Jo Adell picked up two big hits in his first game with the Cleveland Guardians.
Jo Adell's calling card throughout his career has been his ability to mash left-handed hitters and be a power threat in any given lineup.
Those two traits were some of the reasons the Cleveland Guardians opted to trade for the 27-year-old in the first place, and in Adell's first game with his new team, he showcased exactly what he could bring to a new lineup.
With Sean Manaea, a left-hander, on the mound for the New York Mets to start Tuesday's series opener, the Guardians had Jo Adell starting in right field and hitting second in the lineup.
This is a lineup will likely become routine for Cleveland when facing a southpaw.
In Adell's first at-bat, he ripped a base hit to left field, made the turn at first base, but ultimately returned to the bag to grab his first hit with his new team.
Not that there were any questions about Adell's excitement to be in Cleveland, but he even motioned to the dugout to grab the ball so he could hold on to it; Jose Ramirez was able to get a hold of it.
Just a few innings later, Adell came back up to the plate and smoked a ball deep off the center field wall for a double. He eventually came around to score on an Angel Martinez RBI double.
Aug 4, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians right fielder Jo Adell (7) is congratulated by manager Stephen Vogt (12) after scoring in the third inning against the New York Mets at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images"It was awesome to come in and put that on the ball and really find a way to execute and put myself in a position, put us in a position to put up some runs," Adell said after the game.
"I was excited to get out there and get it started."
Adell ended up going 2-for-4 with a walk and a strikeout in his Guardians debut. The only problem was that Cleveland lost to the Mets, 6-2.
The lineup wasn't the only reason for the loss, but they still went 2-for-13 with runners in scoring position and left 11 runners on base.
Chris Antonetti said even before the trade deadline that, even if the team did acquire a hitter, the current group would still need to continue to get better for the Guardians to be a playoff team, and Tuesday night was a perfect example of that.
If Cleveland can eventually rectify its clutch-hitting woes and Adell produces against left-handed pitching the way he did on Tuesday, the Guardians have the right pieces to have a complete offense.
