Cleveland Guardians manager Stephen Vogt has done a stellar job in his first season at the helm for the team, as he has his Guardians sitting atop the AL Central at 24-16 and fending off two hot competitors in the Minnesota Twins and Kansas City Royals.
Despite the strong start, Cleveland lost to the lowly Chicago White Sox 3-1 yesterday despite a strong performance from starter Triston McKenzie that did not go unnoticed.
Vogt had a lot of praise for his starter despite the tough loss, saying “He turned it on after that first inning. He pitched really good.”
"He turned it on after that first inning. He pitched really good."
Stephen Vogt reflects on Triston McKenzie bouncing back after shaky first inning and staying composed the rest of the way.#ForTheLand | @CleGuardians pic.twitter.com/LAJ6a1ESfq
— Bally Sports Cleveland (@BallySportsCLE) May 12, 2024
McKenzie’s final line was 6.2 innings, four hits, two runs (one earned), with three walks and five strikeouts.
McKenzie walked the first two batters of the game and then ran into trouble in the second inning, where he gave up both runs before shutting the White Sox down the rest of the way.
It was the fifth consecutive strong start for McKenzie over the past month, and his ERA is now down to 3.54 after getting shelled a couple of times early in April.
It has been a rough trip to Chicago for the Guardians, as the team has now lost the first three games of a 4-game set while scoring just six runs in the process.
The offense has grinded to a halt since Steven Kwan hit the IL, and Cleveland is going to have to figure out how to stomach his loss for the next few weeks and find a way to get a spark at the top of the order.
NEXT: Guardians Prospect Continues To Show Game-Changing Power In The Minors
