Guardians flex muscles and play long game, smash 6 home runs vs. Reds

CLEVELAND (AP) — Known for doing the little things it takes to win, a style they've embraced and branded as "Guards Ball," the Guardians showed they can also swing big. Kyle Manzardo homered twice and Cleveland connected for six home runs — its most in a home game since 2013 — while rolling to a 10-3 victory over the Cincinnati Reds on Sunday. On the warmest day in 2026 at notoriously chilly Progressive Field, the Guardians became the third team to hit six homers in a game this season. They joined Boston and Washington, which also feasted on Cincinnati's shoddy pitching earlier this week. José Ramírez, Angel Martinez and rookie Chase DeLauter each clubbed a two-run homer and Brayan Rocchio added a solo shot in the power surge. It was Cleveland's first six-homer game since Aug. 15, 2019, at Yankee Stadium, where the short porch in right field invites players to take bigger hacks. The two-time defending AL Central champions have won despite a lack of pop in their lineup in recent years, but their identity could be changing. "We're young and a lot of people don't get into their power until 25-28, and we're starting to get into those age ranges for a lot of our guys," third-year manager Stephen Vogt said. "As you get older, you learn when to take shots. You learn how to attack certain pitches. I don't know if we're going to be a 250-home run team, I doubt it. But it was nice to see the ball fly out of here." The six homers helped the Guardians become the first team since Toronto in 2018 to score 10 runs without a hit with runners in scoring position. It's only been done nine times since RISP started being tracked in 1974. Who needs a clutch base hit when they all go over the wall? "That's the idea," said a smiling Manzardo, who had his fourth career multi-homer game. Manzardo's two-run homer in the third came shortly after the first baseman's fielding gaffe when he failed to catch a foul pop hit by Cincinnati's Matt McLain. Manzardo couldn't locate the ball, and it didn't help that he forgot to put on sunglasses he had perched on the brim of his cap. "Not a good look," he quipped. Manzardo said the mistake motivated him and he added a solo homer in the fifth to put the Guardians ahead 6-2. Manzardo agreed with Vogt's assessment that the Guardians might be growing into a team that can flex its muscles. Martinez, who hit 11 homers last season and has four in his last five games, already has nine this year to lead Cleveland. "Yeah, we've got a lot of guys who haven't necessarily done it for a super long time," he said. "But a lot have gotten these big league reps and you're seeing different guys kind of blossom into who they are, which is really cool." Speaking of cool, for one of the first times all season, the Guardians didn't have to also contend with Cleveland's fickle weather. The game-time temperature of 79 degrees was the warmest this season at Progressive Field, which plays much differently when the wind isn't blowing in off Lake Erie. "The ball really flies here when it's warm out," Manzardo said. "When it's a little bit cooler, you're going to have a tricky time." Manzardo has played in Cleveland long enough to know that when it gets warmer, bats begin heating up as well. "You show up knowing you can hit the ball in the air and have that confidence that it's going to travel," he said. "I don't check the weather in Cleveland. Stuff pops up here all the time." ___ AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB