Angel

Martínez

Martínez left the second game of Friday’s doubleheader as a precaution following a collision with shortstop Brayan Rocchio on a flyball.

Martínez, playing left field, collided with shortstop Brayan Rocchio on the final play of the top of the fourth. Rocchio was able to stay in, but Martínez was removed for the start of the fifth. Nathaniel Lowe replaced him, with David Fry moving from first base to left field.

Martínez’ home run was his 14th of the season. He hit a two-run shot off Blue Jays reliever Michael Lorenzen in the seventh inning. Martínez hit .324 in August, but only had two home runs. He’s hitting .249 with a .728 OPS and 50 RBI this year.

Martínez put the Guardians on the board with a two-run blast off Daniel Lynch in the second inning. He later drove in a third run with a base hit in the ninth as he was responsible for plating all three runs for the Guardians on Saturday. The 24-year-old outfielder is hitting .245/.281/.431 with 13 homers, 37 runs scored, 48 RBI, and 11 steals across 341 plate appearances.

DeLauter grabs a seat on the bench for the second consecutive game as he continues to recover from a hamstring issue that cropped up over the weekend. The positive news is that an MRI didn’t reveal any structural issues. He’s day-to-day heading into Thursday’s series finale against San Francisco. It’ll be Angel Martínez taking over in right field in his absence.

Guardians manager Stephen Vogt told reporters that DeLauter is feeling better after receiving treatment during Monday’s off-day. He added that an MRI on his left hamstring didn’t reveal any structural issues. It’s an encouraging update after the 24-year-old rookie made an early exit from Sunday’s game with mild hamstring tightness. All signs point to DeLauter managing to avoid a trip to the injured list and returning to Cleveland’s lineup at some point this week. It’ll be Jo Adell and Angel Martínez in the outfield corners on Tuesday evening.

Both of Martínez’s doubles held weight in this game. His first came in the first inning as Framber Valdez nearly escaped a bases loaded jam with zero outs and just one run home. With two outs, Martínez doubled home a key second run. Then, as the Guardians needed insurance late, Martínez’s seventh inning double helped set up a two-run rally. Red-hot in August after going hit-less in first 18 at-bats off the injured list, Martínez is riding an eight-game hitting streak and is 13-for-33 this month.

Martínez put the Guardians on the board in the top of the first inning when he singled to drive home José Ramírez and Steven Kwan to put the Guardians up 2-0. In the fifth inning, Martínez would come up with the bases loaded and deposit a pitch from David Sandlin 435 feet into right-center for a grand slam and push the Guardians’ lead to 6-1. It was the third grand slam of Martínez’s career and his second this season, with his first on the year coming in April against the Royals. Martínez has now hit safely in four straight games and is slashing .350/.381/.600 this month.

Catcher Jacob Cozart is one player going the other way. Given the way the Angels are stocking up on Angels, maybe Martínez is also involved. The Guardians have paid for ignoring their outfield in recent years, and Adell’s right-handed power will add balance to their lineup. He figures to take over in right field, with Chase DeLauter spending more time at DH. Martinez figures to lose at-bats, unless he’s in the deal.

It’s strange to see DeLauter taking a seat against a right-handed starter, especially since he’s hitting .344 (11-for-32) with four RBI and two steals in eight games since the All-Star break. With Angel Martínez back in right field, it’ll be rookie Travis Bazzana at DH with Gabriel Arias handling second base on Saturday evening.