It was the best of times for the Guardians, and it was the worst of times.
On Saturday, Cleveland faced off against the Toronto Blue Jays in a double header.
The opening game was not quite one to write home about.
The Jays jumped on Shane Bieber early, gashing the pitcher for four runs in the second.
Bieber wouldn’t last much longer.
He was pulled in the fourth, when Toronto scored three more runs, bringing the tally to 7-1.
The Blue Jays comfortably won the game, 8-3.
There were a few positive signs, however.
Steven Kwan made the most of his plate appearances, earning a walk and RBI.
Franmil Reyes, too, found base twice, also on a hit and walk.
The afternoon game would have made Freaky Friday director Mark Waters blush.
After the first inning, it looked like the Guardians were in for another long game; the Blue Jays got out early, notching a run in the top of the frame.
But Cleveland responded quickly, pounding three runs in the bottom of the first.
The Guardians would score in four of the next seven innings they took the plate.
On the game, Reyes stayed hot, blasting a solo shot out of the park, and followed that up with an RBI single.
Owen Miller, who replaced Reyes in the cleanup spot, drove in two runs, as well.
In all, the Guardians managed 11 hits, with eight runs to show.
The ball club won the game 8-3.
It was an excellent show of resilience after a sluggish start to the day in the morning game.
Especially against a Toronto side that boasts strong bats.
Holding the Jays to only two runs is an excellent feat.
Fans following both games had a slew of responses on social media:
The Cleveland Guardians currently have 5 players with a .300+ batting average (minimum 50 AB).
No other MLB team has more than 2 players batting over .300.
.344 – Owen Miller
.344 РAndr̩s Gim̩nez
.333 – Josh Naylor
.328 – Steven Kwan
.315 – José RamÃrez#ForTheLand— Cleveland Stats (@CLE_STATS) May 7, 2022
Kwan comes through, what else is new?
Now has 4 RBIs in this series. #Guardians up 7-2 over the Blue Jays, 6th inning of Game 2.
— Nick Camino (@NickCaminoWKYC) May 8, 2022
HOME RUN REYES
Franmil goes yard for his 3rd of the year, taking a 1-2 pitch 391 feet to the Home Run Porch in left field.
Guardians 4 – Blue Jays 2, end of 3 pic.twitter.com/37rKKZncMm
— TV2 Sports (@TV2KSUsports) May 7, 2022
This blue jays game is crazy. The guardians have thrown three guys out on the basepaths, including 2 guys picked off at first base (including springer, CS, just now) and it's only the third inning
— Jonathan Kay (@jonkay) May 7, 2022
Hmm. The Guardians appear to have read the Blue Jays' playbook in the 1st. They take a 2-1 lead with three hits including two doubles.
— Jake Crouse (@JakeCrouseMLB) May 7, 2022
I really appreciate how the Blue Jays have handled the sun and the wind just fine but the Guardians look like this is their first time playing outdoors
— Blake Ruane (@blakeruane) May 7, 2022
The Guardians finish out the series against Toronto this afternoon.
All in all, it’s been a strong stretch for Cleveland.
They’ve won six of their last eight games, sweeping the A’s, splitting a two-game series against the Padres, and taking two out of three so far against Toronto.
The next few weeks should be viewed as an early bellwether for this Guardians side.
And fortunately, they’ve remained extremely competitive throughout.
It’s a strong wind up before a slate next week.
They kick off against division rival Chicago White Sox before departing for the Twin Cities to face the division leaders Twins.
Strong results against both of those teams could keep the division tight.
Otherwise, the Twins could continue their ascent, leaving Cleveland in the dust.
As it sits, the White Sox are a half-game up over the Guardians; the Twins are three and a half up over Cleveland.
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