Jones' pressure-releasing blast saves Guards late

CLEVELAND -- After Nolan Jones connected on a 1-1 slider from Pete Fairbanks in the ninth inning on Wednesday, he momentarily leaned back in the batter’s box to watch the ball carry out to right-center field. It was not long before it cleared the wall.

Jones’ game-tying solo homer off Fairbanks paved the way for Kyle Manzardo to deliver a walk-off single in the 10th, as the Guardians secured a 4-3 walk-off win over the Rays.

The Guardians got back to .500 with the win (66-66) and snapped a streak of three consecutive series losses. They stood five games behind the Mariners for the final American League Wild Card spot, ahead of a three-game series vs. Seattle in Cleveland this weekend.

You can understand the pressure valve Jones released with that homer, which was the 14,000th in Cleveland franchise history.

“Obviously, it’s been a really tough year for me and [I’ve been] grinding,” Jones said.

The Guardians acquired Jones from the Rockies on March 22, with an eye on boosting their outfield and middle-of-the-order mix, but the 27-year-old has struggled at the plate. Jones entered Wednesday slashing .211/.307/.293 in 115 games, with three homers, 29 RBIs and a 26.8 percent strikeout rate (13th percentile).

Jones has had solid underlying metrics, such as a 90.8 mph average exit velocity (67th percentile) and his 46.9 percent hard-hit rate (72nd). But he ultimately has not produced how he would have hoped to, certainly coming off a 2024 season in which he recorded a .641 OPS over 79 games while going on the IL twice due to a low back strain.

“I had big plans to have a big bounce back year and help this club win, and that hasn't been the case in a lot of ways,” Jones said. “We have a lot of good people in that locker room and trusting in that and working with them [has helped me]. I would like to say that I work my butt off every single day on both sides of the ball.

“My opportunities have been a little more limited recently. When I get those opportunities, I'm trying to do what I can to take advantage of them and help this team win. ​​I get it. It’s been a tough year for me, it has. But just trying to stay positive and rely on the guys.”

Jones started in 66 of the Guardians’ 95 games before the All-Star break (69.5 percent), typically as the left-handed bat in Cleveland’s right-field timeshare. He has drawn 19 starts in 37 games since the break (51.4), while C.J. Kayfus has garnered 13 starts in right since he was selected from Triple-A Columbus on Aug. 2.

Wednesday was Jones’ first start since Aug. 19. His second-inning single moved Gabriel Arias to third base, and Will Wilson then followed with an RBI bunt single on a safety squeeze.

Facing Fairbanks in the ninth, Jones said he tried to shorten up and hit something to the middle of the field. Fairbanks’ 85.8 mph offering hung out over the plate, and Jones sent it a long way.

“I threw 13 pitches,” Fairbanks said. “Twelve of them were good and one of them went 14,000 feet into the Cleveland jet stream. You don’t want to victimize yourself by throwing bad pitches in the loop but that’s what happened. He hit the [crap] out of it.”

Manager Stephen Vogt said he was “really, really” happy for Jones.

“Nolan’s extremely hard on himself,” Vogt said. “He works his backside off. He cares so much -- a little too much at times. Nolan and I have had a number of conversations throughout the year, as well as our coaches.

“I think that homer today, a two-hit game, can really release a lot of pressure. It can really help you relax and realize, ‘As long as I'm within myself, I can do this.’ We all know what Nolan is capable of.”

Jones felt like he put good swings together throughout the game, including in the second, when he lined a single with a 103.6 mph exit velocity off starter Drew Rasmussen.

Jones will look to build on Wednesday’s performance and help the Guardians stay active in the AL postseason picture, as they look to make a push over the season’s final month.

“Hopefully that's a swing that in a couple weeks we could talk about and say it started a streak, and now we're looking to playoffs,” Jones said.