CLEVELAND — Manager Stephen Vogt returned to the Guardians dugout Tuesday, May 12 after missing two games with an illness.
Vogt’s voice was not at full strength, but his feel for the game was still present as he navigated through nine innings, and made the necessary moves to help the Guardians win 3-2 over the Los Angeles Angels.
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“I’m feeling way better. Thank you for asking,” Vogt said in his postgame comments with media members. “I have had a rough couple of days. It’s been a rough couple of weeks. You guys have heard my cough. It came to a head Saturday night really bad, but I got some good medicine and I am on the mend. … I hate missing, but it was the right thing to do. I got some rest, and now I am going to be ready to go.”
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Guardians bench coach Tony Arnerich filled in admirably as the acting manager the previous two games in a 5-4 loss to the Minnesota Twins on Sunday, May 10 and a 7-2 win over the Angels the next night.
“It was fun. I thought he did a great job,” Vogt said of Arnerich. “Tony’s such a smart baseball person. We have so many great coaches. What’s really fun is knowing that when you need to leave for a couple of days, that you don’t have to worry about a dang thing. Tony and the rest of the staff stepped in. This group can lead themselves. That is who they are and they are really fun to watch.”
Guardians manager Stephen Vogt stands in the dugout in the fifth inning against the Los Angeles Angels, May 12, 2026, in Cleveland.
Guardians starting pitcher Slade Cecconi said Vogt is “the heart and soul of this team.”
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“He is the person that instills confidence in everybody.” Cecconi said. “He is willing to have every conversation that needs to be had, no matter what it is about with any player. He has been on the other side of the line for a very long time [as a former MLB catcher]. It is good to have him back.”
May 12, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians right fielder Angel Martinez (1) celebrates his solo home run in the third inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images
Guardians outfielder Ángel Martínez hits home run against Angels
Outfielder Ángel Martínez went 2-for-3 with a solo home run and a single to lead the Guardians offense Tuesday.
“Angel was off to a great start and then had kind of a rough 8 to 10 days here leading up to tonight, but to see him get back to who he is, and that is looking for the ball out over the plate,” Vogt said. “He drove the changeup for a homer [off Walbert Ureña], and got robbed on a second one [by Angels right fielder Jo Adell]. Just great at-bats.”
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Martinez said “good conversations in practice” helped him prep for Tuesday after going 2-for-20 in the previous seven games.
“It’s just baseball,” Martinez said. “You are going to go up and down. You don’t want to go too far down. On the good days, don’t go too high and on the bad days, don’t go too low. Stay simple.”
Guardians starting pitcher Slade Cecconi delivers a first-inning pitch against the Los Angeles Angels, May 12, 2026, in Cleveland.
Guardians pitcher Slade Cecconi strikes out Angels all-star Mike Trout
Cecconi pitched four scoreless innings before giving way to the bullpen. He struck out Angels all-star Mike Trout looking in the second inning, and lauded the slugger as “like a Mount Rushmore hitter.”
“To do it on kind of my signature thing, which is the quick pitch, man, that is my thing, and I got Trout on it,” Cecconi said. “It gives me so much confidence when that happens. When you see a guy sit there and not take the bat off the shoulder.
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“… It was so cool. I had to control my emotions after that one because the kid inside me that watched him growing up was screaming.”
Cecconi struck out seven and allowed five hits and one walk with new catcher Patrick Bailey.
“Pat hadn’t caught a baseball from me until pregame and we went out there and I didn’t shake off one pitch in 89 pitches,” Cecconi said. “It’s really cool. I am really excited to keep working with him. It was really encouraging to talk to him before the game, get a plan, commit to it and watch him go to work back there.”
Vogt liked what he saw in Cecconi’s fastball and cutter.
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“They got his pitch count up,” Vogt said. “They made him work, so, we had to get him out of there after four, but to keep them off the scoreboard like that, that was an outstanding job by Slade.”
Guardians pitcher Hunter Gaddis delivers a pitch in the fifth inning against the Los Angeles Angels, May 12, 2026, in Cleveland.
Guardians manager Stephen Vogt uses bullpen to win
Vogt said relievers Hunter Gaddis, Tim Herrin, Erik Sabrowski, Franco Aleman and Cade Smith were “excellent.”
“Outside of a home run ball that happens [that Vaughn Grissom hit off Aleman] and a shooter triple down the line [that Oswald Peraza hit off Herrin], they were almost flawless again,” Vogt said. “They continue to be solid when we need them to be.”
Guardians relief pitcher Cade Smith follows through on pitch in the ninth inning against the Los Angeles Angels, May 12, 2026, in Cleveland.
Guardians closer Cade Smith records a four-out save
Smith recorded the final four outs for his 12th save. He struck out Sebastián Rivero to end the eighth. Zach Neto and Mike Trout flied out to Martinez in right field to start the ninth and Nolan Schanuel struck out for the final out of the game.
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“I think he is back to North-South [pitching],” Vogt said of Smith. “Earlier in the year, he was kind of working across himself and we knew that. The pitching team identified it and Cade identified it, but he is back to getting the top rail with his fastball, his split is way more consistent and he still has the sweeper that he can land from time-to-time.”
Smith he and his fellow relievers “just bear down and compete together.”
“The goal each day is clear,” Smith said. “We are down there to try and do what we can to help the team win. If that is holding a lead, stopping the other team’s momentum, whatever it looks like, I know everybody down there is pulling for that same goal.”
Akron Beacon Journal sports writer Michael Beaven can be reached by email at mbeaven@thebeaconjournal.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Manager Stephen Vogt happy to return to Guardians after illness
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