The Cleveland Guardians needed a response after Sunday night in Atlanta, and they delivered one in convincing fashion.
Cleveland rolled into Busch Stadium on Monday and handled the St. Louis Cardinals 9-3, snapping a five-game losing streak against St. Louis in the process and moving to 10-7 on the season.
The offense showed up when it mattered most, the pitching staff did enough, and the Guardians played with a purpose about a blowout loss on Sunday.
Angel Martinez set the tone immediately.
The 24-year-old switch-hitter led things off with a solo home run in the first inning, his second of the season and his first batting right-handed.
Angel gets us on the board early!#GuardsBall pic.twitter.com/SHyoA21J1R
— Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) April 13, 2026
Brayan Rocchio provided the finishing touches on the offensive side. The shortstop crushed a two-run home run to left field off Justin Bruihl in the sixth inning, his second of the season, snapping an 0-11 stretch that had been a quiet concern. He added a base hit in the eighth for his second multi-hit game of 2026. When Rocchio is swinging with confidence, Cleveland’s lineup takes on a completely different look.
Cleveland #Guardians switch-hitting (SS) Brayan Rocchio hits a 402 foot 2-run bomb in the 6th inning 108.1 mph off the bat for his 2nd HR of the season. #GuardsBall pic.twitter.com/WZFgCND1kI
— Guardians Prospective (@CleGuardPro) April 14, 2026
Gavin Williams got the start and worked through a difficult first inning before settling in and giving the Guardians five innings of two-run ball. He struck out four, walked two, and allowed five hits. It was not his cleanest outing, but he kept Cleveland in the game long enough for the offense to take over.
Tim Herrin, Erik Sabrowski, Hunter Gaddis, and Cade Smith handled the final four innings. Gaddis made his season debut after being activated from the injured list.
Cleveland finished the game with 11 hits, nine runs, and no errors.
The series continues Tuesday at Busch Stadium with Joey Cantillo taking the mound for Cleveland against Michael McGreevy. After what the Guardians showed on Monday night, they carry genuine momentum into the middle game of this three-game set.
Sunday is a memory. Cleveland is back in first place.
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