Injuries Not Holding Guardians Back As 12-Run Win Shows Just How Good They Can Be

The Cleveland Guardians won the series on Saturday night, posting 12 runs on

Sep 19, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians left fielder Angel Martinez (1) celebrates his solo home run in the fourth inning against the Athletics at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Cleveland Guardians are getting hot at the right time.

And even though injury scares involving Angel Martinez and Chase DeLauter earlier in the week put any sort of postseason expectations on hold, they were unleashed Saturday night.

In a 12-6 win over the Athletics from Progressive Field on Saturday, Sept. 19, the Guardians offense looked alive. Led by Martínez and DeLauter, the Guardians posted 15 total hits, 12 RBI, 12 runs, four doubles, three home runs and one walk across nine frames.

"It's just fun baseball, right? I mean, this is what we play all year for," DeLauter said postgame. "Of course, we are paying attention, watching the White Sox earlier today... I mean that's what baseball is all about. We came out, gave up a couple early, but if you have watched us the last couple of games we don't feel like we are out of any game."

DeLauter finished with a 2-for-5 line with two runs scored and three RBI. The three-run home run he smacked came in the bottom of the first inning, helping the Guardians retake a lead after falling down 2-0 quickly.

And as he said, anytime it feels like Cleveland is out of it, they march right back.

The Guardians would post five total runs in the first, before taking an inning off and then hanging five more on the heads of the Athletics in the third. Then, in the fourth and sixth innings, one run would be put on the board in each.

Six different players contributed RBI knocks for the Guardians, with DeLauter's three and Martínez's four leading the charge.

While DeLauter's home run stole the show in the first, Martínez helped give the Guardians a cushion with a two-run home run in the first and a solo shot in the fourth. He finished the night with a 4-for-5 line, three runs scored and four RBI. He was a triple short of the cycle.

Angel Martinez is on a TEAR tonight. #Guardians up 12-6 after another RBI knock from him. #GuardsBall

— Cade Cracas (@CracasCade) September 20, 2026

"They [the Athletics] get two in the first to come back and get five, and then... to keep adding on. Really great night by the offense," manager Stephen Vogt said postgame.

Vogt went on to compliment Martínez's night, specifically, as his protection allowed the pitching staff to face a couple of issues and not affect the outcome.

"Angel's having a phenomenal year," Vogt said. "...He had an unbelievable game tonight. He's a super dynamic player, and we know that he's multidimensional. Really fun night for him and big for us."

"He's a super dynamic player, and we know that he's multidimensional"#Guardians Stephen Vogt on Angel's Martinez's multi-homer night vs the A's #GuardsBall @WEWS pic.twitter.com/vjXVXsZpkP

— Mason Horodyski (@MasonHorodyski) September 20, 2026

While the offense was doing its thing, starting pitcher Tanner Bibee was attempting to navigate a fairly rocky road.

He gave up two runs in the first, one in the third, one in the fourth and two in the fifth, before being relieved by the Guardians' bullpen.

The Athletics were just getting to him over and over again, as he finished with 12 hits, six runs, six earned runs and one home run given up across 4.2 innings of work. He threw 95 pitches, 64 of which were strikes.

Across the last seven games, Bibee has a 5.73 ERA and a 1.57 WHIP, showcasing an inability to keep runners off the base paths.

Fortunately, he understands there is still work to be done. He wasn't happy with how he played on Saturday.

"Not great. I mean, obviously they [the offense] backed me up," Bibee said when asked how he felt about his start. "They did a really good job backing me up, I mean, I feel like for me to go out there and do that when we're so far ahead is just kind of pretty bad."

Bibee will at least have one more start before the regular season concludes to prepare for a Guardians postseason run.

Back in action on Sunday, Sept. 20, the Guardians and Athletics will play in a series-concluding outing from Progressive Field. If the rain holds, the two sides will play at 1:40 p.m. EST.