Travis Bazzana Sparks Cleveland's Bats as Guardians Route Nationals in Series Finale

The Cleveland Guardians couldn't get the bats going to begin the series against the Washington Nationals.

On Monday, the Guardians dropped the series opener, 10-2, in blowout fashion with starting pitcher Tanner Bibee struggling immensely. He was pulled after just three innings. Then, on Tuesday, the pitching blunders continued as Joey Cantillo exited after two innings with his command wavering, giving up four runs. The Guardians ended up losing, 6-3.

But on Wednesday, May 27, with all odds against them, the Guardians came out and finished the series on a high note. With a combination of strong pitching, led by starter Gavin Williams, and the bats making contact at the right moments, they would waltz to a 3-2 win at home.

The Guardians now sit 33-25 on the year, maintaining the top spot in the American League Central.

"Gavin [Williams] made a bunch of in-season adjustments last year, now he's making in-game adjustments," Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said postgame. "I mean, that's the progression of a big league pitcher, of a big league player. You have to be able to make in-game adjustments and at-bat to at-bat, pitch to pitch, and we're seeing that growth. And Gavin being able to repeat and execute and he was phenomenal."

#Guardians manager Stephen Vogt on the growth and maturity from Gavin Williams:

'"Gavin made a bunch of in-season adjustments last year, now he's making in-game adjustments. I mean, that's the progression of a big league pitcher, of a big league player. You have to be able to…
— Cade Cracas (@CracasCade) May 27, 2026

Williams, who was coming off an impressive 11-strikeout showing against the Philadelphia Phillies this past weekend, kept the red-hot Nationals offense at bay.

He did give up a run in the top of the third inning, but outside of that, he kept them off the board for the remainder of his time on the mound. He finished with three hits, two walks and one earned run given up, striking out four along the way.

He is now through seven... Gavin has pitched through 15 innings across the last two games.

Here's where he is at today:

3 Hits Allowed
1 Earned Run Allowed
2 Walks Allowed
4 Strikeouts

He is up to 94 pitches. #GuardsBall https://t.co/2OGuhV57we
— Cade Cracas (@CracasCade) May 27, 2026

It certainly wasn't his most flashy performance of the campaign, but it got the job done.

Travis Bazzana Woke Up Feeling Hungry... and So Did the Rest of the Bunch

In the bottom of the first inning, both Angel Martinez and Steven Kwan got on base with singles, eventually ending up on the corners. But while it looked like they would score first, Austin Hedges popped up to end the inning.

Then, in the third, Bazzana blasted a one-out double to put the Guardians back in scoring position. Back-to-back line outs from Jose Ramirez and Chase DeLauter, though, would bring that opportunity to rest as well.

After the Nationals got on the board in the third, Cleveland would eventually respond in the fifth inning.

Reaching on a fielding error by the Nationals, Hedges ended up at first base. Two batters later, Bazzana waltzed right back up to the plate and blasted his second double of the game, putting Hedges and himself in scoring position.

Travis Bazzana hits his second double of the game and the #Guardians have two in scoring position in the bottom of the fifth.

Great work by Bazzana in the leadoff spot. #GuardsBall
— Cade Cracas (@CracasCade) May 27, 2026

Ramírez, who has been rocky as of late, sacrifice flew to center to bring Hedges across home plate to tie up the game.

Chase DeLauter would follow the future Hall of Famer up with a line drive to left, scoring Bazzana to give them the edge, 2-1. Kyle Manzardo then singled too, before Martinez joined the fun and brought DeLauter across home plate.

The Guardians ended up exiting the fifth inning with a 3-1 edge, all beginning with the bat of the former No. 1 overall selection in the 2024 MLB Draft.

"He shows up every day, has competitive at-bats, works the box, doesn't swing at balls, hits the strikes hard," roookie counterpart Chase DeLauter said postgame when reflecting on the play of Bazzana. "I mean, what more can you ask for?"

With controlled late-game pitching from Tim Herrin and Cade Smith, the Guardians secured a 3-2 win heading into a much-needed off day on Thursday.

Cleveland will bring back baseball on Friday, May 29, to begin a three-game weekend series against the Boston Red Sox. The Guardians and Red Sox will clash at 7:10 p.m. EST in the series opener.

"Twenty-six games in twenty-seven days and, thirteen in a row again, and to come out of it 9-4 [actually 10-3], that's pretty good," Vogt said unsure of the Guardians' exact record during that stretch. "...I just couldn't be more proud of them. I mean, I thought they played excellent. They showed up. They were ready to play. They didn't let two tough nights get them down."

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