The Cleveland Guardians suffered what is likely to be remembered as one of their worst losses of the season on Tuesday against the St. Louis Cardinals. They simply have to hope that it does not come back to haunt them in what is expected to be a very tight playoff race.
The Guardians were leading 5-4 with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, which gave them a win probability of more than 95 percent. Then, second baseman Juan Brito made an error on a ground ball, and after a wild pitch and a double against closer Cade Smith, the game was tied and headed for extra innings.
After failing to score in the top of the 10th, despite having Chase DeLauter on third base, Cleveland lost in the bottom of the inning when St. Louis scored on a sacrifice fly on a close play at the plate. So, there would seem to be plenty of blame for the 6-5 defeat to go around.
Yet, analyst Ken Carman is saying one player deserves the blame for the Guardians’ loss, naming the rookie Brito over anyone else.
“If I’m not gonna blame Cade Smith, I gotta blame Juan Brito,” Carman said.
"If I'm not gonna blame Cade Smith, I gotta blame Juan Brito… We need Cade Smith to fill that role. Tomorrow's gonna be another day."
🚨@KenCarman on who is to blame for #Guardians loss last night https://t.co/L33YJi94iz pic.twitter.com/pPQl6fMDKh
— 92.3 The Fan (@923TheFan) April 15, 2026
Brito entered the game as a pinch runner for right fielder George Valera in the eighth inning. Daniel Schneemann, who had started the game at second base, was moved to the outfield, and Brito stayed in the game to play the infield. It was the rookie’s seventh MLB appearance since being called up when Gabriel Arias went on the injured list.
Brito also made an error on a ground ball during the recent homestand against the Kansas City Royals, which at the time was just Cleveland’s third error of the season. However, it did not prove to be as costly as this one.
Smith could share some of the blame, as his early-season struggles as Cleveland’s closer continue. But Brito also had a chance to redeem himself at the plate with two outs in the 10th, but he grounded out to first with DeLauter at third.
Yet, if Brito had just made the relatively routine play earlier, nothing would have been needed afterward, and the Guardians would have gotten the victory.
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