After a nine-game West Coast trip, the Guardians are back in Cleveland.
They went 4-5 on their journey, being swept by the Seattle Mariners before bouncing back with series victories against the San Francisco Giants and Athletics.
Next up for the Guardians is a three-game series with the Toronto Blue Jays as part of a six-game homestand beginning Tuesday night.
Cleveland starter Logan Allen (5-4, 4.21 ERA) will take on Northeast Ohio native Eric Lauer (3-1, 2.29) of Toronto in a battle of left-handers.
“I couldn’t be more proud of the way our group was resilient down the stretch on the West Coast trip,” said Guardians manager Stephen Vogt. “Obviously, we would have liked to have played better in Seattle. But when you come out of it with two series W’s, that’s a successful trip.”
Allen has won two of his three outings since spending one game in the bullpen on May 31, which includes beating the Cincinnati Reds and San Francisco in his last two starts. He has worked 17 1/3 innings during the period, his season high for a three-game span this year.
The third-year big-leaguer is 1-2 with a 4.12 ERA in four starts against the Blue Jays, including a 5 2/3-inning no-decision in Toronto on May 2. He gave up two earned runs in what became a 5-3 loss for Cleveland.
“I feel like my stuff’s been pretty good and I’ve been on a good attack,” Allen said. “I’ve been on the same page with the catchers and I’m just going out there and executing. Just trying to go right after guys and be as efficient as possible.”
Toronto stumbled to three losses in the final four games of its homestand against the Arizona Diamondbacks and Chicago White Sox, but the Blue Jays remain in the second wild-card position in the American League.
The finale Sunday was a clunker as struggling closer Jeff Hoffman entered with two outs in the eighth inning, committed a fielding error that allowed the tying run to score and then gave up a two-run double to Miguel Vargas in Chicago’s 4-2 victory.
Hoffman has allowed 17 earned runs and seven homers over his last 17 innings, but manager John Schneider is staying positive while noting the right-hander’s 6-2 overall record and 17 saves this season.
“We trust the hell out of Jeff Hoffman,” Schneider said. “I know he’s frustrated with not getting the results and it’s easy to point blame at him.
“But he’s been on the other side of us winning a whole lot of games. It’s a tough stretch for him, but we know he’ll come out of it and we have a lot of faith in him.”
The 30-year-old Lauer has resurrected his career after splitting 2024 between the minors and Kia Tigers in the Korea Baseball Organization. Since his recall from Triple-A Buffalo on April 30, he has made four starts in 10 appearances. His splits are much better as a reliever (0.96 ERA in 18 2/3 innings) than a starter (3.78 ERA in 16 2/3 innings), but the Blue Jays won his starts on June 11 and 18.
Lauer has only faced his childhood team once, working 5 1/3 innings and allowing one run to help the Milwaukee Brewers beat the Cleveland Indians on Sept. 12, 2021. He will have a large cheering section from his hometown of Elyria, Grafton Midview High School and Kent State University — all located near Cleveland.
“I’m a starter and I want to be a starter,” he said. “The fifth spot in the rotation is kind of up in the air here, so I’m going out there and trying to take it every time.”
–Field Level Media
