Guardians feel fortunate COVID-19 outbreak sidelined only Naylor | Jeff Schudel

May 18—Terry Francona was back in the manager's chair May 18 at Progressive Field — just in time to watch a steady rain delay force postponement of the game with the Cincinnati Reds in the final Battle of Ohio.

The game will be made up at 1:10 p.m. May 19 at Progressive Field.

Francona tested positive for COVID-19 on May 11 in Chicago, as did Guardians bench coach DeMarlo Hale and most of the coaching staff. The outbreak forced the scheduled game with the White Sox to be postponed and rescheduled for July 23.

Terry Francona, back as Guardians manager after a week's absence with COVID, puts himself in the shoes of acting manager Carl Willis. pic.twitter.com/Hc5ZKtLhH4

— Jeff Schudel (@jsproinsider) May 18, 2022

Francona was forced to sit out the three-game series in Minnesota and the May 17 game with the Reds. The Guardians lost three of the four games.

"That would not be the way I would describe it," Francona said when a reporter jokingly asked how his mini-vacation went. "My vacation would be sitting in Hawaii on a... this was forced retirement. It wasn't very fun."

Hale also returned on May 18. Hitting coach Chris Valaika rejoined the team on May 17.

First-base coach Sandy Alomar Jr. and third base coach Mike Sarbaugh are still out. They must have back-to-back negative tests before they can return.

The Guardians caught a break, at least for now, because the only player testing positive for COVID when the Chicago outbreak occurred was outfielder/first baseman Josh Naylor. Naylor was back in the Guardians' clubhouse May 18, but he has not been cleared to play. If all goes well, he will be cleared and in the starting lineup against the Tigers on May 20, Francona said.

Francona will be very happy if it turns out no other players end up on the COVID injured list.

"Up to this point, I think we feel pretty fortunate," Francona said. "It was starting to work its way through. Once it gets into the clubhouse, everybody's breathing on each other. We live together.

"But I will say this, it's not like it's over and you can let your guard down. We're going to have to mask up indoors just to take care. Because once it happens, it's kind of too late."

Four Guardians players were hit by COVID in April — infielder Owen Miller, infielder Yu Chang, starting pitcher Cal Quantrill and reliever Anthony Castro.

—Here's a stat even the most optimistic fans would not have predicted at the start of spring training: The Guardians have outscored opponents, 68-45, from the seventh inning on. The plus-23 run differential is the best in the Major Leagues.

The 68 runs scored from the seventh inning on are second-most in the Majors, as is the team's .261 batting average and 39 extra-base hits.

The problem, and the reason the G-Men are 16-18 and only third in the A.L. Central, is they are minus-19 (93-112) scoring runs in innings 1-6.

—Who should be the Guardians MVP at this point of the season? Jose Ramirez is always a safe answer, but if you're looking for an under-the-radar MVP, if there can be such a person, here's a vote for Andres Gimenez.

Gimenez is hitting .344 with nine extra-base hits and 14 RBI over his last 16 games. He is hitting .444 (22-for-60) with three home runs and 16 RBI when the Guardians win. He is hitting .213 (9-for-46) when they lose.