CLEVELAND, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – The Guardians started off their home schedule with a sweep this week.
Kyle Manzardo and Steven Kwan hit two-run home runs while Gavin Williams allowed a a run in five innings to pick up his first win of the season as the Guardians completed a three-game sweep of the White Sox with a 6-1 win at Progressive Field.
Here’s the top news and notes from the series finale with the White Sox.
Hit the Kwan – Steven Kwan continued his hot start to the season with a four-hit afternoon to raise his average to .356. Big April’s are becoming a thing for the outfielder. “Maybe just the body feeling a little fresher as the season goes on,” Kwan said. “You get little nicks and some sore stuff. I think coming fresh out the gate, riding that adrenaline, everything's really new, it’s a good start, but got to make sure, stay on top of recovery and can be as fresh as I can every day.” Kwan collected hits in his first four at bats, including the home run in the third inning, and he drove in four runs. Kwan delivered a pair of RBI singles in the fourth and sixth innings, the last being a bunt that brought home the sixth run of the day. “Kwan is special,” manager Stephen Vogt said. “Talk about it seems like every day. Just what he means, this lineup to this team, the consistency that he brings and his ability to beat you in many different ways. So a complete hitter and that was fun. It was a fun day for Kwany.”
Put ‘em on the board – Manzardo clubbed a two-run home run to right in the bottom of the first to give the Guardians a 2-1 lead. Kwan’s two-run shot also went to right in the bottom of the third and made it a 4-1 game. “They don't make many like Steven Kwan anymore, man,” Manzardo said. “He's an awesome dude to hit behind because he is always going to be on base or scoring position or something, you know what I mean? So having a guy like that at the top of the order is so crucial to our offense.”
W for Williams – Williams threw five innings and allowed one run, which scored in the first inning on a wild pitch, on three hits, seven strikeouts and two walks. “I'm kind of glad I got through the fifth inning so the bullpen can rest a little bit,” Williams said. It was Williams’ first win at Progressive Field since September 2023 against the Texas Rangers. “I thought Gavin was pretty good,” Vogt said. “I thought he did a really did a nice job mixing his pitches using both spin and fastball. I felt like the mix was really good. Took him a lot of pitches to get through five, but anytime we can get five clean from any of our starters, it's a great job.”
Slump buster – Outfielder Nolan Jones ended an 0-15 skid with a single to left in the bottom of the seventh inning. Jones also stole second, his first steal of the season.
Getting even – The sweep of the White Sox gets the Guardians back to .500 at 6-6. “I mean, it puts us right back where we need to be,” Manzardo said. “Can let us focus on just getting back to just winning games one game at a time going forward and puts us in a good spot.”
Up next – The Guardians welcome the Kansas City Royals to town for the weekend. RHP Tanner Bibee (1-1, 6.52) vs. LHP Kris Bubic (2-0, 0.00) Friday at 6:10.
