Somehow, some way, the Cleveland Guardians exceeded everyone’s expectations for their first three series of the season. After seeing the team perform in person this weekend, I could not be more excited for the rest of the season.
Did We Imagine That?
When the Guardians’ schedule was first released, I’ll admit I was scared. They were slated to play one of the most successful American League teams, the reigning World Series champions, and the NL Central’s favorite heading into 2026. After taking two of three from the Seattle
Mariners, my expectations were raised a bit. However, I still kept them quite low heading into the series versus the Los Angeles Dodgers. Thankfully, those gritty Guards blew my expectations out of the water by winning the three game series against the reigning champs. While Sunday’s first game of a doubleheader versus the Chicago Cubs was a very sad offensive showing (no runs on just one hit), the team still managed to take two of three including a come back win in the day’s second game.
DeLauter Still Raking
If you take a look at the American League Batting Leaderboard over at Baseball Reference, you’ll see an unexpected name at the top of the Home Runs leaderboard. Rookie Chase Delauter – who has played in nine games this year – tops the stat with five home runs (tied with the Athletics’ Shea Langeliers). After hitting two home runs in his first regular season game, he has continued to hit with power and has helped keep the Guards in the win column. He’s hitting .313/.343/.781 and can be counted on to produce in almost every at bat.
Surprising Names Making Moves
Heading into this weekend’s series versus the Chicago Cubs, there were many question marks surrounding Gabriel Arias and CJ Kayfus. They’ve both had plenty of up-and-down moments this season, with the “downs” making plenty of headlines on social media. However, it’s still early in the season and they still have time to contribute in meaningful ways. They did just that in Sunday’s doubleheader with both Arias and Kayfus contributing an RBI single each and Kayfus giving the Guards the lead in the bottom of the eighth with a home run. While they still have plenty of defensive miscues to make up for, they’re certainly making headway on that.
Social Media Spotlight
Experiencing the home crowd sing along to Chase DeLauter’s walkup song – Take Me Home, Country Roads by John Denver – was a great moment at Progressive Field on Sunday. Mason Horodyski of News 5 Cleveland captured the moment in Friday’s home opener before DeLauter earned a base hit.
