Guardians notes: Manager Stephen Vogt tinkers with lineup for Game 3 of ALCS

CLEVELAND — Manager Stephen Vogt made changes to the Guardians' lineup Thursday prior to Game 3 of the ALCS in the wake of two losses to the Yankees in which Cleveland scored a total of five runs. The biggest move was in right field, where Vogt went with Daniel Schneemann over Will Brennan or Jhonkensy Noel. Brennan and Noel combined to go 2-for-25 with a walk and nine strikeouts over the Guardians' first seven postseason games. Schneemann had made only one postseason appearance at the plate through Wednesday, striking out as a pinch hitter in Monday's Game 1 loss. "All year long, we've gone with everybody on the roster, play everybody," Vogt said. "Schnee's been having really good at-bats in the (simulated) games. Just going with Schnee, just feel like it's his turn." Brennan entered Thursday 1-for-10 over five playoff games, with a double in the ALDS win over the Tigers. The career .143 hitter over 10 postseason games, batted .264 with eight home runs and 30 RBIs in 114 games during the regular season. "Will's one of the most fiery competitive people I've been around," Vogt said. "He just wants to be great so bad. And sometimes that can work against you. You get a little more aggressive or a little moving a little too quick." Though Bo Naylor caught Matt Boyd's last start in the ALDS, Vogt had veteran clubhouse leader Austin Hedges behind the plate Thursday night. "Just with the way we've been working behind the plate, I like Hedgey getting us through this game," he said. "It gives us an opportunity to get Boyd deep into the game, and have Bo's bat off the bench as well. We're just going with Hedgey today." And Hedges answered the call. Cleveland had gotten no offensive production from the catcher spot over the first seven playoff games — 0-for-23 with nine strikeouts. Hedges changed that with a two-out double in the fourth inning Thursday. Naylor entered Thursday 0-for-14 with four strikeouts in the first seven playoff games of his career after batting .201 with 13 homers and 39 RBIs in 123 regular-season games as the Guardians' primary starter. "He's in-between right now," Vogt said. "He's a little late on the fastball and he's out in front of the off-speed. And when Bo's at his best, he's on the fastball and he's committed to it. And, right now, he just kind of looks like he's a little in-between. "He's working really hard in the cage with (hitting coach Chris Valaika) and (run production coordinator Jason Esposito) and the hitting group. And we're hoping that maybe a good day of work today can get it back." Bring him back? Since Tanner Bibee's Game 2 outing at Yankee Stadium was so brief, the Guardians have the option of starting him again in Game 5 on Saturday. "We're definitely thinking about it," Vogt said. "We have to consider his health and if he's ready, so we're going to kind of see how the next few days go, but it's definitely an option that Tanner could come back sooner." With the game in jeopardy of getting out of hand — Yankees leading 2-0 and the bases loaded in the second inning with one out — Vogt went to his bullpen and Cade Smith to replace Bibee. "Bibee and I, we have a really good relationship and I know he trusts me and may not always like my decisions, as we've seen throughout the year," Vogt said. "He never wants to come out of the game, but I had to stop the game when I did and give us a chance and it almost worked. But, unfortunately, that was at Tanner coming out a lot earlier than any of us expected him to." Roundin' third Six-time All-Star Jose Ramirez entered Thursday batting .167 (4-for-24) with two homers and four RBIs over seven postseason games. Cleveland did not have a starter last five innings in any of its first seven playoff games. The Guardians allowed the Yankees' leadoff batter to reach seven times across 16 innings of the first two games of the series. The batter scored in six of those innings. Cleveland has lost the first two games of a seven-game series for the third time in its postseason history — also in the 1995 World Series against the Braves and 1954 World Series against the Giants. The Indians lost both those series. Cleveland has played the Yankees more than any other team in the postseason, and own a 13-17 record against New York. Friday, 8:08, Game 4. Williams (0-0, 0.00) vs. Gil (0-0, 0.00). Contact Chris Assenheimer at (440) 329-7136 or cassenheimer@chroniclet.com. Like him on Facebook and follow him @CAwesomeheimer on X.