The Cleveland Guardians wasted no time making a statement on the road, cruising past the Detroit Tigers 8-2 Monday night at Comerica Park to open their four-game series in dominant fashion. Cleveland improved to 27-22 on the season while Detroit dropped to 20-28.
Slade Cecconi was outstanding from the start and set the tone for the entire evening. The right-hander worked 7.1 innings, allowing just two runs on five hits while walking two and striking out four. It was the kind of quality start that gives a bullpen a night off and keeps a rotation fresh during a long road trip.
Followed in the @cavs footsteps.#GuardsBall | #GuardiWWWins pic.twitter.com/SUcARnAatc
— Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) May 19, 2026
The offense did plenty of damage against Detroit starter Framber Valdez and the Tigers bullpen, plating runs in the third, fifth, sixth and ninth innings to pull away comfortably. Cleveland finished with nine hits and drew six walks as a team, continuing to grind at-bats and make opposing pitchers work deep into counts.
Jose Ramirez was the star of the night at the plate, going 3-4 with a walk, a home run, three RBI and a run scored. Coming off a week in which he was clearly beginning to find his stroke again after a sluggish start to the season, Ramirez looked every bit the elite hitter Cleveland needs him to be as the calendar moves deeper into May. His home run gave Cleveland a cushion it never relinquished.
Brayan Rocchio had another quietly brilliant outing, going 1-2 with two walks and three runs scored. The shortstop continues to reach base at an elite rate from the bottom of the order and his on-base skills were on full display Monday night, turning three plate appearances into three runs for a Cleveland lineup that needed every one of them early.
Angel Martinez, coming off winning American League Player of the Week honors earlier in the day, went 2-5 with an RBI and a run scored, keeping his torrid stretch alive at Comerica Park. Travis Bazzana added two hits and a run scored from the middle of the order. Chase DeLauter drew a walk and drove in two runs despite going hitless on the night, continuing to find ways to contribute even when the hits are not falling.
The Guardians now lead the AL Central and have won four of their last five games heading into Tuesday night’s matchup, with Parker Messick taking the ball against Detroit’s Keider Montero.
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