Luis Ortiz spins out of control as Guardians fall to Yankees, 5-1

Updated: Apr. 23, 2025, 4:04 p.m.|Published: Apr. 23, 2025, 3:55 p.m.

By Paul Hoynes, cleveland.com
CLEVELAND, Ohio — Luis Ortiz channeled his inner Danny Salazar on Wednesday afternoon in a busy, but uneven start against the Yankees at Progressive Field.

With the Guardians needing a win to complete a three-game sweep of the Yankees for the first time since September 1970, when they were named the Indians, Ortiz was all over the place in a 5-1 loss.

Ortiz struck out eight, walked five and allowed four earned runs in the loss. He did all that in just 4 1/3 innings, while throwing a career-high 104 pitches.

It was a definite flashback to Salazar’s run in Cleveland as a hard-throwing strikeout pitcher, who didn’t always know where the ball was going. In a game against the White Sox on April 10, 2014, Salazar struck out 10, walked two and allowed five runs in 3 2/3 innings. He was a bit more efficient than Ortiz, throwing just 93 pitches.

The loss ended the Guardians’ five-game winning streak. They have won 11 of their last 15 games.

Ortiz, acquired in December in a deal with the Pirates, entered Wednesday’s game with three solid starts behind him. In his last two starts, he beat the Royals and Pirates, allowing just three runs on five hits in 10 2/3 innings.

The Yankees, however, wasted no time reaching Ortiz (2-3, 5.96).

After Ben Rice started the game with a walk, Aaron Judge tripled high off the 19-foot center field wall for a 1-0 lead. It was Judge’s fifth straight hit going back to Tuesday night’s 4 for 4 performance.

Ortiz walked Cody Bellinger and Paul Goldschmidt doubled off the top of the wall in straight away center field to score Judge for a 2-0 lead.

After a visit by pitching coach Carl Willis, Ortiz ended the inning with three straight strikeouts.

The Guardians made it 2-1 off left-hander Carlos Rodon when Gabriel Arias doubled with one out in the first, and scored on Jose Ramirez’s single that Bellinger misplayed in center field. Arias was going to stop at third, but scored easily when the ball skipped past Bellinger. Ramirez didn’t stop until reaching third.

The Guardians, however, could not get Ramirez home as Carlos Santana popped out and Will Wilson, making his big league debut, lined out to first.

The Yankees made it 4-1 in the second as Oritz continued to search for his control. Jasson Dominguez walked to start the inning, stole second and scored on Rice’s hard-hit single off Santana’s glove at first.

Judge followed with his sixth straight hit, a single to left that moved Rice to second. Rice took third on Bellinger’s fly ball to the track in center and scored on Goldschmidt’s single.

Ortiz walked Jazz Chisholm Jr. to load the bases, which prompted another visit from Willis. Ortiz responded by striking out Anthony Volpe to end the inning.

Rodon, facing the Guardians for the 22nd time in his career, took the game over from that point.

Angel Martinez opened the second with a bunt single, but Rodon (3-3, 3.50) retired three of the next four batters. Steven Kwan reached on a bloop one-out single in the fifth, but Arias fouled out to second and Ramirez grounded out.

Rodon left after seven innings. He allowed one unearned run on four hits. He struck out eight and walked two in 90 pitches.

He is 9-5 with a 2.66 ERA in his career against Cleveland. Those nine wins include the no-hitter Rodon threw against Cleveland on April 14, 2021, with the White Sox. It was one of three times the Guardians were no-hit that season.

The Guardians were held to four hits by Rodon, Fernando Cruz and Luke Weaver.

Judge, who entered the game hitting .411 (37 for 90), went 7 for 12 in the three-game series.

Wilson and Zak Kent made their big league debuts for the Guardians on Wednesday. Wilson went 1 for 4, collecting his first hit with a single in the ninth. Kent pitched the last three innings, allowing one run on three hits with two walks and four strikeouts.

Next

The Guardians are off Thursday before Boston visits to open a three-game series on Friday night at Progressive Field.

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There's always been the fear that Clase would suffer from overwork. And I guess that's what happened on Sunday; but of course the 30 pitches were the cause and were due to his incoming problems.

Ortiz sure can be lousy; or good.

Ramirez's hit and error that got him to 3rd, should've tried for home. Might have been close, but I thought it was worth the risk. The throw wasn't to the infield yet. I told my friend at the time this was probably a turning point. That was my view from way up from 556 row Q.

Lousy weather today in Cleveland but not raining, so I guess they'll play two. Nikhazy will have to confront: Red Sox, cold weather, nerves in his debut in game 2.

7 lefties in gameone lineup with Martinez in CF, Jones in RF, Schneemann at 2nd, Arias at SS.
Continuing a long trend, 2 of the 3 outfielders have no homeruns, which is also true for the absent Noel and the injured Thomas. Of all people, Kwan is the only slugger among the group.

Game 1:
Lively 5 innings, 4 runs, 3 in the first inning.
Herrin the 6th and start the 7th
Gaddis the 3 outs in the 7th
CLASE IN THE 8TH Perfect, 2 strikeouts
Smith in the 9th: first two on base, then fly out; fly out; strikeout

Kwan double, single, run scored, rbi#15
Ramirez two singles, run scored, rbi #14
Martinez two singles
Jones double, run scored, 3 strikeouts
Santana sac fly, walk, rbi, hbp, strikeout
Arias single and rbi
Hedges single and sac
Schneemann single
Wilson hbp
Everyone was on base at least once

Nikhazy and Allard both added to the roster, Allard I think as the 26th man. He had a good spring training until his last game and a poor start in Columbus: 4.86 ERA,
But options are very thin:
Only other pitchers on the 40 man roster who are not on IL are Cody Bolton and that's the end of the list. Bolton was signed about a week ago and has pitched 4 innings for the Clippers; he's a RH who pitched some for PIT in 2023 and for SEA in 2024. Career MLB ERA 5.40,

Allard joins Will Wilson as unsuccessful 1st round pick who joins the Guardians. Career 76 MLB ERA 5.99; best in a season was 4.95 in 2019.

Pet peeve for me. Vogt takes out Lively after 92 pitches today when he was pitching great and not threatened. Then we wonder why the bullpen gets overly stretched? Tito never would remove Lively in that situation.

Best way to make your bullpen more effective (especially late in the season)? Minimize their usage when you can.

Once again I agree, Seems like Vogt is over protective of starters.

How about those Guardians ??????

Worst best game of the year !

Daniel Schneemann rescues Guardians with two late home runs in stunning 5-3 comeback win against Toronto

Updated: May. 03, 2025, 7:27 p.m.|Published: May. 03, 2025, 6:08 p.m.

By Joe Noga, cleveland.com

TORONTO — Gavin Williams put the Guardians behind early, but Daniel Schneemann rescued them late Saturday with a pair of monstrous home runs in a stunning comeback win against the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre.

Schneemann’s two-out grand slam in the top of the ninth off Blue Jays righty Yimi Garcia flipped a two-run Cleveland deficit into a 5-3 victory. It was Schneemann’s fourth home run and marked his first career multi-home run game, giving him nine RBI and an .833 slugging percentage in his last 18 at-bats.

Schneemann said as Garcia’s pitch count climbed in the ninth, he told himself to stay on time for a fastball, eventually blasting the second pitch he saw 395 feet into the seats in right field.

“I kind of blacked out in that moment,” Schneemann said. “I usually don’t know when I get ‘em, but that one just felt really good off the bat and I’m glad it worked out.”

Cleveland’s offense lay dormant against Toronto righty Kevin Gausman for six innings, but Schneemann broke through for a solo blast in the eighth against reliever Chad Green that cut Toronto’s lead to 3-1.

Schneemann said the rally that followed in the ninth was just typical Guards Ball.

“We’re never out of it,” Schneemann said. “Whenever we’re down, we don’t feel like we’re out, We’ve got a lot of guys in the lineup that are going to have good at-bats and we always feel like we’re in the game.”

Steven Kwan opened the ninth with a base hit — his second of the game — and Carlos Santana drew a one-out walk. After Garcia fanned Kyle Manzardo, pinch hitter Bo Naylor drew a six-pitch walk to set up Schneemann’s dramatic slam.

It was the first grand slam of Schneemann’s career, giving him a career-high five RBI, and it marked the 23rd go-ahead grand slam in the ninth inning or later in Cleveland franchise history — the first since Santana hit one Aug. 11, 2019 at Minnesota.

Manager Stephen Vogt said Schneemann’s hard work is paying off with more opportunities, and that his talent should not be overlooked.

“He’s been waiting for this his whole life,” Vogt said. “Daniel Schneemann is a really good baseball player. We’ve been saying it for over a year now.”

Emanuel Clase retired the top of Toronto’s lineup in order in the bottom of the ninth for his sixth save. Kolby Allard struck out three and allowed one run in four innings for his second win in three appearances with the Guardians.

Vogt acknowledged Schneemann’s huge game, but also pointed out Allard’s effort as a difference in the win.

“What Kolby did today, keeping us in the game, keeping it right there, giving us a chance — all we need is a chance —and we got it," Vogt said.

Things did not look good early for Cleveland as Williams, for the second start in a row, allowed a leadoff home run on the first pitch he threw. Bo Bichette got a 97 mph fastball from Williams and hammered it to center for his first home run of 2025. It was the fourth leadoff home run allowed by a Guardians pitcher after the club allowed six leadoff bombs in all of 2024.

All four leadoff home runs have come on the first pitch delivered by the Cleveland starter. It has happened to Williams in back-to-back outings after Minnesota‘s Edouard Julien tagged him for a solo shot on the first pitch April 28 at Progressive Field.

Vogt admitted Williams was not at his best Saturday, but gave him credit for making pitches when he needed to in order to get through four innings. The right-hander walked five but finished with a season-high nine strikeouts.

“To go four innings, face 18 hitters and only give up two runs, that’s telling you that he’s getting some big outs,” Vogt said. “A lot of good that came out of that ... There’s room for improvement there, for sure.”

The last Cleveland pitcher to give up leadoff home runs in back-to-back starts was Corey Kluber in 2018 on June 26 against St. Louis and July 2 against Kansas City.

Anthony Santander doubled to open the third against Williams and scored on a bases loaded walk by Nathan Lukes.

Gausman tossed six shutout innings, striking out nine while allowing only a two-out walk to Santana in the first and a two-out single by Kwan in the third.

Toronto pushed its lead to 3-0 in the fifth when Ernie Clement doubled off Allard and advanced to third on a fly ball to center by Lukes. Clement then came home on Tyler Heinman’s RBI sacrifice fly.

Next:

The series concludes Sunday with a 1:37 p.m. scheduled first pitch from Rogers Centre. The Guardians will send right-hander Tanner Bibee (2-2, 4.36) to the mound while Toronto counters with righty Bowden Francis (2-4, 5.28). The game will air on CLEGuardians.TV, WTAM 1100 AM, WMMS 100.7 FM and the Guardians Radio Network.



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Cleveland Guardians, Toronto Blue Jays starting lineups for May 4, 2025: Game 34

Updated: May. 04, 2025, 12:34 p.m.|Published: May. 04, 2025, 11:29 a.m.

By Joe Noga, cleveland.com
TORONTO — José Ramírez has returned to the Guardians lineup two days after suffering a mild right ankle sprain against the Blue Jays.

Ramírez, Tanner Bibee and the Guardians go after a series win in Toronto on Sunday when they take on the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre.

Here are the starting lineups for Sunday’s game between the Guardians and Blue Jays.

Starting pitchers:
RHP Tanner Bibee (2-2, 4.36)
RHP Bowden Francis (2-4, 5.28).

GUARDIANS

LF Steven Kwan.
RF Nolan Jones.
3B José Ramírez.
1B Kyle Manzardo.
DH Carlos Santana.
2B Daniel Schneemann.
SS Gabriel Arias.
C Bo Naylor.
CF Angel Martínez.

BLUE JAYS

SS Bo Bichette.
1B Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
DH Anthony Santander.
RF George Springer.
C Alejandro Kirk.
3B Addison Barger.
LF Alan Roden.
CF Nathan Lukes.
2B Andrés Giménez.

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