The Cleveland Guardians came into Monday night’s series opener against the Los Angeles Angels looking to bounce back after dropping two of three to the Twins over the weekend. They did exactly that in emphatic fashion.
Cleveland rolled to a 7-2 victory at Progressive Field behind a dominant pitching performance from Joey Cantillo and an offense that buried the Angels bullpen in a five-run third inning. The win improved the Guardians to 22-21 and gave acting manager Tony Arnerich his first win running the club in place of Stephen Vogt, who was absent due to illness.
“The good guys are back in the win column!” Cleveland Guardians posted.
The good guys are back in the win column!#GuardsBall | #GuardiWins pic.twitter.com/fatgnExSLq
— Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) May 12, 2026
Joey Cantillo was brilliant on the other side of the lineup, tossing six shutout innings on five hits and one walk while striking out four. He improved to 3-1 with a 2.98 ERA on the season and continues to be one of the most reliable starters on this staff. After spending much of 2025 searching for consistency, the 2026 version of Cantillo looks like a completely different pitcher, one whose mental composure and confidence in his arsenal has taken a significant step forward from where he was just twelve months ago.
The bullpen allowed a pair of runs late but the outcome was never in doubt. Kyle Manzardo and Daniel Schneemann each drove in two runs on the night while going a combined 3-7 at the plate.
The Guardians stranded 10 runners and went 3-13 with runners in scoring position, numbers that still reflect some of the situational hitting struggles that have plagued them all season. But the five-run third inning showed what this offense is capable of when it is clicking.
Slade Cecconi takes the mound Tuesday against the Angels at 6:10 PM ET at Progressive Field.
NEXT: Guardians Bullpen Is Close To Getting Much-Needed Boost
