If Friday night’s loss was a gut punch and Saturday’s comeback victory was a statement, Sunday’s series finale was an exclamation point. The Cleveland Guardians put together one of their most complete performances of the season, rolling past the Cincinnati Reds 10-3 at Progressive Field to take the series two games to one and improve to 26-22 on the year.
From the very first inning, Cleveland made it clear this one was not going to be close. The Guardians plated two runs in the first, added two more in the third, and kept chipping away until the game was well out of reach. By the time it was over, Cleveland had scattered 12 hits across the lineup with no errors, a clean and efficient afternoon of baseball that this roster is fully capable of producing when everything clicks at once.
That was fun#GuardsBall pic.twitter.com/ulKm9O1SAa
— SleeperGuardians (@SleeperGuards) May 17, 2026
Gavin Williams was excellent on the mound, giving the Guardians exactly what they needed after a bullpen-heavy couple of days in the series. The right-hander worked six full innings, allowing just two runs on eight hits while striking out seven without issuing a single walk. That kind of command on a day when the offense was doing its part made for about as comfortable an afternoon as a starting pitcher can ask for.
Tim Herrin followed with a clean inning of relief, striking out three of the four batters he faced. Codi Heuer closed things out over the final two innings, allowing one run while punching out two.
Kyle Manzardo had his best game of the series, going 2-5 with two home runs and three RBI. Jose Ramirez continued his torrid stretch, going 1-3 with two walks, a home run and two RBI while scoring twice. Chase DeLauter added a home run of his own, finishing 2-5 with two RBI and two runs scored. Angel Martinez contributed a home run and two RBI as well, giving him a remarkable nine home runs on the season.
Brayan Rocchio went 2-3 with an RBI and two runs scored, and Travis Bazzana was 3-4, continuing to look every bit as comfortable at the big league level as advertised. Steven Kwan, who was moved out of the leadoff spot heading into the series, drew two walks and scored a run in a quietly productive afternoon.
The home run ball was a theme throughout the afternoon, with Manzardo hitting two, and Ramirez, DeLauter and Martinez each going deep once. Cleveland’s power surge across this series was a welcome sight for a lineup that has at times been criticized for its lack of run-scoring punch.
Taking two of three from a Cincinnati club that was sitting at .500 entering the weekend is a solid result, and doing it the way Cleveland did on Sunday, with a dominant starting pitching performance backed by a lineup that produced runs in seemingly every inning, is the kind of baseball this organization believes it can play on a consistent basis.
The Guardians remain in first place in the AL Central, and after the way this series ended, they look very much like a team that is starting to find another gear.
NEXT: Guardians Announce Roster Move With Injured Reliever
