Kyle

Manzardo

Manzardo’s homer was his seventh of the year and second in as many days. He took Gerrit Cole deep in the second inning, the first long ball Cole had allowed in three starts since returning from Tommy John surgery. Manzardo has finally received some consistent playing time, primarily hitting cleanup against opposing righties. Cleveland has one more game in the Bronx before visiting Texas for a three-game weekend series.

Manzardo was the unlikely hero in a game where Cristopher Sánchez and Gavin Williams each tossed eight scoreless innings. Well, after Sánchez came out, Manzardo pinch-hit for Rhys Hoskins in the ninth and launched a first pitch home run off Jhoan Duran to put the Guardians up. It’s been a trying season overall for Manzardo – this was just his fifth home run to go along with a .228 batting average – but maybe this clutch shot can get him going.

The homers were two of six that Cleveland hit in the contest. Manzardo’s first one was a titanic two-run blast against Brady Singer in the third inning, and he followed it up with a solo shot off left-hander Brock Burke. He got off to a very cold start in April, striking out in 35 percent of his plate appearances, but he’s been hitting better in May and should remain a middle-of-the-order presence against right-handers. Cleveland next heads out on a seven-game road trip to Detroit and Philadelphia.

Manzardo had gotten the day off with a lefty on the mound for the A’s. He entered the game as a pinch hitter in the eighth inning and took Luis Morales deep for a three-run blast. It was the second home run of the season for Manzardo. He’s struggled over the first month, slashing .187/.272/.275 with ten RBI across 103 plate appearances.

Manzardo got the best of Braves starter Bryce Elder in the fourth inning, taking the first pitch he saw 468 feet to right field for his first homer of the season to tie the game at 1-1. It would be the only hit of the night for Manzardo, who entered the day hitting .086 and is still hoping to tap back into the form he saw last season when he hit 27 homers and drove in 70 runs. Manzardo’s struggles date back to spring training when he slashed .182/.237/.345 in 59 plate appearances, making him hard to trust until things begin to turn around.

Even with tough left-hander Cole Ragans on the mound, the Guardians will have DeLauter back in the lineup after one day off. He will hit fifth instead of second, but it’s nice to see that he is not in a strict platoon. It does seem like Kyle Manzardo and Bo Baylor are in strict platoons, as both of them will sit yet again with Austin Hedges catching and Rhys Hoskins at first base.

The 33-year-old slugger is expected to be a regular against left-handed pitching for the Guardians, but he’s in there against a right-hander as well on Opening night. If he’s able to stay healthy and regain his power stroke, he could wind up providing some mixed league viability. Here’s the full lineup that manager Stephen Vogt will use against Logan Gilbert and the M’s on Thursday: Steven Kwan (LF), Chase DeLauter (RF), Jose Ramirez (3B), Kyle Manzardo (DH), Bo Naylor (C), Rhys Hoskins (1B), Daniel Schneemann (CF), Gabriel Arias (SS) and Brayan Rocchio (2B).

Manzardo was batting eighth tonight with the lefty on the mound, but he gave the Guardians a little bit more of a reason to keep him in the lineup against southpaws. While he’s hitting just .140 overall this spring, there’s no question that he’ll open up as a starter against right-handers. It’s just a matter of whether he’s platooned or not. Starting against lefties would probably lead to a weaker batter average, but it still could make the difference in whether or not he’s worth playing in mixed leagues.

Manzardo took Dodgers starter Roki Sasaki deep to left-center field for a no-doubter that traveled 375 feet, according to Statcast. The 25-year-old first baseman is coming off a 27-homer campaign last year for the Guardians but still finds himself being selected outside the top 20 at the position, on average, in drafts this spring. He’s a strong late-round selection as a power-hitting corner infield option with a respectable batting average.

Manzardo’s two-run shot was literally the only offense his Guardians could muster up against Jack Leiter and the Rangers’ bullpen. He punished a changeup that sat in the middle of the plate and sent it 417 feet over the center field fence. All in all, Manzardo’s first full season should be considered a success with those 27 home runs, 70 RBI, and a .766 OPS with two games to play.