Mike Zunino of the Guardians looking for more momentum against the White Sox

After going down long with a timely home run, Cleveland Guardians catcher Mike Zunino can finally breathe

Zunino and the Guardians they will continue their three-game streak against the guest Chicago White Sox on Tuesday following a 3-0 win on Monday. Cleveland led 1-0 before Zunino scored the final margin in the seventh with a two-run homer.

The two-strikeout blast was Zunino’s third homer of the season and first since April 28. The 32-year-old hit a career-high 33 home runs in 2021 with the Tampa Bay Rays.

Zunino entered Monday’s contest down 1:29 and had 21 strikeouts in that stretch. His 341-yard blast to right field helped Cleveland snap a three-game skid.

“I was so happy for him” Guardians manager Terry Francona said. “He shows up every day and works like crazy, but he didn’t have to show much… It made me feel good to see how the duke responded.

Cleveland will send left-hander Logan Allen (1-1, 3.04 ERA) to the mound on Tuesday. He took a no-decision after giving up one run over 5 2/3 innings white socks on Thursday

Allen has impressed since being promoted from Triple-A Columbus on April 23rd. The rookie total allowed nine runs in 26 2/3 innings while posting a 3.63 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

Right-hander Dylan Cease (2-3, 4.78 ERA) will take the mound for Chicago. He allowed three runs in 6 1/3 innings in the 3-1 loss Guardians on Thursday

Cease is 0-3 in his last seven starts, but was encouraged by his most recent outing.

“I was throwing strikes well,” Cease said. “It wasn’t necessarily my sharpest stuff, but I was hitting the zone. There’s definitely more room, but it’s definitely a lot better than my last pair.”

Steven Kwan is 5-for-13 against Cease, who is 4-4 with a 3.81 ERA in 10 career starts against Cleveland, including 2-3 with a 5.65 ERA in at Progressive Field in six games.

THE white socks were limited to three hits in Monday’s loss, including one by center fielder Luis Robert Jr. in the first inning

Robert is hitting .352 (25-71) with seven doubles, eight homers, 16 RBIs and 20 runs in 20 games this month.

“Incredible,” white socks third baseman Jake Burger said. “You just expect him to hit the ball 110-plus mph over the fence, so it’s a lot of fun to watch, especially when it’s really hot.

Cleveland is hoping to build some much-needed momentum after losing 11 of its 17 games before Monday’s win.

Francona held a team meeting afterwards Guardians swept by the New York Mets in three games over the weekend. The team responded with one of the cleanest performances of the season

“It was a wake-up call and he expects a lot from us. We expect a lot from ourselves.” Guardians first baseman Josh Naylor said. “We trust each other as teammates and as brothers. We want to make the coaching staff, the Cleveland fans proud

“So we’re still working hard. If the ball goes our way, it goes our way. If it doesn’t, it’s unfortunate. We’ve got to show up the next day and keep working.”

— Field Level Media