Joey Cantillo has done his best work at home this season, and the Cleveland Guardians will turn to the left-hander as their nine-game homestand continues with the opener of a three-game series against the Los Angeles Angels on Monday.
Cleveland is scheduled to start Cantillo (2-1, 3.43 ERA), who is 1-0 with a 2.87 ERA in three home starts in 2026. The 26-year-old picked up a win in his previous outing, throwing five innings of one-run ball and giving up three hits in a 3-1 win at the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday.
Cantillo made his lone career appearance against the Angels last season in relief. He didn’t allow a hit and fanned two in 2 1/3 innings.
While Cleveland turns to Cantillo, the Angels have yet to name a starting pitcher as they kick off the second leg of a six-game road trip.
The Angels salvaged the finale of a three-game series with a 6-1 win Sunday over the Toronto Blue Jays. Jo Adell had a three-hit game and launched two solo home runs to lead a seven-hit attack.
His second blast was a 449-foot bomb, giving him six homers on the season. Adell leads the Angels with a .273 batting average and has a team-best 44 hits. His 23 RBIs tie him with Mike Trout for second on the team.
“It’s kind of been in like battle mode for a month of getting hits and being productive but not hitting for a bit more power,” Adell said. “But I figured some things out in the cage. Just kind of getting that feel back to where I was last year.”
Cleveland opened its homestand by taking two of three against the Minnesota Twins. Its rally came up short in a 5-4 loss to the Twins on Sunday, but the Guardians racked up 11 hits.
Jose Ramirez stole his 16th base of the season, good for second in the majors, while Steven Kwan had a perfectly placed sacrifice bunt that led to a seventh-inning run. The offense displayed patience, drawing six walks.
Guardians bench coach Tony Arnerich said the positives are something to build on. Even though Cleveland is .500, it still has a one-game lead in the American League Central.
“At the end of the day, we are trying to go 162 games and have a good season,” said Arnerich, who filled in for manager Stephen Vogt, who missed Sunday’s game due to illness. “All the little things we do, if we can continue to compile and do them well, when you add them up, hopefully they lead to good things.”
In his first game since being acquired from the San Francisco Giants in a Saturday trade, catcher Patrick Bailey went 0-for-3 with a strikeout.
While Bailey, who has a .141 batting average with one home run and five RBIs, is getting up to speed on the Guardians’ game planning, Arnerich said the Cleveland clubhouse has helped the backstop get acquainted.
“He knows what he’s doing behind the plate,” Arnerich said. “It’s about making him feel comfortable so that he can go out and be himself and play.”
The Guardians and Angels are each 3-3 in their last six games.
–Field Level Media
