Guardians Cage Tigers as Slade Cecconi Dominates and the Bats Stay Red Hot

Detroit can't catch a break.

Whether it's on the hardwood or open diamond, Cleveland has dominated them in back-to-back days.

Following an exciting Game 7 win for the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Semifinals of NBA action, the Cleveland Guardians joined the fun of finding wins in Detroit.

Cleveland Cavaliers, Donovan Mitchel — May 17, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) reacts during the second half against the Detroit Pistons during game seven of the second round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

On Monday, May 18, the Guardians and Detroit Tigers met at Comerica Park in Detroit, beginning a four-game set. The Guardians ended up winning, 8-2. From the opening go abouts, it was obvious that the Guardians' recent momentum had carried over from the weekend series against the Cincinnati Reds.

"...We knew we needed to add more offense this year," Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said postgame. "And you're not always going to just get slugging...So we have to look for different ways to get to first base, and that's been the goal of our offense: touch first base, and it doesn't matter how you get there."

The Guardians have now posted a staggering 25 runs over the last three games, while the emergence of José Ramírez in the No. 2 spot in the lineup has played a major role in such offensive success.

This past week, the Guardians' coaching staff moved around lineup assignments, as Ramírez bumped up to No. 2, Chase DeLauter dropped to No. 3 and Steven Kwan, Cleveland's best defensive outfielder, dropped out of the leadoff spot.

Kwan went 0-for-1 from the plate, but drew three walks along the way.

"Kwan seems to be really getting on base where he's at in the order," Vogt said. "And you never know when you make a switch like that how it's going to work out. You just don't. But Kwan's been getting on base. We know who he is, and he drove that ball to right-center field. That's one of the better swings we've seen him take in a while, too. So I really like the way Kwan's progressing."

And so far, it seems like these new assignments have paid off well.

Cleveland Guardians, Jose Ramire — May 18, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Cleveland Guardians third baseman Jose Ramirez (11) celebrates at second base after hitting a two-run double against the Detroit Tigers in the sixth inning at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images | Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images

Ramírez is now 6-for-13 in at-bats and has reached base in 11-of-19 plate appearances since his role change. His season slashing line has also jumped back up to a relatively normal .240/.369/.430 for an OPS of .799.

He has also homered in back-to-back outings.

While Ramírez's night at the plate was impressive, so was the control from starting pitcher Slade Cecconi. After putting together a pretty rocky showing to begin the 2026 campaign, the 26-year-old commanded the game well against the Tigers.

He pitched through 7.1 innings, allowing a measly five hits and two earned runs, striking out four batters along the way.

"He's a tireless worker," Vogt said. "Slade's always trying to make the adjustments to get back to being who he is and the best version of him. The velo's been ticking up. He was a little down today from where it was his last couple starts, but he also had spin.

"So, again, our guys are working tremendously hard to get better every time out and really happy with Slade's performance tonight."

For a player like Cecconi, who has had such a difficult time building confidence and getting in a groove, he has turned a new leaf as of late. Monday showed that he can keep his pitch count down, control at-bats and allow weak contact to get outs.

This might be insane to say but seeing Slade Cecconi in the eighth inning is up there as one of my favorite moments so far this season.

Just a great, great game for him to settle in and get some early-season confidence back. #GuardsBall
— Cade Cracas (@CracasCade) May 19, 2026

With Cecconi and Ramírez drawing the headlines following Monday's performance, it's almost easy to overlook some of the other showings.

Former No. 1 overall pick back in 2024, Travis Bazzana, finished the night by going 2-for-5 from the plate, while Kwan went 0-for-1, but drew three walks. In the No. 9 spot, Brayan Rocchio contributed a nice 1-for-2 performance with two walks drawn and three runs scored.

Bullpen arms Matt Festa and Peyton Pallette tossed clean eighth and ninth innings as they walked one and struck out one.

Cleveland, now with a three-game winning streak intact, will look to keep stringing together strong results as they take on the Tigers on Tuesday at 6:40 p.m. EST for game two of the series.

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