Takeaways From Cleveland Guardians Series Sweep Over Pirates

The Cleveland Guardians are coming back home from their two-series road trip, fresh off a sweep of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

A lot happened over the last three games, so let's look at some key takeaways from Cleveland's series win over the Pirates.

Kyle Manzardo Loves Pirates Pitching

Kyle Manzardo has 11 career home runs. Dating back to 2024, four of those homers have come off Pirates pitching, and two of them were hit over the weekend in Pittsburgh.

Manzardo's first home run of the series was a towering blast into the Allegheny River off superstar Paul Skenes. His second homer came in the series finale, which extended Cleveland's lead to 4-1 at the time.

It wasn't just the long ball, though. Manzardo tallied four total hits over the last three games and drew a walk.

It looks like Cleveland's designated hitter is back in a groove after a mini-cold streak.

Kyle ambushing the first pitch really robbed us of Hammy calling a river run.

On a different note ... dude.#GuardsBall pic.twitter.com/55oxpjxt3w
— Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) April 19, 2025

Emmanuel Clase's Struggles Continue

The Guardians could be forced to make some tough decisions soon as Emmanuel Clase's struggles continue.

Cleveland's closer appeared in all three games against the Pirates. He pitched a total of 1.1 innings through the first two games, allowing one hit and issuing one walk, but thankfully, he did not allow any runs.

The series finale is where a lot went wrong for the reliever.

Clase took the mound in the bottom of the ninth with a three-run lead but allowed two hits and one walk, which allowed Pittsburgh to tie up the game at four runs apiece.

It just never looked like Clase has command of the zone or his pitches.

The flame thrower has never been known as a strikeout pitcher, but he also didn't record a single punch out in his three appearances in Pittsburgh, only further highlighting the concern of how well opposing batters are seeing his pitches right now.

Emmanuel Clase throws a pitch — Apr 19, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Cleveland Guardians relief pitcher Emmanuel Clase (48) pitches against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the ninth inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Bo Naylor's Big Series

When looking just at the stats, Bo Naylor's start to the 2025 season may not look all that great. However, he's been hitting the ball hard and putting up solid at-bats, but has nothing to show for it.

That changed in Cleveland's series win over the Pirates.

Check yes and Bo. ✅#GuardsBall pic.twitter.com/aJ52WZckJ6
— Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) April 19, 2025

Bo started the first two games of the series and recorded a three-hit night with a homer in the series opener and added another hit plus a walk in the second game.

Hopefully, this success will motivate Naylor moving forward.

Kyle Manzardo Loves Pirates Pitching

Emmanuel Clase's Struggles Continue

Bo Naylor's Big Series

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