Guardians Drop Another Nail-Biter as Pitching Struggles Continue Against Yankees

While Cecconi may have struggled in the early go-abouts, he locked in to hold onto the outing for the Guardians in the middle innings.

Jun 9, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Slade Cecconi (44) delivers a pitch in the first inning against the New York Yankees at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images | David Richard-Imagn Images

Slade Cecconi gave up two runs in the second inning.

But from that point on, he settled in and kept the Cleveland Guardians within striking distance. Unfortunately, another late-game collapse by the bullpen ended up costing the Guardians, though, resulting in a loss at home, 3-2.

On Tuesday, June 9, the Guardians played host to the New York Yankees at Progressive Field, looking to avenge an extra-innings loss that occurred just a day prior. But while nine total hits were registered, which is certainly an improvement compared to recent showings, there wasn't enough in the tank to get the boys in navy blue, red and white past the Yanks.

"They [the Yankees] made really good pitches when they needed to," manager Stephen Vogt said about the lack of scoring with good opportunities. "Again, we had a lot of opportunities tonight, weren't able to cash in. We didn't play the cleanest of games early, and then, just weren't able to get that big hit. I don't think anything's trending.

"I think we just have to continue to focus to work and learn. We got a lot of young hitters that are learning, and we are gonna keep helping them."

Slade Cecconi's Start

Although he may have had a tough second inning, giving up a walk and a two-run blast to Spencer Jones, Cecconi looked alright.

He went on to strike out Anthony Volpe and J.C. Escarra that inning, forcing Ryan McMahon to ground out along the way, showing good composure on the mound.

From there, he would only give up four more hits and one walk across the next three innings, capping off a five-inning performance nicely. He finished with six hits, two earned runs and two walks given up, striking out a strong seven batters.

With the bats being able to support him in the third, bringing the game level, he did his job to keep the Yankees at bay and allow the Guardians to try and take a lead.

"I thought he and Hedges did an awesome job," Vogt said about Cecconi's night. "I mean, facing the same team five days prior, so to navigate, you know, two and a half times through that order through five innings, two runs, really the homer was kind of the only blemish, and I thought he was moving the ball in and out. Cutter was really good today. Got some good swings and misses on the curve. Slade was fantastic."

The Bullpen Needs a Shake Up

For what feels like the hundredth time this season, the bullpen has been costly for the Guardians.

While at times, the bats have been able to bail them out, more often than not, the inconsistency of the late-game arms has resulted in the Guardians losing games. Of the Guardians' 32 losses this season, 12 have come after the bullpen allowed a lead to slip away or surrendered key runs in the game's final innings.

Earlier in the year, much of the attention was directed toward a few offseason additions who struggled to consistently protect leads. By early June, all but two of those relievers, Colin Holderman and Shawn Armstrong, were no longer on the roster.

More recently, however, the issues have spread throughout historically effective high-leverage arms. Hunter Gaddis, Shawn Armstrong, and Tim Herrin have each been tagged for costly runs during the Guardians' series against the Yankees.

And alarmingly, the current bullpen is showing signs of the 2023 unit that repeatedly faltered in one- and two-run games, a troubling trend that's resurfacing this season.

In one-run outings this season, the Guardians are currently 10-10, a middle ground that shows just how rocky the road has been in the clutch.

If Cleveland truly wants to capitalize on the window of opportunity available with youngsters like Travis Bazzana and Parker Messick having breakout rookie seasons, all while José Ramírez returns to normal form, the front office has to be considering making some moves as the deadline approaches.

This team is far too talented to sit idly by while the bullpen continues to let games slip away, especially in winnable matchups against some of the league's best teams.

The Guardians, with their sights set on capping off a series on a good note, will return to the diamond on Wednesday, June 10, for a mid-day matchup aimed for 1:10 p.m. EST.