Guardians Lose a Forgettable Opener to Astros

TL;DR

The Cleveland Guardians lost to the Houston Astros 9-2 in their season opener. Slade Cecconi struggled on the mound, raising concerns about his performance and future in the rotation.

Key points

Guardians lost 9-2 to Astros in season opener
Slade Cecconi struggled with a 6.20 ERA
Jose Ramirez and Rhys Hoskins had notable performances

Cleveland GuardiansHouston AstrosSlade CecconiJose Ramirez

CLEVELAND, OH - APRIL 20: Cleveland Guardians designated hitter Rhys Hoskins (8) singles to drive in a run during the first inning of the Major League Baseball game between the Houston Astros and Cleveland Guardians on April 20, 2026, at Progressive Field in Cleveland, OH. (Photo by Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images The less said about this one, the better. Astros 9, Guardians 2. We appear to have a Slade Cecconi problem. After tonight he has a 6.20 ERA. But, not to fret… it’s only a 5.97 FIP. I attempted a hot take of saying that Cecconi would be the rotation’s second-best pitcher when I thought he was probably their fourth-best. It turns out that saying he would be fourth-best should have been my hot take. His velocity was back tonight, but the pitch mix seemed suspect with way too many four-seamers early in counts. Slade has to find a way to get some whiffs and avoid more barrels or he’ll be ticketed to the pen as soon as Will Dion, Matt Wilkinson or Khal Stephen show they are ready. Does it help that I think Slade would probably be very good for one inning at a time out of the pen? No? Well… I tried. Which is more than I can say for most of the Guardians tonight. had a walk and a double, but also an error and a called K where he looked unnaturally confused. Hoskins had two hits, a walk and an RBI and had an RBI hit, also. DeLauter continues to slump, with two pop-ups and a walk. Kwan’s OPS is .580 and should be replaced as leadoff hitter by .847 OPS-Rocchio who had three hits and a walk. Juan Brito made a nice basket catch but continues to chase and (weakly) hit too many bad pitches. , and pitched tonight, but not particularly well. Isaac Parades and seemed determine to show the Guardians that they should have traded for one of them when the Astros were trying to give Walker away. But, joke’s on you guys! We kept Kyle “I Have No Idea Why I Am Striking Out Almost Forty Percent of the Time” Manzardo. (Just kidding, Kyle! I love you. Just please, please, WAKE UP!) Good news is that the Tigers lost and we get to see the Guardians play another game tomorrow. is on his hill and all’s right with the world. Hate losing to the Asfros, though. Bleah. Get well soon,

Q&A

What was the final score of the Guardians vs. Astros game on April 20, 2026?

The final score was Astros 9, Guardians 2.

How did Slade Cecconi perform in the season opener against the Astros?

Slade Cecconi had a poor performance, ending the game with a 6.20 ERA.

Who were the standout players for the Guardians in their opener against the Astros?

Jose Ramirez and Rhys Hoskins were notable, with Hoskins contributing two hits and an RBI.