Sometimes, all guys need is a chance to catch their breath.
After spending a little over two weeks on the injured list, when Cleveland Guardians rookie outfielder Chase DeLauter returned, he looked like a brand-new player. Across 14 games, the 24-year-old slashed .339/.381/.610 for a total OPS of .991.
He has also bashed 20 hits, four doubles and four home runs, tacking on 12 RBI in the process. Along with how well he was swinging the bat, he had also kept a keen eye at the plate, drawing four walks while striking out just nine times.
Ahead of the Guardians’ series opener against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday, July 17, manager Stephen Vogt said the break the rest of the roster received should be enough to rejuvenate the team, just as time off the diamond did for Chase DeLauter.
“It’s just so important to turn your brain off to baseball for a few days,” Vogt said to those in attendance prior to Friday’s game, which would end up being postponed. “I think we lose sight [of the fact] that these guys are doing this every single day.”
That mental reset worked well for DeLauter, as his season numbers have steadily grown to sport a team-high OPS of .793. With 97 games gone by, and just over 60 more to go, getting a break can pop the rest of the team right back up from the injury-riddled rut they were in.
The Guardians limped into the All-Star break having been without Tim Herrin, José Ramírez and Angél Martínez, all while trying out rookies Kahlil Watson and Cooper Ingle.
They were able to string together a four-game winning streak, taking the last game of a series against the Minnesota Twins, before sweeping the Miami Marlins. With strong pitching leading the way, the bats fell in line, with DeLauter and rookie Travis Bazzana playing critical roles in runs coming across the board.
But even though they finished on a nice note, that doesn’t mean they don’t need time to reset.
Echoing a point Guardians sideline reporter Andre Knott made about first baseman Kyle Manzardo during his first full major league season last year, younger players often don’t realize just how demanding a 162-game schedule can be.
“For the first three or four months, he [Stephen Vogt] thought he [Kyle Manzardo] was great, but it felt like he ran out of steam and got tired,” Knott said in an interview on ESPN Cleveland. “I don’t think people realize when you get to mid-August, most of these guys have no legs left.”
For the Bazzanas and DeLauters of the world, that grind can be a brand-new experience they have to adjust to. For the veterans, they understand how important a few days off can be for the body, and the mind.
“Whether you’ve loved what you’ve done the first three and a half months or you’re angry or you’re in between,” Vogt said. “It [The Break] kind of allows you to not have to do it and then get your mind on, ‘OK, here’s what I want to accomplish over the next two and a half months.”
Whether the Guardians end up adding a few bodies to the mix, making moves to strengthen the squad, or sitting back and battling through the injuries to come out on the other side stronger, Vogt and the rest believe that the team will be ready to go when they start the series against the Pirates.
Now, it’s all up to putting results on the board.
With air quality issues postponing Friday’s game, Saturday will now see two games being played, one at 1:10 p.m. EST and the other at 7:10 p.m. EST.
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