Chase DeLauter offered one of the more introspective breakdowns yet of Cleveland’s ongoing struggles. Speaking with reporters in Detroit following another frustrating night where the Guardians left traffic on the bases untouched, DeLauter offered a honest explanation for why a talented offense keeps coming up empty in the moments that matter most.
Mason Horodyski of WEWS shared DeLauter’s full comments on the mental approach behind Cleveland’s biggest offensive weakness.
“It kind of sounds like cliche, but not making it a big deal. I mean, it’s at the end of the day. To me it’s the same thing as you know nobody on as far as taking the same swing. Obviously, you have runner on 3rd less than 2, it’s a different story. But even guy in scoring position, I mean, kind of up there trying to get a pitch in the zone and try to try to put your best swing on it. I mean, you know, no one’s going to hate you if you do that. Think it’s… I think we get a little tight. I think we start to press. I mean, you know, I’m one that does the exact same thing. You know, I kind of chase a little more, and you know, maybe hit some things just because I can hit them instead of getting my pitch. You know, that’s just part of it,” Delauter said.
(Via #Guardians audio) Chase DeLauter on to reporters in Detroit on how Cleveland doesn’t get too much into their heads with runners in scoring position as the team has struggles with RISP:
“it kind of sounds like cliche, but not making it a big deal. I mean, it's at the end of…— Mason Horodyski (@MasonHorodyski) August 12, 2026
DeLauter acknowledged the explanation might sound like a cliche, but stressed the simplicity of the fix even as the results have not followed. He explained that hitting with a runner in scoring position should require the same approach as hitting with the bases empty, working to get a good pitch in the zone and putting a clean swing on it rather than trying to do more than the moment calls for. DeLauter was candid in admitting he falls into the same trap himself, saying he tends to chase pitches out of the zone in those spots and occasionally tries to drive a pitch simply because he is capable of hitting it hard, rather than waiting for one that is actually his to hit.
The Guardians have spent much of the second half searching for answers in exactly these situations, entering the stretch hitting under .220 with runners in scoring position over their previous 17 games, a number that has undercut a lineup that has generated plenty of traffic on the bases without consistently cashing it in.
For a Guardians team fighting to stay alive in a tightening Wild Card race, DeLauter’s honesty offers a window into the mental hurdle the offense is working through as much as any mechanical one. If hitters can heed his own advice and simplify their approach in those spots, the results Stephen Vogt has insisted are coming may finally start to show up on the scoreboard.
NEXT: Stephen Vogt Gets Honest About Guardians' Weakness This Season
