DeLauter Lifts Guardians

Chase DeLauter put Cleveland ahead for good with a three-run triple in the eighth inning Tuesday, and the Guardians beat the Houston Astros 8-5 at Progressive Field. (espn.com) Cleveland trailed 4-2 before opening the eighth with four straight baserunners, then scored six runs in the inning. DeLauter’s triple drove in Angel Martínez, Brayan Rocchio and Steven Kwan, and Kyle Manzardo followed with a two-run single. (espn.com) Houston had taken control with three runs in the fifth and another in the seventh. Yordan Alvarez drove in three runs for the Astros, while Peter Messick allowed three runs over five innings for Cleveland before the bullpen covered the final four. (espn.com) The win moved Cleveland to 14-11 and kept the club in first place in the American League Central through April 21. Houston fell to 9-16 and 2-10 on the road. (espn.com) (baseball-reference.com) DeLauter’s swing landed in a season that has already pushed him into Cleveland’s middle of the order. On April 3, MLB.com noted that the 24-year-old had hit five home runs in his first seven career regular-season games, a total tied for second-most since 1900 at that point. (mlb.com) That start came after a spring shaped by questions about health and playing time. MLB.com reported in February that injuries had limited DeLauter’s minor league workload, and in March it described him as Cleveland’s No. 2 prospect entering his first full major league season. (mlb.com 1) (mlb.com 2) Manzardo’s two RBIs added to a slow but improving opening month. ESPN listed him at three RBIs entering the game, and his two-run single in the eighth gave Cleveland needed separation after DeLauter’s triple flipped the score. (espn.com 1) (espn.com 2) Cleveland and Houston were back at Progressive Field on Wednesday, April 22, for the third game of the series. Tuesday’s comeback turned a 4-2 deficit into an 8-5 win with one inning, one triple and one final push from the bottom of the order to the heart of it. (baseball-reference.com)