CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Guardians pulled off what seemed impossible just days ago: sweeping the AL West-leading Houston Astros on the heels of a devastating 10-game losing streak. This remarkable turnaround wasn’t just a fluke — it was powered by a suddenly red-hot starting rotation that’s showing why Cleveland remains a playoff contender despite recent struggles.
Slade Cecconi’s masterful performance in the series finale perfectly encapsulated the rotation’s resurgence. As cleveland.com Guardians beat reporter Paul Hoynes described it: “That was his best start as a Guardian against a quality team. Seven scoreless innings. Really dominated them.”
The dominant outing wasn’t just impressive — it was potentially career-defining for the young right-hander, who has battled to establish his role as a consistent major league starter.
“This guy is a big, strong right hander, throws hard, he’s got multiple pitches, really can attack the strike zone in a lot of different ways,” Hoynes noted. “He went into the eighth inning for the first time.”
But Cecconi isn’t alone in this rotation renaissance. Gavin Williams has emerged as must-see television for Guardians fans, with his arsenal diversifying and his confidence growing with each start.
“Gavin Williams has really pitched well,” Hoynes observed. “Stephen Vogt was talking about him Thursday, how he’s really kind of developed … Carl Willis and him have spent a lot of time together and one of the reasons that he was a (first-round) pick in the draft a couple years ago.”
Meanwhile, Logan Allen has solidified his role at the back of the rotation, giving Cleveland exactly what they need from a fifth starter.
“The key with Allen, of course is throwing strikes,” Hoynes explained. “When he does that, you know, he’s very, very competitive and he can get deep into games … he’s been really confident on the mound with his pitches.”
How did the Guardians pull off such an improbable sweep after looking so lost for 10 straight games? The answer lies in a return to their early-season formula.
“They kind of played like they were playing at the beginning of the season,” Hoynes said. “They scored early, they showed power early, they got good starting pitching, they played good defense. And José Ramírez just kind of came, came off the hook.”
The rotation’s turnaround couldn’t come at a better time. With the All-Star break approaching and the trade deadline looming, Cleveland needed this momentum shift to solidify their position as contenders rather than potential sellers.
What’s most encouraging for Guardians fans is that these performances don’t feel like outliers. With Williams developing into a front-line starter, Cecconi showing dominant potential, and Allen finding consistency, Cleveland’s rotation suddenly looks equipped to carry this team through the second half.
The question now becomes: was this sweep the beginning of a sustained turnaround or merely a brief respite from their struggles? With the White Sox on deck before the All-Star break, Cleveland has a prime opportunity to build on this momentum against a struggling opponent.
One thing is certain — the Guardians’ rotation has shown it can compete with baseball’s best when firing on all cylinders.
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: Welcome back to the Cleveland Baseball Talk Podcast. I’m Joe Noga, joined by Paul Hoynes in Chicago, where last night the Guardians were rained out from their series opener against the White Sox. They’ll play a double header today and Hoynsie will be there, joins it. What, what, what went on last night when you got to the ballpark in chic?
Paul Hoynes: Yeah, Joe, you know, they delayed the start of the game. You know, one of those rainless rain delays where we sat around for about 45 minutes and then it started to rain and it rained pretty good for the rest of the night. So they, you know, postponed Thursday’s game. It’ll be a day nighter today. Logan Allen will go in the first game for Cleveland. Gavin Williams will start the second game. And the first game is at 3:10, I believe, Cleveland time. So second game is at 8:10, Cleveland time.
Joe Noga: Those Gavin Williams starts are beginning to, to become, you know, appointment television, appointment viewing. I don’t want to miss too many of those. Gavin Williams in his, in his last few starts has been really outstanding, really sharp. You know, the, the cutter is really coming along and just the diversification sort of of his arsenal now is allowing him. He’s been really good.
Paul Hoynes: He’s, you know, yeah, Gavin Williams has really pitched well. Stephen Volt was talking about him before the game on Thursday, how he’s really kind of developed how he’s, you know, that he’s, Carl Willis and him have spent a lot of time together and you know, we’re starting to see the, the fruits of all that work and one of the reasons that he was a number one pick in the draft a couple years ago.
Joe Noga: Yeah. And at the same time, Logan Allen’s given you what you need out of a fifth starter as well. Getting into the fifth inning, getting as deep as he can in games. Just Logan Allen’s last couple of outings have been pretty solid, really for, for a while, for about a month, the entire starting rotation. But those two guys in particular are standing out.
Paul Hoynes: Yeah. And you know, the key with Allen, of course is throwing strikes. When he does that, you know, he’s very, very competitive and he can get deep into games when, when he doesn’t, when he puts guys on base, you know, you know, trouble starts. So. But he is really, you know, it’s pounded the strike zone. He’s been really confident on the mound with his pitches. He been, he’s been, you know, a lot thrown with a lot of conviction, which is good to see. And it’s part of the reason this Rotation has pitched, you know, pitched much better in the last month or so, Joe.
Joe Noga: Yeah, and as far as the rotation goes over the last month that Slade Cecconi shows us in the, the final game in Houston, just exactly, you know, how, how good he’s been over the last few starts. 7 innings plus he goes out there and I think he only allows, what, two runs. Just a good stretch for Cecconi. And his start on Wednesday night was particularly good.
Paul Hoynes: Yeah, that was his best start as a, as a guardian, you know, against a quality team. Seven scoreless innings dominated him, Joe. Really, really dominated them. And we’ve seen this kind of stuff from him before. You know, it’s just, you know, this is, this could be the beginning of something really, really good here. This guy is a big, strong right hander, throws hard, he’s got multiple pitches, really can attack the strike zone in a lot of different ways. And you know, I think he just, he went into the eighth inning for the first time, you know, walked a guy, then gave up an RBI double. But, you know, he really worked well with, with Austin Hedges. And you know, they were, you know, Hedges told them after the game, the more you get into the later innings, the more you’re going to know how to pitch in those later innings. Because Cecconi was kind of kicking himself for making, for walking the first guy kind of, you know, you know, he kind of attacked him the wrong way and you know, so he, him and him and Hedges work well together and I think they’ll get that ironed out. But all. If he keeps pitching like this, Joe, he’s, you know, they’ve really found something.
Joe Noga: Yeah, and that was sort of the thing. You know, we’re seeing his post game comments on Wednesday. Just the way he was talking about a year ago in Arizona, he didn’t know what his role was. He didn’t, you know, everything was sort of up in the air and now he’s, he’s way more focused and things are going sort of the way that he had hoped and planned they would as a starter in Cleveland. Just the opportunity to do that, I think is been big for him and big for his confidence, really. Slades Coney doesn’t strike me as the kind of guy that lacks confidence anyways. But, you know, just knowing that he can go out on the, on the diamond and get into the eighth inning that way, probably a big, A big plus for him. And it helped the Guardians to a sweep of the Astros going into this series. I thought for sure that that losing streak was going to be at 13 by the time they got to Chicago. Quincy, how did they do it? How did they go in and, and beat the team that leads the AL west three straight times on the heels of a ten game losing streak?
Paul Hoynes: Joe, they, they kind of played like they were playing at the beginning of the season. They scored early, they showed power early, they got good starting pitching, they played good defense. And Jose Ramirez just kind of came, came off the hook. You know, homer than three straight games was stealing. I think he stole three or four bases. He just really, really played well and that whole team kind of caught fire around him.
Joe Noga: Yeah. And then Jose, you know, is the sort of the, the big story now prior to the start of this Chicago series, actually before last game of the Houston series, announcing that he’s, he’s not going to participate in the All Star Game. Elected by fans, but won’t participate. He’s going to focus on his recovery from healing. You know, he was hit in the arm June 25th. I hadn’t really been the same for a good stretch there. Sort of came back in the Houston series real strong. But now I guess the, the heel and the ankle issues are flaring up on him.
Paul Hoynes: Yeah, it’s injuries suffered on May 2 and in Toronto, Joe, you know, when he tripped over first base, beaten over beating out a infield single, you know, Bassett hit him in the back with the throw and he kind of collided a little bit with Vlad Guerrero and went tumbling. He said, you know, he’s been nursing that along. It’s the right heel, the right ankle and the Achilles tendon is involved. So, you know, he decided to just to take those four days off and rest, rehab and just try to get ready for the second help second half to help the team and I think to help himself because it was interesting. Joe, he said when he got elected to the starting lineup for the All Star Game, he said he thanked the fans because he was kind of disappointed in his, in his performance. He said he hadn’t played as well as he thought he should and maybe that’s. That the ankle is part of that.
Joe Noga: Yeah. And you know, as far as disappointing the fans, I, I think anytime you’re elected by the fans to start in the game, I think you kind of feel a responsibility to, to maybe want to participate and be there and push yourself. You know, you look at other sports, you look at the, the NBA All Star Game, you look at LeBron and you know how many times he’s been elected by the fans and, and you know, his body wants him to rest during that time and get as much, you know, time to recuperate as possible. But, you know, he’s, he’s always pushing himself to do that. Jose, I think this is, it’s the smart play, but it’s no, no less disappointing because Jose Ramirez is exactly the kind of personality, the kind of player, the example that you want to see playing in the All Star Game. That’s, that’s what that kind of showcases for, to show the rest of the baseball world, you know, hey, this is the kind of player that you want to model yourself after if you’re a kid, if you’re a fan, he’s got the complete game. But the idea that he, he owes it to his teammates, he owes it to the Guardians organization to make sure he’s at his peak during the remainder of the regular season. I can buy that sort of, that reasoning out of Jose Ramirez.
Paul Hoynes: Yeah, Joe, no doubt about it. You know, he said, you know, like you speaking to what you just said, when he said he was, he was withdrawing from the All Star Game, he was asked, you know, what he would miss the most. And he goes, you know, he made, came right out and said, you know, I want, I want a chance to win the MVP of the All Star Game. I want a chance to win, win the Home Run Derby. He said, that’s why I’m disappointed. I’m not going.
Joe Noga: Yeah. Jose Ramirez is, is sort of the, the, the king of speaking those sorts of things into existence. You know, the hall of Fame, you know, path that he is on right now. I think, you know, a lot of people were maybe surprised back when he signed the, the contract extension in 2022 that, that those were among his stated goals. But I mean, if he keeps doing what he’s doing, he’s going to achieve all of those goals. He wants to pass Jim Toy for the, the franchise home run lead. The all time franchise home run lead. He keeps talking about it. He’s going to do it someday. There’s, there’s no doubt in my mind that he’ll get there.
Paul Hoynes: Yeah, this guy is a driven guy, Joe. And you don’t know that. You know, if you, if you’re just around him every day, you know, he’s kind of, he’s always goofing around, he’s laughing, he’s, you know, you know, cheering us to, you know, just having a good time in the locker room. But, you know, we, I asked him during the Houston Series, you know, how are you playing on this bad ankle? You know, you go out there, you Hit a. You know, you’re hitting home runs in the first inning. You’re. You’re working double steals, you’re starting rallies, you’re playing great defense. And he goes, the motivation is always the same with me. I want to win a World Series, and I want to go to the hall of Fame. And that’s kind of as blatant as you can be. You know, you’re just laying everything out there.
Joe Noga: Yeah, it’s. No, no, make no mistake where Jose Ramirez sees himself, where he wants to be, what he wants to be doing as his career, you know, continues on. Speaking of careers, continuing on, we got some news on Shane Bieber and his next steps in his recovery from Tommy John surgery. What are you hearing about Shane Bieber and where he’s at?
Paul Hoynes: Yeah, Shane Bieber on Thursday at progressive field through three. Three innings, basically 41 pitches of live BP. You know, Gabriel Arias, who’s recovering from a right. Right ankle injury, was. Was taking BP off him. He was one of the hitters came, and they were very impressed to the guardians by Bieber’s effort. Bieber said he felt well coming out of it, and Stephen Vogt said they would reassess the situation today. But I’m thinking, Joe, you throw 41 pitches in three innings in live BP, you’re pretty close to a rehab game. I mean, I would think that’s the next step, wouldn’t you?
Joe Noga: Yeah, I would say that’s logically the next step. Whether that’s with Akron or whether that’s with Columbus, probably depends. Those team schedules in whichever team is home or whichever team is close, that’s going to make it easiest for Bieber to get there to a game, but probably within the next five to seven days, you should probably see him on the mound somewhere. It’ll be interesting to see when the rotations come out for the next week for the affiliates and who’s pitching where to see when and if Bieber will get up there. You know, we’ve also got what Trevor Stefan probably still progressing himself. He’s got to be at Columbus, and his. His clock has to be getting pretty short as well.
Paul Hoynes: Yeah, you know, it was interesting. Vogt said was asked about Stefan yesterday. He said, you know, everybody’s elbow is a little different. You know, everybody is on their own path when they’re coming back from Tommy John surgery, which led me to believe that maybe, you know, I’m not sure exactly how far along Stefan is, you know, so, you know, he had the Tommy John surgery before Bieber did. You know, he’s out on a rehab now, but, you know, we really haven’t, you know, we really haven’t got a clear picture of where he is and, and how close he is to rejoining Cleveland’s bullpen.
Joe Noga: One, one face that’s familiar and is back in the Guardians clubhouse is back with the club to open this series against the White Sox. And a guy that they need in the lineup there, Kyle Manzardo. He’s back after spending three games, the entirety of the Houston series, back home with his family as his mother underwent a heart transplant surgery. What did we learn about Kyle Manzardo and his mother, Wendy, and, and her heart transplant?
Paul Hoynes: Yeah, Joe, it sounds like the, the operation went well, as well as can be expected. I’m sure there’s, you know, this is going to be, you know, kind of a long rehab, a long recovery period. No, Wendy Manzardo has been, uh, you know, waiting for this since 2021. I know her. You know, her husband Paul has been on social media thanking the, the donor, you know, giving us, giving people, giving friends and people updates on Wendy’s condition. Just, just think about that, Joe. You’re with your family and you’re living with that for all the, you know, for three, four, five years. And you just kind of, you know, you’re just hoping against hope almost that the right heart, the right donor comes along. And, you know, they finally did that. They did the surgery in Spokane, Washington. Kyle joined the family there. He’s back now, but, you know, just. It’s got to be really exhilarating for the Manzardo family to take, get, you know, to get this process, to take another step in this big, big process.
Joe Noga: Yeah, the, the disease that his mother Wendy had been stricken with, Cardiac sarcodosis. Sarcoidosis, an autoimmune disease which attacks the electrical system in the heart. So, you know, she’d been waiting on that, that list for, you know, several years, and when one finally comes through, you really don’t have a lot of time to, to sort of make decisions or anything like that. It’s, it’s pretty much go time and they, they perform the surgery as quickly as possible as soon as they have a donor heart. That’s, it’s really an amazing story. And, you know, that, that has to sort of be in the back of Colin Manzano’s mind. All the more impressive that he’s, he’s hit 13 home runs and driven in 33, you know, runs this year with sort of that weight hanging over him the entire time.
Paul Hoynes: Yeah. And he’s been, he’s been doing this for a couple years, Joe. When I talked to him when he was at Columbus a couple years ago, the process was still going on. They were still waiting for, for a donor heart. So, you know, it’s, it’s something that I’m sure it’s a sigh of relief for the whole family.
Joe Noga: Yeah. And, you know, it’s good to know that, you know, Kyle felt comfortable enough to be able to come back to the team at this point after three days and, and now he can just focus on going out there and hitting home runs and driving in runs for the Guardians. Tim Herron option to play what’s going on in the, in the bullpen. They brought back Kobe Allard who had been designated, but then almost immediately resigned.
Paul Hoynes: Yeah, that was kind of, you know, a little sleight of hand going on. Tim Herron, you know, one of the cornerstones of the bullpen last year, along with Class A Hunter Gaddis and Cade Smith, you know, really has kind of struggled, Joe, you know, struggled with his command. He’s walked like the last three times out. He’s walked like five, six guys. So I think they wanted him to go down, kind of take a deep and just kind of get his command and his pitches back together. And in doing so, you know, they had just DFA’d Colby Allard reluctantly. DFA’d Cody Colby Allard. I should say, you know, they, they resigned to a minor league deal after he became cleared waivers and became a free agent. And then, you know, he was in Houston as part of the taxi squad and when they made the move with Herron, they, they recalled him and. To the 26 man roster.
Joe Noga: Yeah. So it kind of worked out just sort of serendipitously that McAllard was, was available in there and Heron goes down just like you said. The, the command hasn’t been there as well as it was last season, but the stuff is undeniable. I’ve seen Tim Heron go out there in an inning and go through three batters like they’re like, it’s nothing, you know, right, left or, or whatever. It doesn’t matter. He, his stuff is, is good enough to get both sides of the plate out, so hopefully he can refine whatever he’s, he’s working on and be able to be a contributor down the, down the stretch here in the second half of the season. Looking ahead, this, this White Sox series, there’s four games here. Is this a series that, you know, the Guardians pretty much need to take three out of four or better if they, you know, want to, you know, prove to themselves that they can maybe hang and hang with things in the wild card race.
Paul Hoynes: Yeah, this is a big series, Joe, kind of a trap series. After, you know, you sweep, you sweep a really good team. Houston, now you’re playing a team that has lost twice as many games as it’s one with the White Sox. But the White Sox, you know, prevented a three game sweep by Toronto with a win by beating the Blue Jays on Wednesday. They’re better. They’re not the 2024 version of the White Sox. So the guardians had best be prepared for these, this four game series. You know, Vogt was talking about that, saying how excited people were with, you know, the vibe going on in the team coming off the Houston series. They know they’ve got four games to go before, you know, they kind of can, can take a four day break for the, for the all star break. So he said they’re, they’re really going to push and try to, you know, play very, very play good baseball until the, you know, going into the break. So we’ll see how it works.
Joe Noga: How many games do you expect Jose Ramirez to play in this series? Do you expect him to play all four?
Paul Hoynes: Yeah, I think he’ll play all four for sure.
Joe Noga: I mean, they could buy him an extra day of rest if they don’t play him on Sunday. Or at the very least he’ll d on Sunday. I’m pretty positive of that. But the, you know, having a double header now sort of the series being compressed makes it a little easier, I guess, to do that. So, yeah, it could be, it could be a point that we look back on and say, you know, if they maybe swept a four game series or, or 13 out of 4 here at this point in the season, maybe that propels them forward. It worked for the Tigers last year. So we’ll see how that goes.
Paul Hoynes: Yeah, Joe, I mean, good point. And you know, now, you know, you seeing this, all the trades, rumors start to swirl. Class A. I mean, I even saw somebody floating Quan, that they might trade Quan. I mean, I don’t know. But if you take three out of four from the White Sox, you’re in a little better position for the wild card. You might, they might rethink things. But the deadline’s coming, Joe. It’s, it’s going to be interesting. It’s going to be an interesting couple weeks here.
Joe Noga: Yeah, it’ll be an interesting weekend for sure. All right, Hoy, we will check back in with you on Monday amid all of the All Star festivities that will be going on, getting ready for the the Home Run Derby. We’ll talk to you then.
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