What We Learned From Guardians' Spring Training Win Against Arizona

The Cleveland Guardians have now won four straight spring training games.

Now, now, it's just spring training, but some of the takeaways certainly raise eyebrows and provide the Guardians with a bit of excitement moving forward. And after all, wins are still wins.

On Monday, Feb. 23, the Guardians acted as the home team as they took on the Arizona Diamondbacks, downing them in a high-scoring affair, 9-5.

The team opened things up quickly, surging to a massive 7-0 lead through six innings, but in the seventh, the Diamondbacks finally started trending in the right direction. With pitching blunders, the Guardians gave up five runs over the course of the next two innings.

Fortunately for Cleveland's coaching staff, the blood-pressure-raising moments were over in the bottom of the eighth as the team tacked on two more runs.

That ultimately solidified the 9-5 scoreline in favor of the Guardians.

The Bats

In the hitting department, lots of things were going well for Cleveland. Players were waiting on pitches, not jumping out of the strike zone often and were making solid contact.

Superstar third baseman Jose Ramirez tacked on the team's lone home run with a three-run blast in the fifth inning. His knock went 386 feet, bringing home CJ Kayfus and pinch runner Jaison Chourio, who got on base after a Steven Kwan single.

Prior to Ramirez's big-time moment, the Guardians had scored two runs off the work of prospect Chase DeLauter. He doubled to right, sending Johnathan Rodriguez home to score. DeLauter was then brought home off a Ramirez double, giving the team that early 2-0 edge that set the momentum in the Guardians' direction.

After the 5-0 start, the Guardians would wait until the bottom of the sixth when Chourio, who came in for Kwan for the rest of the game, waited through four pitches before knocking a single into center field. His single allowed catcher Cooper Ingle to score. Following Chourio was Ryan Cesarini, who sac-flew to bring in another run.

The Guardians would then be silent until the bottom of the eighth where they put up two more runs.

Obviously, the team learned that Ramirez is still one of the best players in the league, but they also started to realize that the depth is really strong. All but four players were able to get on base via a hit or walk, showcasing a knack for that "GuardsBall" mentality.

Plenty of players, including CJ Kayfus, showed off poise at the plate. In one at-bat, he drew three balls on pitches outside of the zone and fouled off two inside, before drawing a fourth ball and walking.

That type of play is exactly what Cleveland needs from it's batters.

The Arms

Outside of two, the Guardians' pitching staff looked elite.

Tanner Bibee started, tossing through two innings with one hit allowed and posting one strikeout. He threw 32 pitches, 17 of which were strikes. He seemed to test the zone, see what batters were swinging to, before adjusting his approach.

After an up and down 2025 season, this is exactly the type of way he needed to build confidence.

Following Bibee were Matt Festa and Tim Herrin, both of whom kept the team's mound clean with a combined two hits, one walk and two strikeouts over the course of two innings.

Prospect Kolby Allard was the next to take the mound, and while he looked rocky, posting 26 pitches across two innings, he kept the game scoreless with just two hits. William Thornton, who took the mound later, also tossed a scoreless inning with two strikeouts.

The next two, given a chance to throw, Pedro Avila and Trenton Denholm, weren't as effective as well. They gave up the game's five runs, allowing six hits and three walks in the process.

Cleveland's front-half pitching was great, but in the later stages of the game, the depth of the bullpen began to unravel. It'll be something the coaching staff monitors.

Moving Forward

The Guardians are trending in the right direction. Now, they've just got to weed out the players who haven't been up to par and prepare the others for potential breakout 2026 campaigns.

Unfortunately, the Guardians' next few spring training games will remain off television. They'll take on the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday, Feb. 24, the Texas Rangers on Wednesday, Feb. 25 and the Chicago Cubs on Friday, Feb. 27.

The next televised game will be on Saturday, Feb. 28, against the Chicago White Sox.