How the Cleveland Guardians Pulled off a Series-Winning Comeback on Sunday

The Cleveland Guardians somehow, someway, were able to prevail on Sunday night.

Following a loss in game one to begin an Easter Sunday doubleheader, the Guardians were able to rally in game two and finish off the series against the Chicago Cubs strongly, with a 6-5 victory.

While normally, it's the flashy, headline-grabbing bats that lead the Guardians to success like José Ramírez or even Chase DeLauter, this time, it was players who sometimes don't even have the opposition blink.

A combination of utility CJ Kayfus, infielder Gabriel Arias and even veteran catcher Austin Hedges powered the Guardians to their second win of the series.

"We want to make the lineup as long as possible," Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said immediately following the conclusion of game two. "When we're getting contributions from Gabby [Arias] and [Austin] Hedgie... It's the bottom of the lineup today. It just makes it longer....

"When you're getting, more and more people to chip in, it just takes the pressure off."

The Pitching

Vogt was happy about the way things began for Cleveland, especially with Parker Messick continuing to be effective on the mound.

"Parker was awesome," Vogt said. "They made him work in that fifth. He was cruising up until then. He threw close to 30 pitches... They made him work, but he did do his job. He was outstanding. They had a one-off of a homer, but outside of that, they really didn't get much going on."

Messick finished the game with just two hits, three walks and one earned run allowed, all while striking out six in the process. His season ERA is now at a mark of 0.82, with his WHIP coming in at 0.91. Of all the starters, he currently leads in both categories.

He was pulled after five innings, giving the bullpen the rest of the outing.

With the game on the line late, the Guardians' coaching staff turned to Shawn Armstrong and Cade Smith, the team's two late-game options. Unfortunately, keeping up with recent history, both struggled to close out the game, giving up a combined total of two hits, three walks and two earned runs.

When asked about the struggles down the stretch for Smith, specifically, Vogt was honest about his issues.

"The word I would use right now with Cade [Smith] is a little erratic," Vogt said. "It's not the pinpoint command and control that we're used to seeing from Cade. His stuff is still moving forward, really good. The fastball is still one of the best pitches in baseball. Just the command and the control right now are a little bit off.

"He's aware of it. We're aware of it. And he's working every day to get it back."

The Bats Finally Got Going... Very, Very Late

One of Cleveland's most notable bats on Sunday was one that had been struggling all season long.

Heading into Sunday, Kayfus had been hitless through nearly 15 plate appearances, but when the Guardians needed him the most, he found a way to impact the game.

In the bottom of the sixth inning, with the Guardians trailing, 3-0, he singled on a line drive into right field, bringing Steven Kwan across home plate. From there, with the help of a DeLauter sac fly and an Arias single up the middle, Cleveland was able to tie up the game.

They dropped the lead in the top of the eighth inning, but Kayfus yet again showed up in the bottom half.

He sent a homer into right field to tie the game, with the ball coming off his bat at 104.5 mph. It wasn't a line drive-type shot, but rather a lofted, high-flying home run that kept carrying.

The Guardians then tacked on two more runs that inning to give themselves enough of a cushion.

Kayfus finished the game going 2-for-2 from the plate with a home run and two RBI, while Arias finished 2-for-4 with two RBI. Hedges finished his night with two hits, a double and one RBI.

"We had a tough way to start, and it doesn't get easier," Vogt said after the series against the Cubs. "We've had another tough week ahead of us, and I'm sure it doesn't get easier after that. Every team in the big leagues is really good, but I couldn't be more thrilled with where we are. We are 6-4 through these first 10 games."