howHe would be. So, you know, that’s probably a stretch. But the other two guys, Lane Thomas and and Carlos Santana, certainly fit the mold of, you know, a veteran kind of guy you’d be looking to move.
Joe Noga 23:30Yeah and and it doesn’t help that you know both of those guys have salaries that the you know this Guardians team historically has has wanted to try to get out from under at this point in the season. So Carlos Santana is.Is sort of helping that narrative by having a degree of success at the plate. Lately, I got to believe that Boston being desperate for a first baseman right now, a veteran like Santana would really fit the mold.Craig Breslow sort of needs to to make a move there, and it’s shocking that the the Devers trade didn’t sort of bring a first baseman back to them in return for, you know, sending Devers to San Francisco. Nobody to to sort of help what they need there.So keep an eye on Santana as a name that that could pop up. Interesting point you bring up about Lane Thomas because of a basically a log jam in the outfield in terms of playing time for young players that they sort of need to get an eye on a guy who could benefit from from a.Lane Thomas Trade would be a guy like Chase de Lauder, who’s, you know, been on base pretty much every game since he’s returned to the the Columbus Clippers at AAA. He’s sort of figuring things out and getting closer to making his Major League debut. I got to believe that at.At some point we’re going to see him up in Cleveland and playing center field for the Guardians. So yeah, as as the the trade deadline approaches, the question that we’re asking about this team is, you know, why aren’t they as good as they were last year at this point and in 2024 where they were front running and leading the division and.Maybe the questions we need to start asking are what’s this team going to look like in the next two months as, you know, trades and roster moves happen. But it’s not always bad, Hoynesie. We saw what happened to Detroit when they made moves like we’re talking about here.At the trade deadline and then they took off after that and made the postseason. So still still a lot of baseball left to be played this year.
Paul Hoynes 25:51There is still a lot of baseball to be played. I think you know what what Detroit did last year after they traded, you know, some of their veteran guys at the deadline, especially Jack Flaherty. I think that was more of an outlier, Joe. I I don’t see that happening again.Even if even, especially with Cleveland, I I, Joe, just this offense just you know is is worrisome. If if you’re Steven Vogt, you’ve got to be pulling your hair out trying to figure how to get more production out of this this offense. They’re averaging 3.9 runs per game through the.1st 70 games of the season. Last year when they won the AL Central in 161 games, they averaged 44.4 runs per game. At the All-Star break last year they were averaging 4.8 runs per game. Joe, this this offense is you.You cannot. You cannot be competitive with this offense right as it is right now. Just check this lineup out that they ran out there yesterday, Sunday in Seattle. And you know, obviously, you know, there’s some extenuating circumstances, but Lane Thomas is hitting one.62 Nolan Jones is hitting 222. Angel Martinez is hitting 238. Austin Hedges is hitting 107. Manzardo is hitting 208 and your first guy off the bench. Your first sub J Rod Jonathan Rodriguez is hitting 158. You cannot.Win that way, Joe. You just can’t win.
Joe Noga 27:28No. And and really the frustrating part is you’re you’re probably punting here in a season where Jose Ramirez is giving you, you know, one of the best years of his career. We say it every year, but this is one of the best seasons of Jose Ramirez’s career, at least that he’s got brewing so far..1 War 324 batting average, 13 home runs, 34 RBI’s, 20 steals. He’s he’s doing everything positive. His OPS plus 159 he’s he’s doing everything he possibly can.But when the the lineup around him isn’t helping him produce there, there’s there’s limits to what what the Guardians are going to be able to accomplish. So it really to me the the more frustrating thing is watching, you know his.Age 32 season basically pass everybody by and and not having anything to show for it if they don’t make the playoffs this year.
Paul Hoynes 28:35Yeah, just he’s in a tough spot right now. It’s 39 game on Bay streak ended Sunday in Seattle. Just Joe, that was a great run. That was so much fun to watch. Hopefully he starts a new one Tuesday night in San Francisco. But you know what a what a sustained.Stretch of excellence. Just great baseball, offensive baseball, and he played good defense too. But but you know, the offensive stats were staggering in that streak.
Joe Noga 29:01Yeah.Yeah, the the batting average, you know up around the the 380 mark during that 39 game stretch, multiple extra base hits. He’s he’s doing everything he possibly can at the plate and it’s just it’s sometimes it’s hard to watch when.He’s the only guy doing anything. So, all right, Hoynesy, that’s going to wrap up today’s edition of the Cleveland Baseball Talk podcast. We will check in with you from San Francisco tomorrow morning and look ahead to the the Giants series. I want to talk about Pac Bell Park tomorrow and and just what a unique venue that is.For baseball and and and what some of your thoughts are on it. And we’ll we’ll we’ll get those tomorrow here on the Cleveland Baseball Talk podcast. We’ll talk to you then.
Paul Hoynes29:52Good deal, Joe.