With José Ramírez, Chase DeLauter, and Angel Martínez sidelined on the injured list over the past week, the Guardians still found a way to swing the lineup forward. On Saturday against the Astros at Daikin Park, Travis Bazzana went 4-for-4 with two home runs a
Houston — The week started with bodies going on the injured list. and by Saturday the Guardians were still asking the same question: who steps in when you can’t replace three key hitters at once?. José Ramírez. Chase DeLauter and Angel Martínez had all gone on the injured list over the past week. and Cleveland’s message was simple—don’t try to force it.
“ We’ve just got to play hard, trust in one another, play for the next guy,” second baseman Travis Bazzana said. “ It’s not trying to do too much, but step up and know that we’ve got to find ways to win ballgames when you’ve got guys out.”
The Guardians are counting on Bazzana to be one of those answers offensively. And against the Astros, he arrived with the kind of night that doesn’t just fill a stat sheet—it changes the mood of a lineup.
Saturday’s game at Daikin Park ended 8-1, with Bazzana doing the heavy lifting. He went 4-for-4 with two home runs and five RBIs, all of which were new career highs. The 23-year-old became the first Cleveland player to tally four hits and five RBIs in a game since Josh Naylor on May 31. 2023. against the Orioles.
Guardians manager Stephen Vogt summed it up in one sentence: “That was a really fun day for Bazz.”
It also fit a pattern the Guardians have been trying to trust lately. Bazzana began June in a bit of a rut offensively. Like any rookie, the league had started to adjust, and his production dipped. His average (.308) and OPS (.876) reached a season high on May 30. when he went 2-for-4 in a 9-1 loss to the Red Sox. Over his next 10 games, Bazzana went 5-for-40 (.125) with one double, one triple, one home run, four walks and 12 strikeouts.
The difference came when he stopped drifting and started matching his plate work to his plan. Bazzana said the biggest takeaway from Saturday was that if he stays with a good process at the plate—preparing each day the best he can—games like this will “organically come.” He also described how he hadn’t felt as sharp about the parts of hitting he can control before the Guardians’ series against the Tigers last weekend. including his swing decisions.
When the calendar kept turning, the recent stretch around Detroit looked like the turning point. Including two games against Detroit, Bazzana has gone 9-for-24 (.375) with two doubles, three home runs, five walks and three strikeouts over his past seven contests.
“The results were bad with the process being not as good as I would like,” Bazzana said. “Some things started to click. and I just got back to where I needed to be. I’d say. somewhere in the middle of the Detroit series. Since then. my process has been really good in swinging at good pitches to hit. moving the bat fast. control. being a tough out.
“… It’s been good. It’s a long season. You have the bad stretches, good stretches. Just got to be as consistent as you can.”
That consistency showed up fast on Saturday. Bazzana started the night with a leadoff home run off Astros starter Spencer Arrighetti. Arrighetti threw a first-pitch four-seam fastball over the heart of the plate. and Bazzana drove it 104.7 mph. reaching a Statcast-projected 382 feet over the right-center-field wall.
It was Bazzana’s second career leadoff home run, following June 5 against the Rangers at Globe Life Field. It was also the second straight night in which he tallied a hit on the first pitch of the game. Bazzana connected it to his mindset.
“I want to say in the history of the game, probably 99% of first pitches are fastballs,” Bazzana said. “Same thing last night. I was selling out. I feel really good, ready to go on the fastball.”
He didn’t just take early swings well—he cashed them. After a base hit in the third inning, Bazzana launched a three-run home run off Arrighetti in the fifth. Arrighetti left a 1-2 sweeper in the heart of the zone, and Bazzana crushed it a Statcast-projected 406 feet to right-center.
Then came the RBI single in the seventh on the first pitch he saw from reliever Nate Pearson.
The five-RBI night wasn’t only about one player doing everything—it also marked a broader offensive surge for Cleveland. Saturday was the Guardians’ biggest offensive output since June 2, when they beat the Yankees, 9-4. Kyle Manzardo went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer, and Patrick Bailey went 3-for-4.
For a team trying to keep moving forward with three key hitters out, the goal isn’t perfection from one bat. It’s more days like this—unexpected production that shows up at the right time.
“We have what it takes to be a good offense,” Bazzana said. “We’ve just got to keep putting it together and guys just keep stepping up. Keep getting better every day and having a good plan and preparation.”
Travis Bazzana Cleveland Guardians Houston Astros Daikin Park Spencer Arrighetti Nate Pearson José Ramírez Chase DeLauter Angel Martínez Stephen Vogt Josh Naylor