Inside Chase DeLauter's Game-Winning Triple in the Bottom the Eighth vs. Houston

He was due.

After struggling for the past few weeks, it felt like everyone was waiting for Chase DeLauter to provide the Cleveland Guardians with one of his highlight-worthy moments at the plate.

And on Tuesday, April 21, DeLauter came up big for the Guardians again, striking a three-run triple into the left field corner to give the team a 6-4 lead. Before DeLauter and the Guardians' big eighth inning, all hope seemed to be lost as the bats just weren't moving well.

But from there, Cleveland would go on to close out the win, 8-5.

When asked about his knock, especially with so much pressure riding on his back due to the bases being loaded and the team being down, DeLauter said he remained in touch with the moment.

"Yeah, business as usual, but, I mean, usual is a lot of energy," DeLauter began. "I mean, we always believe we're going to get a lot of runs, and sometimes it works that way, sometimes it doesn't, sometimes hits fall, and sometimes they don't.

"I think the big thing is for us to keep that energy up, to keep the main goal in mind, to have great at-bats, move on to the next guy, and good things happen."

Just before DeLauter got up to the plate, Brayan Rocchio had cut the difference to one with an RBI single into center field, with Steven Kwan then walking.

But for the rookie, it wasn't like he was going to the plate with much momentum. Over the month of April, he has only left the yard once, and in the last 12 at-bats hadn't even recorded a hit. He was asked about those struggles and how he was able to put them behind him to come up big with the triple.

"At the end of the day, trying to be myself, really," DeLauter said. "But, you know, big situation, one out, trying to get a ball forward. Yeah, man, I mean, tough lefty on the mound, doesn't walk a lot of guys. Looking for a heater, got a couple there that I fouled off, but, you know, just trying to battle and get something out there, really. I got the pitch to hit."

One of the reasons DeLauter has experienced a rocky stretch over the past couple of series is due to adjustments from opposing pitchers. They’ve begun targeting the outer third of the plate and mixing in a steady dose of off-speed pitches, forcing him to either reach with his somewhat awkward swing or hesitate while waiting for a pitch he can drive.

"Yeah, definitely getting pitched a little bit differently," he said. "Weather hasn't been the best, but obviously, last week or so, struggled a little bit. A little bit there at the plate. But like I said out there, man, great group of guys to have my back. Something keeps showing up in the box every day. All the confidence in the world every day, and it's just baseball."

DeLauter went on to talk about how the team having his back has helped him stay confident, especially while still adjusting to the play at the big league level.

"I like to go to the older guys, you know, Kwan, Hedgie, the guys that have been around the game a long time, Rhys, and just kind of hear what they have to say and get some thoughts from them," he said. "And those guys that just have wise words, man, and just smart. Have been around it forever."

With the guidance DeLauter is being given, especially from the players he mentioned, it is no surprise that he has been playing with such maturity. Even in games where his bat has struggled, he has kept a keen eye and forced opposing pitchers to walk him or give him a pitch he likes.

Now that the Guardians have evened up the series at one, they'll likely have a bit of an extra spark on Wednesday, April 22, when the two sides match up in the series finale at 1:10 p.m. EST.

And hopefully, Tuesday's performance allows DeLauter to go on a bit of a hot streak again.

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