Guardians notes: Cleveland bullpen employs two left-handers for the first time this season

CLEVELAND — The Guardians are a left-handed double threat out of the bullpen for the first time this season — just the way manager Stephen Vogt likes it. Sam Hentges was activated from the injured list Monday after being sidelined for nearly two months with left middle finger inflammation, joining Tim Herrin, who was serving as Cleveland's only lefty reliever. "I can't speak enough about what Timmy did the first six weeks of this season," Vogt said. "Being the only lefty, knowing that in Houston (April 30-May 2), you're going to throw every game to two of the better left-handed hitters in the game (Yordan Alvarez and Kyle Tucker). But he's come in, whether lefty or righty, and done a great job. "When you only have one (lefty), you gotta pick your spot. And Timmy answered the call more often than not. And now that Sam's here, we can get a little more creative with our deployment, so it's really nice to have two of them." Herrin entered Wednesday sporting a 1.06 ERA and 0.941 WHIP over 17 appearances, striking out 17 batters in 17 innings. Only one of Herrin's inherited runners had scored through Tuesday. Hentges, who had been sidelined since spring training, made his season debut the day he left the IL, tossing a scoreless 2/3 of an inning in a 2-1 win over the Tigers at Progressive Field. Yes way, Jose Starting pitcher Triston McKenzie has run out of words when it comes to describing what third baseman Jose Ramirez means to the Guardians. "Bro, there's nothing to say," McKenzie said after Monday's win over . "I mean, he's himself every day, and I think that's something that you can count on, whether that's the first inning or when we need him in tight spots, and I think it shows. "That's just a testament to who he is as a player. He's someone who is consistent, he's reliable, and whether that's at the plate or in the field, that's what you want out of your superstar." It's been a struggle over the first month-plus for Ramirez, who entered Wednesday batting only .245 over 35 games. He ended an 0-for-19 skid Sunday against the Angels, hitting his franchise-leading 87th go-ahead home run to power a 4-1 win. Ramirez's two RBIs Tuesday brought his career total to 776, tying Hall of Famer Larry Doby for ninth-most in franchise history. Next up The Guardians begin a seven-game road trip tonight with a four-game series against Central Division rival Chicago at 7:40 p.m.RHP Ben Lively (1-1, 2.08 ERA) opens the set, opposing RHP Erick Fedde (2-0, 3.46), while RHP Carlos Carrasco (2-2, 5.67) goes for Cleveland on Friday against LHP Garrett Crochet (2-4, 5.31). McKenzie (2-2, 3.97) starts for the Guardians on Saturday (7:10 p.m.) against RHP Mike Clevinger (0-1, 13.50), while LHP Logan Allen (3-2, 6.41) goes for the Guards in the series finale Sunday (2:10 p.m.), opposing RHP Michael Soroka (0-4, 6.34). Roundin' third The Guardians had 37 homers in 36 games through Tuesday, compared to 19 in 2023. Cleveland's .394 slugging percentage over the span is a 63-point increase over last year's .331 at the same point. l Triple-A Columbus center fielder Myles Straw entered Wednesday batting .223 with a .612 OPS, one homer and seven RBIs over 31 games. Contact Chris Assenheimer at (440) 329-7136 or cassenheimer@chroniclet.com. Like him on Facebook and follow him @CAwesomeheimer on Twitter.